A gift of abundance for Southern Resident killer whales
We can work collectively for every one of the 76 remaining Southern Residents.
As 2017 draws to a close, all of us at Raincoast are buoyed by the news that grizzly hunting across the entirety of British Columbia will finally end. Thank you for supporting our 20+ years of work to achieve this. We remain committed to equally safeguarding the lives of wolves, black bears and cougars throughout the Great Bear Rainforest forever through our purchase of the Nadeea commercial hunting tenure, and all the remaining hunting tenures on the central and north coasts.
My focus currently rests with the top marine mammals of our coast.
This fall, our population viability analysis of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales was published in the journal Scientific Reports. While it indicates that these whales face a 25% chance of extinction within 100 years, the results also show that actions to increase Chinook salmon, decrease vessel disturbance, and reduce pollution, would lead to population growth.
These are the gifts they need. They are truly vital.
I now spend much of my time working with other ENGO’s and government agencies in Canada and the US drafting input on the details of recovery plans and advocating for Chinook salmon management that will make endangered whales the priority. We are making progress. These efforts, combined with our legal challenge of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain project, our role as intervenors in the proposed Terminal 2 expansion, and high profile media coverage, have pushed the Southern Residents firmly to the forefront. We now need your help to keep them there until the action we are asking for is delivered.
From salmon assessments and published scientific research to opinion editorials and legal arguments, our work on Southern Resident killer whales draws on the skills of a dedicated team. Knowing Raincoast’s team of scientists and conservationists will be fully resourced at the start of the new year will allow us to focus where we can make the greatest impact.
As an example, in 2018 we will begin a multi-year restoration project to improve salmon habitat connectivity in the delta of the Fraser River estuary. This work, profiled in this year’s Tracking Raincoast, represents the boldest, most ambitious and systematic approach to species recovery Raincoast has ever envisioned. This is what the 76 endangered whales also need.
This holiday season help us to collectively gift the Southern Resident killer whales the best possible chance for recovery. Your donation will better enable Raincoast to ensure action is taken.
You can gift a friend or loved one this support. Donate before December 31st to be eligible for a 2017 tax receipt.
You can help
Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.
We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.
