Speak Up for Southern Resident Killer Whales by July 22
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Speak Up for Southern Resident Killer Whales by July 22
Issue Overview
Canada is considering changes that would allow major industrial projects to bypass a critical safeguard in the Species at Risk Act (SARA) permitting pathway: the requirement that approved projects must not “jeopardize the survival or recovery” of endangered species.
This “jeopardy test” is one of the strongest protections in Canadian law. It ensures that projects cannot move forward if they would push endangered species, like Southern Resident killer whales, closer to extinction.
Removing or weakening this safeguard would:
- Allow additional harmful impacts to already stressed habitat
- Undermine science-based decision-making
- Increase the risk that Southern Residents become extinct
What’s at Stake?
What happens in Canada directly affects the same whales that we are all working hard to protect in Washington state. With only 74 individuals remaining, Southern Resident killer whales are under intense pressure from not having enough to eat, vessel traffic impacts—including toxic discharges, underwater noise, and ship strikes—and accumulating toxic pollution in their home waters. Weakening SARA could greatly increase threats to this already struggling population.
The Opportunity
Your comments to the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet of Canada are needed! Please ask Canada to:
- Maintain the full strength of the jeopardy test under SARA
- Uphold science-based protections for all endangered species
- Ensure that major projects do not worsen cumulative impacts on the Southern Resident killer whale population and the Salish Sea
Learn More
- Friends of the San Juans Comment Letter on Upholding SARA in Canada
- Engagement Period Extension: Supporting Timely Decision-Making on Major Projects
- Getting Major Projects Built in Canada - Discussion Paper on Proposed Legislative, Regulatory, and Policy Reform
- Engagement: Supporting timely decision-making for major projects
- Species at Risk Act (SARA)
- Species at Risk Act (SARA) Permits: Questions and Answers
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Science Advisory Report 2022/036 in Support of SARA
- Science Advisory Report 2022/036: Science Advice to Support the Components of a Jeopardy Assessment Framework for Permitting Under the Species at Risk Act
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Friends of the San Juans has been advocating for stronger safeguards for the Salish Sea for more than 40 years. Learn more about the full breadth of our work at sanjuans.org.
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