Canada Creates Two Critical Habitat Areas Off Pacific Coast
December 21, 2018

Map showing the Pacific Canadian coast depicting the existing and new critical habitat areas to protect Northern and Southern Resident orcas. New critical habitat area in the western Dixon Entrance at the northern end of Haida Gwaii and southwestern Vancouver Island is depicted in yellow. Existing critical habitat is depicted in black. Those areas include the Johnstone Strait and southeastern Queen Charlotte Strait and the transboundary waters of southern B.C.
credit: Fisheries and Oceans Canada

The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard has announced the creation of two new critical habitat areas off Canada's west coast to protect Southern and Northern Resident orcas. Southern Residents are classified as Endangered in Canada with only 74 remaining after the presumed death of young orca J50 in September of 2018 and the Northern Residents are classified as Threatened with the population numbering 309 individuals in 2017. Although their habitat overlaps, the press release from Fisheries and Oceans Canada notes that these two populations of orcas are 'acoustically, genetically, and culturally distinct.'

The new critical habitat areas announced today "are located in the waters off the coast of southwestern Vancouver Island, including Swiftsure and La Pérouse Banks, and in western Dixon Entrance, all of which are key foraging areas for both Resident Killer Whales. These new zones will increase the area of critical habitat for endangered killer whales by approximately 6,419 square kilometers to an area of approximately 10,714 square kilometres of Canadian waters.

They also note that the new areas add to the existing critical habitat areas established in 2009 and that, "A Critical Habitat Order focuses on protecting from destruction specific geographic locations and conditions essential for the survival and recovery of the species. It applies to any ongoing or future human activities that could result in the destruction of any part of the identified critical habitat for a species at risk." The press release states about Southern Resident orcas, "Specific measures already introduced to protect this endangered species include expanding vessel slowdowns, enhancing regulatory controls on contaminants and investments aimed at protecting and recovering Chinook salmon stocks."

A map showing the North Pacific right whales killed from 1785-1913 in US and Canadian waters from logbook records of American whale ships. Many were killed off the Canadian coast with some being seen and killed in the western Dixon Entrance at the north end of Haida Gwaii.
credit: C.H. Townsend, 1935 via 2004 North Pacific Right Whale COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report [PDF]

We are happy that the orcas in these areas are finally getting some of the protection they deserve. These new critical habitat areas are also good news for other whales in that area of the Pacific, particularly the highly endangered North Pacific right whale. Haida Gwaii and the western Dixon Entrance right above it has historically been used by right whales. And, more recently, two North Pacific right whales were seen off Haida Gwaii in 2013 with a young North Pacific right whale sighted off the western coast of Haida Gwaii this summer, possibly signaling their return to the area as their population of only around 30-50 struggles to recover from decades of brutal hunting. Although the new habitat areas were put in place to protect orcas, any whales in the area can also benefit from the protections.