Toward Ocean Pollution Solutions for Marine Mammals at Risk in British Columbia, Canada
Presentation Abstract
Contaminants in the marine environment have been cited as threats to nine Pacific marine mammal species that are listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in Canada. Specific pollutant threats vary among marine mammal species, reflecting their life history, habitat use, distribution and feeding ecology. A multi-stakeholder workshop entitled Ocean Pollution Solutions-Recovering BC’s marine mammals by tackling pollution was held in May 2015 at the Vancouver Aquarium to i) identify priority pollutants of concern in the case of each of the nine SARA-listed marine mammals; and ii) identify the general sources of these contaminants in British Columbia (by sector, site or process); so as to contribute to iii) the design of novel, effective, solution-oriented actions that could be implemented by private, government, academic and/or conservation sectors. For the purposes of designing ‘solutions’, we evaluated operational sectors, rather than a more chemocentric approach. The five operational sectors evaluated included urban, shipping and harbours, agro-forestry, industry and home & garden. The assembled group of experts and stakeholders designed solutions that would address I) the contaminant classes of concern, ii) the operational sectors from which they likely originate, and iii) the three marine mammal categories under threat. Five candidate ocean pollution solutions were ultimately designed by participants: Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Product Eco-certification, Solution to Pollution Curriculum for Schools, a Local Ocean Network, Blue Furniture, and Blue Fuelling. Further development and implementation of these solution proposals by stakeholders may be expected to reduce pollutant inputs in marine habitat, and contribute to the recovery of SARA-listed marine mammals.
Session Title
Toxics, Pollutants and Species
Conference Track
Salish Sea Snapshots
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Snapshot
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Marine pollution--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Pollutants--Identification--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Marine mammals--Effect of pollution on--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Best management practices (Pollution prevention)--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Toward Ocean Pollution Solutions for Marine Mammals at Risk in British Columbia, Canada
2016SSEC
Contaminants in the marine environment have been cited as threats to nine Pacific marine mammal species that are listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in Canada. Specific pollutant threats vary among marine mammal species, reflecting their life history, habitat use, distribution and feeding ecology. A multi-stakeholder workshop entitled Ocean Pollution Solutions-Recovering BC’s marine mammals by tackling pollution was held in May 2015 at the Vancouver Aquarium to i) identify priority pollutants of concern in the case of each of the nine SARA-listed marine mammals; and ii) identify the general sources of these contaminants in British Columbia (by sector, site or process); so as to contribute to iii) the design of novel, effective, solution-oriented actions that could be implemented by private, government, academic and/or conservation sectors. For the purposes of designing ‘solutions’, we evaluated operational sectors, rather than a more chemocentric approach. The five operational sectors evaluated included urban, shipping and harbours, agro-forestry, industry and home & garden. The assembled group of experts and stakeholders designed solutions that would address I) the contaminant classes of concern, ii) the operational sectors from which they likely originate, and iii) the three marine mammal categories under threat. Five candidate ocean pollution solutions were ultimately designed by participants: Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Product Eco-certification, Solution to Pollution Curriculum for Schools, a Local Ocean Network, Blue Furniture, and Blue Fuelling. Further development and implementation of these solution proposals by stakeholders may be expected to reduce pollutant inputs in marine habitat, and contribute to the recovery of SARA-listed marine mammals.
