At-risk fin whales are in hot water with protection downgrade, LNG, and climate change
Conservation groups are alarmed that the status of fin whales as a threatened species on Canada’s West Coast is about to be downgraded just as the dangers of LNG shipping and climate change are on the rise.
But the dangers to fin whales in B.C. waters will mount, particularly for a unique population of the whales in fjords near Kitimat, B.C., when shipping traffic increases as the LNG Canada terminal comes online in 2025, Keen said. “They acknowledge the unknowns, but then conclude that it’s appropriate at this time to reduce their status. And that’s where I take issue.”Very little is actually known about fin whale populations in the Canadian Pacific and estimates suggest their numbers are only 30 to 50 per cent of what they were before they were devastated by whaling, he said.
Fin whales, along with a number of other large whales, are particularly vulnerable to ship strikes, said researcher Jackie Hildering of the Marine Education and Research Society . Some research indicates there might be distinct populations in Canada and some whales frequent very specific areas throughout the year, he said.
Research led by Keen has identified up to 120 whales hanging out in a hot spot in the Kitimat fjord system — something found nowhere else in the world.
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