Ship noise will be monitored to help threatened orcas

The federal government says it will monitor underwater ship noise in B.C.’s Salish Sea to help develop measures to support the recovery of endangered southern-resident killer whales.

Terry Beech, parliamentary secretary to the transportation minister, announced the measures Monday as his government is set to face new scrutiny of the impacts of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion on the threatened species.

“The southern-resident killer whale is a vital part of our local marine ecosystem. The survival of this iconic species is a priority,” he said.

A court ruling found the National Energy Board failed to assess the Trans Mountain project’s effects on the marine environment and the government asked the board to reconsider that part of the review by Feb. 22.

The government-owned project would increase tankers in Burrard Inlet seven-fold, from five to 34 a month, and whale experts argue there is already too much traffic for the 74-member southern-resident population to survive.

Beech said Transport Canada will work with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) program, which is looking at ways to reduce underwater noise in key areas for the whales. It will deploy an underwater listening device at Boundary Pass to collect individual vessel and mammal noise profiles, he said.

The department will also carry out a four-year project to better predict propeller noise and hull vibration of a vessel.

Beech said the new measures, totalling $1.6 million, are part of a previously announced $167.4-million Whales Initiative aimed at improving prey availability and reducing disturbance of the whales.

“Do I think that these particular measures that are being taken on behalf of our government are going to help? Absolutely,” Beech said. “Not just with the one (additional) tanker a day if the Trans Mountain project goes ahead, but with the increased shipping traffic that we fully expect to happen as our economy continues to grow.”

Whales use sound to find their food, mate, communicate and avoid danger. Vessels can impact whales by altering their normal behaviour and movement, said Carrie Brown, director of environmental programs at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

The ECHO program has been underway since 2014 and Transport Canada’s involvement will help it gain a better understanding of commercial vessel noise, she said.

The program has recently co-ordinated voluntary initiatives to slow deepsea vessels, making them quieter in Haro Strait, and to shift them away from whale-foraging areas in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, she added.