Snapshot of Raincoast actions for Southern Resident killer whales
Raincoast has been working to implement adequate recovery measures for endangered Southern Resident killer whales for almost 20 years. We’ve identified flaws in government decisions, delays in their actions, published three viability analyses on recovery potential, petitioned twice for Emergency Orders, and legally challenged decisions that destroy their critical habitat.
2003: Southern Resident killer whales listed as endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA).
2008: With Ecojustice and partners, we launched the first legal challenge on government failure to protect critical habitat of SARA-listed Resident killer whales.
2010: Won critical habitat lawsuit; DFO appealed.
2011: DFO issues final recovery strategy for Resident killer whales.
2012. DFO loses appeal. DFO legally bound to protect all aspects of critical habitat.
2012: We begin long term engagement on prey management in both Canada and US.
2013: We become intervenors in National Energy Board (NEB) review of Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX), making scientific submissions through 2016.
2014: Assemble international science team to examine SRKW recovery under status quo, improved and deteriorated conditions of noise, salmon, and pollutants.
2015:. File analysis of SRKW recovery potential with NEB. Underwater noise must be reduced and prey improved, for SRKW to recover.
2015: Raincoast scientists contribute to study that shows Canada’s species at risk rarely recover.
2015: Raincoast becomes an intervenor on review of Roberts Bank Terminal 2 (RBT2) port expansion, making submissions through 2019.
2016: Federal government approves TMX. Raincoast and partners file legal challenge for failure to adhere to SARA obligations.
2017: With our science partners, publish updated analysis of SRKW recovery potential. Whales cannot recover under status quo habitat conditions.
2018: We win our NEB lawsuit on TMX but it is reapproved in 2019. We challenge again.
2018: Raincoast and partners file federal petition for Emergency Order to protect SRKW critical habitat.
2018: J35, Tahlequah, carries her dead calf for 17 days through Salish Sea.
2019: As an outcome of the Emergency Order, government establishes five Technical Working Groups to address threats to SRKW.
2019: Government implements first threat reduction measures for vessels, prey, contaminants, and sanctuaries. Measures (and our analysis of them) continue through 2024.
2020: Raincoast’s appeal of TMX approval is denied by Canada’s Supreme Court.
2020: Federal review panel on RBT2 concludes significant adverse effects to SRKW from port expansion.
2022: Our five years of habitat restoration in Fraser River estuary shows benefits to Fraser River Chinook salmon, key prey for SRKW.
2023: Federal government approves RBT2 port expansion, Raincoast and partners file legal challenge.
2023: Raincoast letter in Science identifies federal contradiction between protecting economic growth and biodiversity regarding RBT2 decision.2024: Raincoast and partners publish third update to population viability analysis and coin term bright extinction to describe trajectory of highly studied SRKWs.
This is an excerpt from our annual report, Tracking Raincoast into 2025.
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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.
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