Presentation Abstract
The Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) population is listed as Endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. As part of its Ocean Protection Plan, Canada is taking action to protect SRKW and their defined Critical Habitat in the Salish Sea. Identified threats to SRKW include noise from vessels, availability of prey, and contaminants. Through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) assesses and permits the disposal of waste at sea, including disposal at a designated site in SRKW habitat. As well, ECCC conducts regular, required monitoring at disposal sites. The monitoring program holds several years of scientific data and reports on contaminant levels in sediment, as well as data on sediment physico-chemistry, benthic invertebrate populations, sediment stratigraphy, hydrology and other parameters for its disposal sites. This talk will discuss research findings from ECCC disposal site monitoring, and ECCC activities to protect SRKW habitat from contamination, with a particular focus on findings and management actions with respect to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Emerging Contaminants, managing noise from Disposal at Sea activities, and engagement with indigenous peoples will also be discussed.
Session Title
Transboundary Actions to Address Threats to Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW)
Keywords
Salish Sea, Killer Whales, Disposal at sea
Conference Track
SSE9: Transboundary Management and Policy
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE9-574
Start Date
4-4-2018 4:15 PM
End Date
4-4-2018 4:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Waste disposal in the ocean--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Killer whale--Effect of contaminated sediments on--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Polychlorinated biphenyls--Environmental aspects--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
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Managing disposal at sea in the Salish Sea to protect Southern Resident killer whale habitat
The Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) population is listed as Endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. As part of its Ocean Protection Plan, Canada is taking action to protect SRKW and their defined Critical Habitat in the Salish Sea. Identified threats to SRKW include noise from vessels, availability of prey, and contaminants. Through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) assesses and permits the disposal of waste at sea, including disposal at a designated site in SRKW habitat. As well, ECCC conducts regular, required monitoring at disposal sites. The monitoring program holds several years of scientific data and reports on contaminant levels in sediment, as well as data on sediment physico-chemistry, benthic invertebrate populations, sediment stratigraphy, hydrology and other parameters for its disposal sites. This talk will discuss research findings from ECCC disposal site monitoring, and ECCC activities to protect SRKW habitat from contamination, with a particular focus on findings and management actions with respect to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Emerging Contaminants, managing noise from Disposal at Sea activities, and engagement with indigenous peoples will also be discussed.
