Close Window
Print Window

RECOMMENDED CONSERVATION MEASURES

In addition to listing, several measures should be taken to insure the survival of the Southern Resident killer whales. If undertaken, these measures will help mitigate the effects of the threats outlined in this petition and increase survivability within the Southern Residents. All of these efforts should also be undertaken in Canada, and an international dialogue on conservation efforts should be instituted.

A. INCREASE FUNDING FOR SOUTHERN RESIDENT RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION EFFORTS

Although the Southern Resident population is very likely the most often observed and studied population of killer whales in the world, there is still much to learn about their genetics, biology, and ecology. Increasing funding for field and laboratory research will be essential to learning more about the Southern Residents before they are extirpated. Funding is also needed to promote the conservation and recovery of the Southern Residents. Many activities can be undertaken with relatively small investments that will provide conservation benefits to both the Southern Residents and the ecosystem upon which the Southern Residents depend. The following recommendations should be funding priorities:

• Funding for an enhanced and coordinated stranding network. The stranding network would provide immediate response to reports of killer whale and other marine mammal stranding events in order to resuscitate sick and injured animals. If the animal is unable to be saved, the stranding network must be able to collect samples for chemical and biological information, assess the cause of stranding and death, and appropriately dispose of the carcass.
• Funding for shore-based observations of vessel and whale interactions. Vessel traffic is potentially threatening the existence of the Southern Residents. Commercial and recreational whale watching boats may be altering the behavior of the killer whales, high-speed ferries are increasing the risk of collisions, and the increased level of commercial traffic has increased acoustic pollution and risks of oil spills. More research is needed to determine how these interactions are affecting Southern Resident behavior and survival.
• Funding for continuing and new photo-identification studies. The photo identification studies undertaken by institutions such as the Center for Whale Research are the most important tool available for assessing the health of the Southern Resident killer whales. Continued support for these efforts are essential to insure that population changes within the Southern Residents do not go undetected. Furthermore, additional funding can increase our understanding of the social, behavioral, and ecological habitats of the Southern Residents, insuring that recovery efforts are tailored appropriately.

B. PROTECT AND RESTORE THE HABITAT OF SOUTHERN RESIDENTS AND THEIR PREY

Habitat destruction is affecting the survival of the Southern Residents by altering the ecosystem in which they live, and also by destroying important habitats for their preferred species of prey. Perhaps the most effective way of preserving the Southern Residents would be to insure that current areas of suitable habitat are maintained and degraded areas are restored. Some priorities for habitat preservation for the Southern Residents include:

• Protecting Puget Sound herring and forage fish habitat. Protecting Puget Sound herring is critical for the survival of the Southern Residents. Herring are an important prey species for chinook salmon, which in turn is the preferred prey of Southern Residents. It is also believed that killer whales may eat herring directly. Chinook are a threatened species, and further loss of herring may result in additional declines in chinook populations. Further development of important herring habitat, including commercial shellfish rafts, salmon farms, pier and dock development, and development at Cherry Point, must be halted. Surf smelt and sand lace are also important forage fish for chinook, and protecting nearshore habitats will be important to the recovery of both salmon and killer whales.
• Protect and restore estuarine, riparian, and shoreline habitats. The most important threat to salmon that run through the Southern Residents' habitat is habitat destruction. In order to insure that the Southern Residents' food source remains viable, aquatic, riparian, and shoreline habitats must be preserved and restored. Elwha dam removal should be prioritized, but additional restoration areas will need to be identified and restored to insure suitable numbers of salmon continue to support the Southern Residents. Furthermore, protection of existing habitats from shoreline armoring should continue, and removing or modifying shoreline armoring to restore shoreline functions should occur in other areas where feasible.
• Support NMFS's Technical Review Teams working on salmon recovery. Recovery efforts for salmon will be crucial, and recovery efforts along the coast should be prioritized. Likewise, he efforts being made to preserve marine resources by state agencies should also be supported. Recovery goals that include a fish quota for the killer whales should be encouraged.

C. REDUCE POLLUTION IN THE HABITAT OF SOUTHERN RESIDENTS

Reducing the source of contaminants is crucial to preserving the Southern Residents. In addition to the funding needed to address the pollution problems that were noted above, additional pollution strategies should be undertaken to insure the survival of the Southern Residents:

• Review NPDES permits to insure water quality is suitable for Southern Residents. The permits issued within Southern Resident and chinook habitat should be reviewed for discharges of persistent chemicals to determine whether the collective pollution levels of all current permits are affecting Southern Resident and chinook survival. Monitoring data from permitted outfalls should be analyzed to determine the cumulative loading rates of persistent anthropogenic toxicants. Analysis of cumulative toxicant loadings from non-point source discharges, including municipal combined sewer overflows in Seattle, Tacoma and other Puget Sound cities, should also be conducted. Municipal discharges from both sides of the border should be reviewed and addressed.
• Clean up and remediation of contaminated sites. Organochlorine contamination is a major threat to the continued existence of the Southern Residents. Because these pollutants bioaccumulate, it is important to eliminate the sources of pollution before the contaminants can work their way into the lipids of top predators. Current sources of these contaminants must be reviewed, including current and past military bases, so that an appropriate clean up and remediation strategy can be drafted. The clean up and remediation plan must be fully funded so that the contaminant threat can be mediated. Contaminant transport through marine food webs should be modeled to evaluate whether sediment clean-up standards that have been implemented at NPL sites are sufficient to protect long-lived, top predators. New cleanup standards for persistent organochlorine contaminants should be developed and implemented throughout Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, regardless of whether a site has been previously 'remediated' under CERCLA. The reduction and elimination of persistent bioaccumulative toxins from point and storm-water discharges should be required of all contaminated sites.
• Coordinated efforts to reduce and respond to oil spills. Oil spill prevention and vessel safety improvements should include permanently stationed, year round, fully equipped rescue tugs capable of responding within one hour to vessel distress in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Haro Strait, Boundary Pass, Georgia Strait and Rosario Strait. A permanent rescue vessel at Neah Bay should be included in this network.

D. ADDITIONAL CONSERVATION EFFORTS

• Reintroduction of captive Southern Residents. Pending successful results from release attempts for other killer whales, and assurances that the captive whales do not carry communicable diseases, captive killer whales taken from the Southern Residents should be re-introduced to the population. The effects of the capture period on current population numbers should also be further studied.
• Reduce impacts of whale watching. Whale Watching vessels should be encouraged to use four-stroke engines rather than two-stroke engines to reduce the pollution generated in the Southern Residents' habitat. Limitations should be placed on recreational whale watching vessels to insure the safety of the Southern Residents.
• Support decisions to eliminate the use of the most harmful chemicals. Several governmental agencies and other organizations have begun to indicate that certain toxins should be banned. For example, the UN recently adopted a resolution banning the use and production of twelve of the most dangerous POPs, and the Washington State Department of Ecology recently proposed to ban the use and production of seven toxic chemicals. These efforts should be encouraged.

Close Window
Print Window