Federal Minister presses pause on Terminal 2

Federal Minister presses pause on Terminal 2

In a six page letter (PDF) to the CEO of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Canada’s minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jonathan Wilkinson, requested more information from the Port to assess the effectiveness of mitigation efforts in the proposed expansion of Terminal 2 on Roberts Bank. Wikinson’s letter conveyed the panel’s conclusion about likely adverse effects to fish, fish habitat and other at-risk species if Terminal 2 proceeds…

Increasing salmon hatcheries could do more harm than good for Chinook and Southern Resident killer whales

Increasing salmon hatcheries could do more harm than good for Chinook and Southern Resident killer whales

Hatcheries have failed to protect or restore the old ages, big sizes, range of migration times and diversity of wild Chinook salmon. For Southern Residents to recover, the age structure and run timing of wild Chinook runs, along with abundance, need to be restored. This is not the objective of hatcheries…

Saving endangered whales: Strategies from above and below the 49th parallel

Saving endangered whales: Strategies from above and below the 49th parallel

On May 10, the Canadian federal government announced its first wide-ranging measures to reduce the primary threats compromising survival of the salmon-eating Southern Resident killer whales reliant on the transboundary waters of the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. Although federally listed as endangered in 2003 in Canada and 2005 in the US, little has happened…

NEB recommends Trans Mountain proceed despite “significant adverse effects” to Southern Residents

NEB recommends Trans Mountain proceed despite “significant adverse effects” to Southern Residents

The National Energy Board (NEB) has recommended that the Trans Mountain expansion project should proceed despite the “significant adverse effects” of oil tankers on the critically endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales. Although we disagree with the NEB’s conclusion, their review of the project effects on killer whales is forthright and portrays the severity of the current situation…

Chinook salmon, 74 killer whales, and the future of the Salish Sea

Chinook salmon, 74 killer whales, and the future of the Salish Sea

2018 closes with just 74 Southern Resident killer whales remaining in the world. You’ve been with us through a year of huge wins and some heartbreaking losses and it’s worth a recap as we close the year and prepare for 2019. January – With 76 Southern Residents remaining, Raincoast and partners petition the government to…