Protecting Marine Mammals
Opening Statement to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
Protecting Marine Mammals
(Report 2—2018 Fall Reports of the Commissioner of the Environment Sustainable Development)
23 October 2018
Julie Gelfand
Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
Mr. Chair, I am pleased to be here today to discuss my report on protecting marine mammals, which was tabled in Parliament on October 2. I am accompanied by Elsa Da Costa, the Director responsible for this audit.
Our audit looked at what the government had done to protect marine mammals from the threats posed by marine vessels and commercial fishing. In Canada, there are over 40 species of marine mammals—such as whales, dolphins, and seals—and 14 populations are on the endangered or threatened species list.
We found that Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in collaboration with Parks Canada, Transport Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada, was very slow to take action to reduce threats to marine mammals. Departments have several tools at their disposal to protect these animals. For example, they can establish protected areas, set speed limits for vessels, close or restrict fisheries, and set distances for whale-watching boats.
We found that most of these tools were not used until the situation became severe: 12 endangered North Atlantic right whales, which represent 3% of the world’s remaining population, were found dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2017. It was then that the departments took action to protect a few whale species—for example, by closing certain fisheries and introducing speed limits for ships in some areas.
More specifically, we found the following:
- Only 4 of the 14 recovery strategies required under the Species at Risk Act were completed within the Act’s required timelines, and no action plans were completed on time. In 2017, only 7 of 14 action plans were finalized. The rest remain incomplete.
- Marine protected areas are not necessarily established to protect marine mammals. Only 3 of the 11 marine protected areas established by Fisheries and Oceans Canada are intended to do so. In addition, fishing and shipping are allowed in over 80% of our marine protected areas.
- Up to and including the 2017 fishing season, only 8 of the 74 fish stocks that had interaction with marine mammals had management measures in place as required by the Policy on Managing Bycatch. None of these measures included gear restrictions. In 2018, new restrictions were placed on fishing licences.
- Even though prey availability for the southern resident killer whale was identified as a significant threat to the species for many years, Fisheries and Oceans Canada had not taken action to implement quotas on Chinook salmon fishing. The Department announced such measures in the 2018 fishing season, which was subsequent to our audit period.
We also found that Fisheries and Oceans Canada lacked the resources and guidance to effectively respond to distressed marine mammals. There are around 900 incidents of distressed marine mammals each year, and very few people are trained to help.
The measures recently put in place have been reactive, limited, and late. The clock could well be running out for certain species, such as the west coast’s southern resident killer whale which has been listed as an endangered species for 15 years, and whose population is now down to 74 individuals. There needs to be continued action from the departments to manage threats for all marine mammals.
This concludes my opening statement. We would be pleased to answer any questions the Committee may have. Thank you.