Conservation groups file whale lawsuit
‘The whales need a quieter ocean with more fish to eat, and they don’t have that right now’
VANCOUVER — A collection of conservation groups has teamed up to launch legal action aimed at protecting endangered southern resident killer whales.
The groups said Wednesday that the federal government failed to recommend an emergency order to protect the whales under the Species at Risk Act and they want a Federal Court to review that decision.
Margot Venton, a lawyer and nature program director at Ecojustice, said they want the court to force the ministers to address existing imminent threats to the whales with an emergency order under the act.
The order is a legal tool that enables the government to fasttrack protection for critically endangered populations like the southern residents, Venton explained.
“The whales need a quieter ocean with more fish to eat, and they don’t have that right now,” she said. “The whales’ situation is not improving, and in these dire circumstances the groups are left with no choice but to go to court to force the federal government to act.”
There are just 75 southern resident whales remaining and their critical situation has been highlighted in the recent attempt by experts to save the life of a young, emaciated killer whale within the pod.
Also this summer, a female orca from the same pod pushed the body of her dead calf for more than two weeks when it died shortly after birth in July.
The other groups taking part in the legal action are the David Suzuki Foundation, the Georgia Strait Alliance, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund Canada.
In January, the same groups petitioned the federal government to use the emergency order power to protect the unique whales, Venton said.
The federal government closed down several recreational and commercial chinook fisheries off the B.C. coast in May in an effort to free up more the fish for the whales. Chinook is a favoured meal for the resident killer whales that are found in coastal waters between B.C. and California.
Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in an emailed statement that the government is committed to protecting species at risk.
“We are committed to working collaboratively with all willing partners, including Indigenous communities to ensure that we effectively protect and recover this iconic species.”