Federal Whales Initiative – Freshwater and sediment data (Pacific Region)

The Initiative to Protect and Recover Endangered Whale Populations from anthropogenic threats (aka Federal Whales Initiative) was announced on June 22, 2018, by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Transport Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). This 5-year initiative (2018-2023) focuses on three endangered whale species listed in the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) including the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) (Orcinus orca), as well as their primary prey, Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Threats identified under the 2018 SARA recovery strategy for northern and southern resident killer whales include several anthropogenic factors such as acoustic and physical disturbances, prey availability and quality, and environmental contaminants (“Recovery Strategy for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Canada” https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/recovery-strategies/northern-southern-killer-whales-2018.html ). SRKW and their prey are at risk from a range of contaminants that may be present in the Fraser River and smaller freshwater streams draining into the Salish Sea.…

Publisher

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Resources

2

Catalogue metadata updated

2024-08-15