Feds refuse protection order for southern resident orcas, rejecting ministers’ advice
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Winnipeg Free Press subscription for only
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $4.99 a X percent off the regular rate.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/03/2025 (195 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
OTTAWA – The federal government is rejecting the recommendations of two of its own ministers and refusing to issue an emergency order protecting southern resident killer whales from “imminent threats” to their survival.
Instead, the Fisheries Department says “incremental measures will be pursued” to protect the salmon-eating whales that live in British Columbia waters.
Thursday’s decision has been decried by conservation groups that say the refusal to issue an emergency order puts the species at greater risk of extinction.
Groups including the David Suzuki Foundation, Raincoast Conservation Foundation and World Wildlife Fund Canada had asked for the order last year.
The government says in a statement the environment and fisheries ministers announced their opinion in November that the species faces “imminent threats to its survival and recovery.”
It says the ministers were then “obliged” to recommend an emergency order for their protection under the Species At Risk Act, but the government has declined.
“It has been determined that the most effective approach is to continue to manage human activities without making an emergency order, using existing legislative tools and non-regulatory measures,” the statement says.
“The decision also took into account social, economic, policy and other factors, and the broader public interest.”
The conservation groups said in a statement on Friday that existing protection measures “have thus far proven inadequate.”
They say “persistent and escalating threats” include inadequate salmon prey, underwater noise, fatal vessel strikes and pollution.
“The urgency of the situation demands that decision-makers act with the boldness required to save southern resident killer whales from extinction,” the groups say.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2025.