August 18, 2005
VANCOUVER – Geoff
Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced a draft
Recovery Strategy designed to promote the recovery of blue, fin
and sei whale populations in Canada’s Pacific waters.
“The recovery strategy will outline the goals,
objectives, key knowledge gaps and strategies we need to address
the current threats to these magnificent marine mammals,” said
Minister Regan. “An important component will be hearing from
the public and engaging in a dialogue to assist us in recovery
efforts.”
The blue whale is the largest known animal to
have ever existed on the planet, reaching lengths of up to 29.5
metres. Fin and sei whales are two of the fastest swimming whale
species, with sei whales averaging a speed of approximately 17
kilometres an hour, or nine knots. These species exist in all
oceans of the world. The decline of blue, fin and sei whales was
the result of commercial whaling. At least 7,605 fin whales,
4,002 sei whales and 650 blue whales were taken by coastal
whaling stations in British Columbia between 1900 and 1967. Both
the blue and sei whales are listed as endangered under Canada’s
Species At Risk Act (SARA) The fin whale is under consideration
for SARA listing.
The draft Recovery Strategy document will be
posted on the DFO web site for public comment August 19, 2005.
The public will have until September 16, 2005, in which to
provide comments. For those interested in viewing the draft
documents, please visit the following DFO web site:
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sara/default_e.htm.
Following this consultation period, DFO will
incorporate the public’s comments into the Recovery Strategy,
and the document will then be sent to the Minister of Fisheries
and Oceans to post to the SARA Public Registry
http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/ for a 60-day public comment
period prior to being finalized.
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) was
first designated as a species of special concern by the
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)
in 1983, and was split in 2002 into North Pacific and North
Atlantic populations, with both populations upgraded to
endangered. COSEWIC has identified numerous threats to blue
whales that may include acoustic disturbances,
ship strikes, intrusive whale-watching activity,
entanglement in fishing gear, pollution and long-term changes in
climate (which could affect the abundance of their zooplankton
prey).
The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) was
first designated by COSEWIC as a species of special concern in
1987, and was split in 2005 into Pacific and Atlantic
populations, with the Pacific population designated as
threatened. COSEWIC identified threats to fin whales from ship
strikes, reduced prey availability, entanglement in fishing
gear, vessel noise and other acoustic disturbances and chemical
pollution.
The sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) was
first designated by COSEWIC as endangered in 2003. COSEWIC
identified threats to sei whales as habitat loss and degradation
resulting from acute and chronic exposure to noise, ship
strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, chemical pollution and
competition for prey with some species of fish.
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Backgrounders:
Blue Whale
Fin Whale
Sei Whale
Contact:
Diane Lake
Communications
Pacific Region
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(604) 666-0939
