First nation leads effort to monitor orca-threatening ship noise

By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Underwater noise is a serious threat to endangered Southern Resident killer whales, as ship and ferry traffic intensifies through some of the busiest waters off Vancouver Island. With ship traffic surging following the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline — and set to grow even more following a port expansion at Roberts Bank, south of Vancouver — Indigenous-led efforts are underway to track vessel noise and protect whale habitat, according to government documents obtained by Canada’s National Observer. Snuneywuxw First Nation, whose traditional territory includes the Gulf Islands and key fishing grounds along major shipping routes to Nanaimo and Vancouver, is now in its second year of actively monitoring underwater noise. John White, member of the nation and director of…

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