Panel: the future of killer whale recovery
Join us this April, in Victoria or online, for an expert panel and discussion.
Join us this April, either in person or on online, as we discuss the challenges ahead in the recovery of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales.
With the Southern Resident population now at only 75 individuals, their survival is clearly threatened under current conditions. Additional noise from vessel traffic, further reductions in food availability, or random events such as disease and oil spills would significantly increase their risk of extinction. Our research has helped to outline the viability of this population, given existing threats and those on the horizon. The same research also outlines that we can put them on a path to recovery if we take necessary action.
Expert panel discussion, April 18th
7pm to 9pm Pacific
Sunset Labs, 400 Herald Street, Victoria
Book your in-person ticket [icon icon=”external-link”]
Raincoast has been working with an international team of scientists, as well as our partners at the David Suzuki Foundation, Georgia Strait Alliance, WWF Canada, and the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), to compel governments in Canada, and the US, to support bold recovery measures. We are calling for the closure of marine commercial and recreational Chinook fisheries, an end to commercial and private whale watching on Southern Resident killer whales, and the establishment of targets for reducing noise from commercial vessels travelling in critical habitat.
Register to access the live streamed event [icon icon=”external-link”]
Through the support of Stream of Consciousness you can join us on April 18th, either in person or by streaming the event free online. Hosted by CBC’s Bob McDonald, the evening will feature a panel of experts who will be open to questions from the live audience and viewers online.
Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon Program Director, Raincoast Conservation Foundation
Misty has been working on salmon conservation as a biologist for more than 15 years. She has also led Raincoast’s efforts to protect the Southern Residents. As well as publishing research on both wild salmon and killer whales, Misty works with government and industry on fisheries management and sits on various committees focused on wild salmon and killer whale conservation.
Dr. Peter S. Ross, Vice-President of Research at Ocean Wise
Peter currently oversees eight research programs at Ocean Wise that deliver conservation science to the international community. He is Adjunct Professor at the University of Victoria. He served as a Research Scientist with the Canadian government between 1996 and 2013. He is an international authority in the area of ocean pollution, having published over 150 scientific articles, with a focus on the source, transport, fate and effects of priority pollutants. He discovered the region’s killer whales to be the most ‘contaminated marine mammals in the world’ in a groundbreaking study in the year 2000, and more recently reported on the widespread distribution of microplastics in the NE Pacific Ocean.
Michael Jasny, Director of Marine Mammal Protection, Natural Resources Defence Council
Michael is a widely published expert on the law and policy of ocean noise pollution. For over ten years, he has directed high-profile litigation, lobbying efforts, science-based policy development, and public advocacy to improve the regulation of this emergent global problem. His work also focuses on securing protection for endangered marine mammals and their habitat, opposing development projects that threaten marine mammals off the U.S. and Canadian coastlines, and improving management of fisheries, whale-watching tourism, and other sectors that impact these vulnerable species.
The recovery of Southern Resident killer whales is something we can all contribute to. Learn about issues and be inspired this April 18th.
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.
