This month, another Southern Resident calf died and the world watched its grieving mother carry its lifeless body for days. This is not just heartbreaking; it’s a stark reminder that we are losing time in the urgent fight for this species’ survival.
Regardless, this week the federal court upheld the government’s decision to allow a new megaport expansion in Delta, BC. If the project goes ahead, it threatens the whales and their main prey source, Chinook salmon. But the dangers don’t end there.
Nearby in the Salish sea, the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMX) has increased oil tanker traffic from 5 to 34 tankers per month. The deafening noise disrupts the whales’ ability to hunt and communicate, while the risk of a catastrophic oil spill looms larger than ever.
We must put pressure on the Minister of Environment and the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to give this iconic species the urgent protection they desperately need.
Promises made in 2018 to mitigate the impact of TMX on the whales before starting shipping have been broken. TMX is now operating with no additional safeguards in place for Southern Resident Killer Whales.
The Ministers have the power to recommend that Cabinet issues an emergency order under the Species at Risk Act. This is a critical opportunity to address the threats facing Southern Residents.Yet they remain silent.
An emergency order can reduce underwater noise, increase prey availability, and establish protections from pollution. But it won’t happen without pressure from people like you.
Join the wave and send your letter today, urging ministers to fulfil their legal obligation and recommend an emergency order.
Write to the Ministers accountable for this today.
As renowned marine biologist Alexandra Morton warns, “If we lose the Southern Residents, it will be the first extinction where every individual’s name was known.” These whales are not just a species—they are a family, each member as irreplaceable as the next.
ACT NOW
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