Killer Whale’s death sounds the alarm on sonar

On Feb. 11, 2012, a stranded killer whale washed up on the beach in Washington State. The whale had significant trauma around the head, chest and right side; and she died just days after the Canadian Navy concluded training exercises south of Victoria, BC, in waters designated critical habitat for southern resident killer whales.

Two northern resident Killer whales (Orcinus orca) surfacing in the waters off the central cost of British Columbia, Canada © Natalie Bowes / WWF-Canada

The whale was identified as L112, a member of the Southern Resident L Pod of killer whales. A full necropsy was conducted, but the results were inconclusive. Now NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is investigating the death in more depth in the US.
Both Canada and the US list these animals as endangered under both the Canadian Species at Risk Act and the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Both countries also require protection of critical habitat of these whales. Only approximately 87 of these iconic whales remain in the wild. Now there is one less whale.
WWF was one of eight groups who sent a letter to the Minister of Defence last month calling for sonar training exercises to be excluded from the critical habitat of these killer whales.
We asked the Navy to disclose all information surrounding all of the activities conducted by the  Canadian Naval frigate Ottawa and other naval vessels participating in exercises conducted from February 1 to 17 in Haro Strait, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and on the outer coast, including information about the use of sonar, explosives, or other active acoustic systems.
We urged the Navy to immediately establish the inland waters of the Salish Sea, and other critical habitat for the southern resident killer whale, as an exclusion zone prohibiting training with mid-frequency active (MFA) sonar, other high-intensity active acoustics, and explosives.  Creating this exclusion zone meshes with DFO’s recovery strategy for northern and southern resident killer whales; acoustic disturbance and degradation from MFA sonar training are among the threats that the government must address.
We also urged the Canadian Navy to work with the United States Navy to strengthen their mutual stewardship of the region’s marine wildlife.  The U.S. Navy has already affirmed that it will not conduct sonar training within the Greater Puget Sound area without advance approval from the Commander of the Pacific Fleet and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Whales and other wildlife do not recognize national borders.  By working collaboratively, our navies can ensure that their vessels adhere to strong, precautionary standards in these interconnected waters.