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Protecting endangered whales from the threat of contaminants

Whales are vital to healthy marine ecosystems and are important for Indigenous peoples and coastal communities. Many species in Canadian waters face a mixture of threats, including:

This website summarizes work undertaken from 2018 to 2026 under the Whales Initiative, through which Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) collaborated with Transport Canada (TC), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and Parks Canada (PC) to support the implementation of management measures and actions for three endangered whale populations:

This website serves as a public repository of scientific information, data sets, and reports produced or co-produced by ECCC during the Whales Initiative. These materials remain available to support continued research, policy development, and public understanding.

From 2018 to 2026, the Government of Canada invested approximately $380.8 million in the Whales Initiative, focusing on:

With its expertise in science and pollution prevention, ECCC led federal efforts to advance scientific knowledge on contaminants harming these endangered whale populations.

ECCC continues to contribute to whale protection through its ongoing work on the Chemicals Management Plan, which reduces risks from harmful substances and helps address contaminant-related threats to marine ecosystems, including endangered whale populations.

Why contaminants threaten whales

Since whales are long-lived and feed high in the food web, they are especially vulnerable to chemical buildup in their bodies over time. When contaminant levels are at or below certain levels, the risk of direct harm to aquatic life, and to wildlife that eat aquatic organisms, is low. For that reason, reducing contaminants in the environment is a key element of protecting and recovering endangered whales.

The Southern Resident Killer Whales and the St. Lawrence Estuary Belugas are both heavily impacted by pollution. Many of the most concerning pollutants are Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT), meaning:

Whales accumulate pollutants from prey like salmon and other fish, which absorb contaminants from smaller organisms and water. This is known as biomagnification, where contaminants become more concentrated at each step of the food chain. Biomagnification can pose serious risks such as weakened immunity, impaired reproduction, and damage to the brain and nervous system.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s actions to protect endangered whales from contaminants

ECCC’s role within the Whales Initiative focused on addressing the threat of contaminants to endangered whale populations and their prey. Over the course of the initiative, ECCC has:

Protecting our marine ecosystems from pollution has been a central component of supporting the survival and recovery of Southern Resident Killer Whales and St. Lawrence Estuary Belugas. From 2018 to 2026, ECCC worked on priority actions to address contaminants that were outlined in the Species at Risk Act (SARA) recovery strategies for these two populations. These actions included:

Environmental monitoring

Environmental monitoring played a central role in the Whales Initiative. Environmental monitoring involves collecting environmental samples and then testing them in labs to check for contaminants. Throughout the Whales Initiative, ECCC took samples in and around endangered whale habitat from the following environmental media:

By doing environmental monitoring, scientists were able to:

ECCC’s research and monitoring programs helped show how Southern Resident Killer Whales and St. Lawrence Beluga Whales are exposed to contaminants from land-based sources. Many of these substances are known to affect whale health and threaten population recovery, including:

The scientific information generated through these efforts continues to contribute to the broader understanding of contaminant pathways and exposures in marine ecosystems.

Below there is more information on the environmental media monitored through the Whales Initiative, along with related reports and datasets:

Freshwater and sediment monitoring

Pollution released into rivers and streams doesn’t stay there—it ends up flowing into coastal and marine areas where whales and their prey live. These waterways act like channels that carry contaminants from land, including chemicals and heavy metals, further downstream. This is why monitoring freshwater is so important. What enters rivers today can build up in estuaries and coastal zones tomorrow, impacting the health of entire marine food webs.

ECCC did both freshwater and sediment sampling to test for the presence and levels of contaminants in rivers and streams that flow into the Salish Sea in British Columbia and the St. Lawrence Estuary in Quebec. Scientists also collected benthic organisms—creatures that live on, in, or near the seabed—that are eaten by belugas in the St. Lawrence to test for contaminants.

ECCC curates its freshwater and sediment data for the Salish Sea and Fraser River Basin as well as the St. Lawrence River and Estuary region on the ECCC Data Catalogue.

Air monitoring

By measuring contaminants in the air, scientists can identify where airborne pollutants come from and how they reach marine ecosystems. Air pollution can travel long distances and settle into waterbodies, making air an important pathway for chemicals that end up in whales through the air they breathe, the water they live in, and the prey they eat.  Understanding these air pollution pathways helps show how contaminants affect whales and their food sources, and it can provide early warnings about new or emerging pollutants. Air monitoring also helps pinpoint contamination hotspots and supports strategies to reduce pollution at the source or manage risks from contaminants already in the environment.

ECCC scientists and their partners collected air samples in the Fraser River and Salish Sea ecosystem in British Columbia and in the St. Lawrence River Basin in Quebec to measure atmospheric contaminants. Samples were analyzed in the lab, providing data on atmospheric contaminant concentrations and distribution, which in turn enabled researchers to assess how land-based pollutants transfer to air and water, and end up in marine food webs.

Below are links to articles published by the air monitoring program:

Marine sediment monitoring

Sediments can act like both a storage site (what scientists call a sink) and a potential source of pollution. In marine environments, contaminants can:

Once contaminants settle into marine sediments, they can stay there for decades. Over time, some of these contaminants can slowly leak back into the water, where they can be absorbed or eaten by marine organisms. When those organisms are in turn eaten by other animals, the contaminants move up the food web.

The Government of Canada’s Disposal at Sea (DAS) program regulates the disposal of dredged material and other substances into marine environments to minimize environmental impacts. DAS sites are designated locations that require a permit from ECCC for the controlled disposal of specific, approved, and non-hazardous materials like dredged sediment or fish waste. As such, sediment monitoring at these sites is essential for regulatory compliance and environmental protection.

Below is a list of data reports from sediment monitoring at Disposal at Sea sites conducted since 2019 by Fisheries and Oceans Canada with support from ECCC, within and outside critical habitat for Southern Resident Killer Whales.

Sediment contaminant concentrations from disposal at sea sites at Point Grey and Sand Heads and inside and outside southern resident killer whale critical habitat, British Columbia in 2019 (PDF).

Sediment contaminant concentrations from outside southern and northern resident killer whale critical habitat, British Columbia in 2020 (PDF).

Sediment contaminant concentrations from disposal at sea sites at Point Grey and Sand Heads and inside and outside Resident Killer Whale critical habitat, British Columbia in 2021 (PDF).

Sediment Contaminant Concentrations from Disposal at Sea Sites at Point Grey and Sand Heads and Inside and Outside Resident Killer Whale Critical Habitat, British Columbia in 2022 (PDF).

Sediment contaminant concentrations in Resident Killer Whale habitat, Salish Sea, British Columbia, in 2024 (PDF).

Kim et al., 2026 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Marine Sediments: Distribution, Sources, and Biological Risks in the Habitat of Resident Killer Whales and their Prey in British Columbia, Canada.

For more information on the environmental monitoring of disposal at sea sites, and to obtain copies of data reports, consult: Disposal at sea: environmental monitoring of disposal sites.

Wastewater monitoring

Contaminants can enter the environment through wastewater collection and treatment systems. Modern wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) clean water by removing pollution that would reduce oxygen levels in the environment, including suspended solids, harmful germs, and excess nutrients. Treatment of trace contaminants is not typically a design criterion for Canadian WWTPs, meaning they don’t usually remove all concerning substances such as:

Both treated wastewater and the biosolids (treated sewage sludge) that are often applied to land as fertilizer can still contain contaminants. These substances can then accumulate in sediments and food webs, eventually reaching top predators like whales.

ECCC collected samples of untreated wastewater (influent) flowing into and treated wastewater (effluent) flowing out of wastewater treatment plants, as well as treated biosolids, near major urban areas in the Fraser and St. Lawrence River Basins. Samples were analyzed for contaminants known to harm whales, including those that bioaccumulate and biomagnify in prey species.

The wastewater monitoring program’s objective was to determine how much of these substances remain after treatment and whether they end up in nearby aquatic ecosystems. These data help determine the extent to which wastewater discharges contribute to contaminant levels in whale habitats and support informing strategies to reduce these contaminants at their sources.

This work was funded by both the Government of Canada’s Whales Initiative and Chemical Management Plan and ECCC curates its wastewater data on the ECCC Data Catalogue.

Landfill leachate monitoring

Many of the products that are disposed of at landfill sites contain numerous chemicals and other harmful substances.  As rainwater and runoff seep through the waste in a landfill, it becomes contaminated with these products, creating leachate. If landfill leachate is released or migrates offsite, it can carry contaminants into nearby soil and waterways and pose a risk to whales and their prey.

ECCC collected landfill leachate samples to determine the presence and levels of contaminants that are concerning for endangered whale species. Samples were taken from selected Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfill sites located near the habitats of Southern Resident Killer Whales, St. Lawrence Estuary Belugas, and North Atlantic Right Whales. The samples were then analyzed in the laboratory to identify which contaminants were present.

Pollutants Affecting Whales and their Prey Inventory Tool (PAWPIT)

The Pollutants Affecting Whales and their Prey Inventory Tool (PAWPIT) is an interactive pollutant mapping tool developed as part of the Government of Canada’s effort to share information and data. PAWPIT visualizes estimates of pollutant releases from identified sources and pathways such as mining operations, wastewater treatment plants, seafood processing plants, pulp and paper plants, and stormwater runoff within areas that include the habitats of Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales, St. Lawrence Estuary Belugas, and the freshwater areas important to their prey species. The tool also displays estimated ambient contaminant loads in the Fraser and St. Lawrence River Basins and indicates where environmental quality guidelines were exceeded.

Strengthening enforcement capacity to detect and target offenders with the highest risk of non-compliance for contaminants of concern to endangered whales

ECCC is responsible for the enforcement of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act, and associated regulations. These laws regulate the deposit or release of toxic substances in Canada to air, water, or land.

ECCC’s enforcement officers play an important role in preventing the release of contaminants into the environment that threaten at-risk whale populations, their habitat, and their prey. Their work helps hold offenders accountable through compliance verification and enforcement actions.

Enforcement actions may involve:

These measures include warnings, directions, and orders to immediately cease activities in contravention of laws and regulations. Officers may also recommend files for prosecution, which can deter future offences.

More detailed information on ECCC’s enforcement activities is available in the:

Sharing data, information, and knowledge among partners

Sharing data, information, and knowledge supports coordinated actions to protect endangered whales and their habitats. In 2018, ECCC established the Whales Initiative Contaminants Team to coordinate between all those involved in the Whales Initiative. The team has shared information through various activities, including:

As part of ECCC’s effort to share information and data, contaminant data is available on the Open Government Portal. The Open Government Portal supports accountability and transparency and provides open access to the data so that others may use it.

Placing stronger controls on contaminants impacting whales

Through the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP), the Government of Canada assesses and manages risks to the environment posed by chemical substances that can be found in consumer products, cosmetics, drugs, and industrial releases. These measures were designed to protect the environment broadly, not solely to address risks to whales and their prey.

Risk management helps prevent or reduce harm from chemicals by managing:

ECCC’s initiatives to strengthen contaminant controls that also reduce risks to endangered whales include:

The Federal Environmental Quality Guidelines (FEQGs) provide further information on the suggested threshold levels for specific substances that can be used to prevent and control pollution.

The Chemicals Management Plan risk management actions table provides further information on risk management actions under the CMP.

Find out how the Government of Canada deals with pollution through its services and information.

How whales are exposed to contaminants—and how you can help

Contaminants are chemicals known or suspected to enter the environment as a result of human activity.

Many contaminants are harmful to the health of whales. Contaminants are released by:

  • municipal and industrial wastewater
  • urban and agricultural runoff
  • landfill sites
  • and other processes

They can then end up in the ocean and in the food whales eat. Some household products that contain harmful contaminants are:

  • paints
  • paint thinners
  • car fluids
  • chargers
  • electronics
  • pharmaceuticals
  • personal care products

You can help protect whales from contaminants by:

  • properly disposing of household products - use local recycling and takeback programs, and hazardous waste disposal depots
  • returning old or used medications to local pharmacies - do not put them in the garbage or flush them down the toilet or sink
  • using pesticides properly and safely by only using a registered product and following all labels directions - check with your municipality for pesticide by-laws
  • purchasing ecofriendly products

Support conservation efforts and policies that protect whales and the environment.

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More information

For further information, contact: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca.

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2026-05-06