Offshore killer whale (Orcinus orca) management plan: chapter 3

3.0 Implementation Schedule

Fisheries and Oceans Canada encourages other agencies and organizations to participate in the conservation of the population through the implementation of this management plan.  The agencies in Table 3 have been identified as partners for implementing the recommended actions.

Table 4 summarizes those actions that are recommended to support the management goals and objectives.  The activities implemented by Fisheries and Oceans Canada will be subject to the availability of funding and other required resources.  Where appropriate, partnerships with specific organizations and sectors will provide the necessary expertise and capacity to carry out the listed action.  However, this identification is intended to be advice to other agencies, and carrying out these actions will be subject to each agency’s priorities and budgetary constraints.  Organizations currently collecting data on Offshore Killer Whales are listed in Appendix II.

Table 3. The management actions outlined in this plan are to be carried out, where and when appropriate, in partnership with the following organizations.

Organization Acronym
Fisheries and Oceans Canada DFO
BC Marine Mammal Response Network BCMMRN
Department of National Defence DND
Environment Canada EC
Transport Canada TC
Natural Resources Canada NRCan
Canadian Coast Guard CCG
National Energy Board NEB
First Nations FN
B.C. Province B.C. Prov
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries MAFF
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre VAMSC
B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network B.C.CSN
Straitwatch Straitwatch
Post-secondary institutions carrying out relevant research activities Universities
U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
National Marine Mammal Lab
NOAA
Environmental non-governmental organizations ENGOs
To be determined TBD

Table 4.  Implementation Schedule

Action Objectives Priority Threats or Concerns Addressed Participating Agencies* Timeline
Protection  
1. Protect Offshore Killer Whales from acute acoustic disturbance, and mitigate negative effects  
a) Apply the DFO Statement of Canadian Practice with respect to Mitigation of Seismic Sound in the Marine Environment and regional protocols D1; M3; M4 H Displacement from habitat due to seismic noise disturbance; increase protocol effectiveness with respect to mitigation for Killer Whales DFO, EC, NRCan, NEB Ongoing
b) Review protocol, request update on  revisions to ensure effectiveness D1; M3; M4 M Injury to animals due to tactical sonar use; increase protocol effectiveness with respect to mitigation for Killer Whales DFO, DND 3 years
2. Protect Offshore Killer Whales from disturbance (physical and acoustic)
a) Complete amendments to the MMR M3; M4 LM Increase protection from physical and acoustic disturbance; vessel strikes DFO Ongoing, completion pending
b) Continue enforcement of MMR and promotion of regional guidelines M3; M4 LM Continued protection from physical and acoustic disturbance; vessel strikes; development DFO, CCG Ongoing
Management
3. Review project proposals, provide advice for mitigation or avoidance D1; M3; M4 H Seismic and acute noise disturbance DFO Ongoing, enhance involvement where necessary
4. Manage and reduce input of chemicals into habitat to reduce toxic loading in Offshore Killer Whales, their prey and their habitat
a) Develop marine mammal-specific measures for inclusion into catastrophic spill response programs
i) Develop emergency response plan to include marine mammal expertise into spill response initiatives M1; M2; M4; M5 H Effective, coordinated response for toxic spills affecting marine mammals DFO, EC, CCG,  B.C. Prov, NOAA 1 year
ii ) Develop a marine mammal-specific operational manual M1; M2; M4; M5 H Effective, coordinated step-wise response to toxic spills and standardized data collection DFO, EC, CCG 1 year
b) Review and routinely monitor point-source contamination in known Offshore Killer Whale habitat in B.C.
i) Review management of point-sources of chemicals to assess relevancy of federal, provincial, regional thresholds for contamination (chemicals listed in Appendix I) P1; R3; M2; M4 M Relevance of guidelines and thresholds in terms of contaminant loading in Offshore Killer Whales, habitat and prey EC, B.C. Prov, Municipalities 3 years
ii) Routinely monitor these point-sources to assess compliance with federal, provincial, regional guidelines for thresholds (for chemicals listed in Appendix I) P1; R3; M2; M4 M Compliance with guidelines and thresholds for environmental contamination; contaminant loading in Offshore Killer Whales, habitat and prey EC, B.C. Prov, Municipalities 3 years
5. Permitting of non-DFO research programs, monitoring and assessments R1; R2; R3; R4 ; M5 H Fostering independent research programs to determine prey species. DFO, FN, ENGOs, Universities, NOAA, TBD Immediate.
Supports actions 9, 10, 11, 12
6. Support the BCMMRN program R2; R3; M1 MH Standardized sample collection; incident reporting;  necropsy analysis; clarify threats; share data DFO, CCG, MAFF Ongoing, will support and provide capacity for 12a
7. Continued development of fisheries observer reporting standards R3 L Clarify extent of fisheries interactions; species identification; gather samples DFO 5 years
Will support actions 6 and 12b
8. Update integrated fisheries management plans   M Reduction in Prey DFO Contingent on results from actions 9d, 9e, 11a, 11c
Research on Offshore Killer Whale Biology
9. Research actions: opportunistic and targeted research
a) Conduct annual ship-based, multi-species marine mammal surveys. Conduct aerial surveys, when feasible. P1; D1; R1; R2; R3; R4; M5 H Distribution; range; seasonal occurrence in B.C. DFO, NOAA, TBD Ongoing
Will provide capacity to carry out 9b to 9e
b) Continue the photo-identification program for Killer Whales P1; D1; R1; R2; R3; R4; M5 H Population census; monitoring of abundance, trends, demographics DFO, NOAA, TBD Ongoing
c) Deploy remote acoustic monitoring packages R2 H Seasonal occurrence in key areas DFO, TBD Ongoing
d ) Field sampling research P1; R2; R4; M4 H Identify foraging ecology, diet; potential impacts of prey limitation DFO, ENGOs, Universities, NOAA, TBD 1 year
e) Collect tissue samples from Offshore Killer Whales and potential prey species P1; D1; R2; R3; R4; M2; M4; M5 M Pathogen and pollutant profiles; potential prey species DFO, NOAA, ENGOs, TBD Opportunistic collections
Will complement 9d
Monitoring and Assessment
10. Support efforts to monitor the distribution and occurrence of Killer Whales in B.C. to support research efforts D1; R2; M5 H Distribution; occurrence; support for research; outreach and education DFO, B.C.CSN, VAMSC, Straitwatch, WWOANW Ongoing
11. Conduct ongoing assessments of vulnerability to identified threats
a) Evaluate need for risk assessment models P1; D1; R3; M1; M2; M3; M4 LM Determine risk factors for spills, vessel strikes, entanglement, pollutants, prey limitation; potential impacts to habitat and individuals DFO, EC, DND, TC, Industry, TBD 4 years
b) Investigate increased risk associated with lifting of moratorium on offshore fossil fuel extraction D1; R3; M1; M2; M3; M4 M Determine associated risk of oil spills; seismic and vessel noise; displacement from habitat DFO, B.C. Prov 3 years
c) Assess likelihood of prey limitation impacts P1; D1; R2; M4 H Population level impacts resulting from changes to ecosystem dynamics DFO, Fisheries industry 3 years, this action is contingent upon results from 9d and 9e
12. Clarify extent of threats to the population
a) Perform necropsy analysis of carcasses, when feasible R2; R3 H Determination of pathogen and chemical loads; general biology, physiology DFO, MAFF, TBD Opportunistic.
May assist efforts in 9e
b) Assess potential for fisheries interactions P1;D1; R3; M4 M Depredation; entanglement; competition for resources TBD 3 years, may be contingent on results from 9d and 9e
c) Evaluate the feasibility of conducting assessments of biological pollution sources R3; M2; M4 L Exposure to biological pollutants; contamination of habitat EC, B.C. Prov 5 years, may be carried out with 4b
Outreach and Communication
13. Foster communication networks
a) Pro-actively build intra- and inter-agency communication networks M1; M2; M4; M5 H Effective communication; catastrophic spill response DFO, EC, CCG, B.C. Prov, Municipalities, ENGOs, NOAA, TBD Immediate
Will support 4a
b) Promotion of BWW guidelines M3; M4; M5 M Mitigate physical and chronic acoustic disturbance; outreach; communication DFO, VAMSC, B.C.CSN, WWOANW, Straitwatch, ENGOs 3 years
c) Trans-boundary, inter- jurisdictional collaboration All H Data sharing; foster collaborative programs DFO NOAA, FN, ENGOs, WWOANW,
TBD
Immediate
Will assist and support all actions

* Identification of government agencies and non-governmental organizations is intended to be advice and does not commit the agency or organization to implementing the listed action. Implementing actions will be contingent upon each organizations or agency’s priorities and budgetary constraints.

Page details

Date modified: