Two killer whales come to the surface of the Salish Sea.

Misty MacDuffee on CFAX 1070 talking about the approval of the Trans Mountain Pipeline

The day after the federal government approved the Trans Mountain Pipeline yet again, Raincoast’s Wild Salmon Program Director, Misty MacDuffee spoke with Mark Brennae on CFAX 1070 to talk pipelines, whales, and how humans are implicated in the disappearance of species. There is, of course, the risk of an oil spill or a vessel strike, but the noise and disturbance on both inbound and outbound tankers is always a certainty. And that noise can reduce the whales ability to echolocate and communicate…

Southern Resident killer whales surface in a group in the Salish Sea.

Backgrounder: Trans Mountain approval wrong choice for endangered killer whales and climate

Timeline and quick facts by Ecojustice, Living Oceans Society and Raincoast Conservation Foundation. If built, the Trans Mountain pipeline project would lead to a sevenfold increase in tanker traffic — for a total of 408 trips per year — through critical Southern Resident habitat…

J16 spy hops: Southern Resident killer whale.

Canada’s recovery measures for endangered killer whales a positive step

A coalition of six conservation groups commend the federal government’s new measures to support Southern Resident killer whale recovery. The measures are the boldest yet; greater whale-watching restrictions, expanded voluntary slow downs for international shipping and the creation of no-vessel zones in feeding areas.  However, important feeding areas protected from fishing are smaller than last year’s areas, allowing less protection for whales and more areas for fishing…

A single Southern Resident killer whale surfaces in the Salish Sea.

No half measures for Southern Resident killer whales

Right now, as we anticipate the return of these endangered whales to the Salish Sea, the federal government is considering exactly what measures they will take to aid recovery in 2019. They are asking you for your input, and it is critical that you encourage them to make the right choice. Many voices are advocating for less ambitious recovery actions…

L121 and calf in the Salish Sea.

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…

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.

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

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…

Seals hanging out on a rocky outcropping, soaking up some sunshine.

Seals and sea lions in the Salish Sea are all part of a healthy food web

Since the killing of seals and sea lions ended in the 1970s, pinnipeds in the Salish Sea have been recovering. The recovery of seals slowed by 2000 and for the last fifteen years or so the number of seals in the Salish Sea has been relatively stable. This population of fish eaters has recovered to what was likely historic levels…