Feature story - February 25, 2009
It has been a hopeful couple of weeks for B.C.’s resident orcas. This week, after two new calves were spotted off Vancouver Island, an Order was issued by the federal government providing legal protection for the endangered species’ critical habitat.
This stunning policy reversal comes months after a lawsuit was
filed against the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) by
Ecojustice on behalf of Greenpeace and eight other leading Canadian
environmental groups.
The federal government's reconsideration marks the first time
that Canada has ever issued an Order under its Species at Risk Act
to protect critical habitat. However, the Order does not reference
the particular threats to critical habitat documented by scientists
in the government's Resident Killer Whale Recovery Strategy
including toxic contamination, acoustic degradation and declining
salmon stocks.
While the Order is a positive step, it is crucial that the words
turn to action. This means taking into account an entire ecosystem,
including the food needs of the orcas when managing our salmon
fisheries, keeping the critical habitat free of tanker traffic and
other threats of toxic and other pollution, and prohibiting seismic
testing, military sonar, dredging and other activities that lead to
both acoustic impacts and disturbance on the orcas and their
habitat.
The lawsuit was originally filed alleging that DFO had failed to
necessitate much-needed legal protection for the killer whales'
critical habitat, claiming instead that existing laws and
unenforceable guidelines were sufficient protection against
existing and future threats. Avoiding meaningful change when it
comes to species protection has become an unfortunate pattern of
DFO's. Greenpeace is determined to ensure prohibition of harmful
activities within killer whale habitat but also hopeful that DFO
will change with the tide and recognize the importance of strong
legal protection for all marine species at risk.
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More on B.C.'s two new orca calves.