population viability analysis | Raincoast Conservation Foundation

Ecological legacy of coastal B.C. hangs in the balance

Published on 2019 05 31 | by Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon Program Director & Chris Genovali, Executive Director | in For the coast

A Humpback whale fin is visible above the surface of the ocean.

One hundred years ago, whaling largely extirpated humpback and fin whales from the inside waters of the B.C. coast. As the federal government looks to codify a 35-year moratorium on oil-tanker traffic into law, these whale populations are recovering and returning to their historic feeding grounds…

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

Published on 2019 03 20 | by Chris Genovali, Misty MacDuffee & Paul Paquet | in For the coast

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…

Raincoast’s new evidence on Southern Resident killer whales for the National Energy Board’s reconsideration of the Trans Mountain Expansion

Published on 2019 02 20 | by Raincoast | in Backgrounders

Beam Reach Haro Strait Salish Sea, with a map of the Southern Resident killer whale critical habitat and the tanker route tot he Trans Mountain Expansion Burnaby terminal.

The National Energy Board is now preparing its recommendations to cabinet on the Trans Mountain Expansion. When we won our legal case in the federal court of appeal in August 2018, the courts quashed the Trans Mountain permits and required the National Energy Board to reconsider their recommendations…

Southern Resident killer whales are on the precipice

Published on 2018 11 21 | by Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon Program Director & Chris Genovali, Executive Director | in For the coast

The federal government recently announced its refusal to issue an emergency order, despite the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans’ recommendation to do so. Although we commend the ministers for recommending an emergency order be used, we are deeply disappointed that Cabinet rejected what we believe to be the best available tool to recover these whales…

We are taking the federal government to court to protect endangered Southern Resident killer whales

Published on 2018 09 05 | by Misty MacDuffee, Wild Salmon Program Director & Paul Paquet, Senior Scientist | in Conservation update

A Souther Resident killer whale is watched by a whale watching vessel: five logos on the right including David Suzuki Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, Georgia Strait Alliance, Natural Resources Defense council and Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

Today, we launched a lawsuit to ensure our federal government acts to protect the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. The lawsuit comes less than a month after Southern Resident J35 (Tahlequah) carried her deceased calf for 17 days

Interview: Southern Resident killer whales, fisheries, whale watching and the need for enforcement

Published on 2018 08 20 | by Raincoast | in Interviews

Last week, Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the David Suzuki Foundation made a joint call for action to save the Southern Resident killer whales. This call for action was made to the new Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Jonathan Wilkinson to immediately close recreational and commercial marine Chinook fisheries, to suspend all commercial and recreational whale […]

Endangered killer whales still await real action

Published on 2018 07 10 | by Misty MacDuffee & Jeffery Young | in For the coast

L92 comes to the surface to get a better look around; spyhop.

The imminent threats to the survival of these whales require the federal government to take immediate action to reduce those threats, not ramp them up. The federal government already faces one killer-whale lawsuit for approving the Trans Mountain project and violating the Species at Risk Act…

Immediate action essential for Southern Resident killer whales

Published on 2016 07 21 | by Raincoast | in Backgrounders

Southern Resident killer whale pokes head above water, displaying a classic spyhop behaviour.

Raincoast releases video to encourage public comments on the killer whale action plan.
Public comment period ends August 14th.

We can make a difference for killer whales

Published on 2016 07 08 | by Raincoast | in Raincoast updates

Southern Resident killer whale breaching from the waters of the Salish Sea with mountains in the background.

With your support, we can continue to do our utmost to protect Southern Resident killer whales, including going to court to stop Kinder Morgan’s pipeline and oil tanker project.