Quiet Vessel Initiative
The Quiet Vessel Initiative is testing the most promising, safe and efficient quiet-vessel designs, retrofits and operational practices in collaboration with the shipping industry to reduce noise in the Salish Sea. It aims to protect the marine environment and vulnerable marine mammals — including the Southern Resident Killer Whale.
Find out more information about the Quiet Vessel Initiative.
Announcements on the Quiet Vessel Initiative
| June 30, 2021 | Minister of Transport announces funding for Indigenous communities to address underwater vessel noise impacts on marine mammals |
| September 8, 2020 | Government of Canada announces $2.5 million for Indigenous communities to address underwater vessel noise along the Trans Mountain shipping route |
Funding for the initiative
Status: Funding available
Indigenous groups located along the TMX Marine Shipping Route are eligible to seek funding support for:
- researching or testing projects to evaluate “quiet” technologies on marine vessels,
- underwater noise monitoring to assess the effectiveness of operational and technical mitigations aimed at addressing underwater noise, and
- capacity building activities to further develop groups’ science capacity related to the underwater-radiated noise impacts and mitigations.
The initiative’s research funding may be tailored to each groups’ interests and requirements.
How does this connect to other initiatives?
The Quiet Vessel Initiative supports three Canada Energy Regulator (CER) recommendations, specifically as they relate to the impact of noise on marine mammals including the Southern Resident Killer Whale:
- CER Recommendation 1: Salish Sea Cumulative Effects Management Plan
- CER Recommendation 5: Underwater Noise Reduction and Strike Risk Offset Program
- CER Recommendation 6: Underwater Noise Reduction and Strike Risk Study
The initiative also works with the Ocean Protections Plan and Whales Initiative as part of the Government of Canada’s long-term solution to address underwater-radiated noise.
Lead department: Transport Canada
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