Supreme Court Clyde River ruling good news for wildlife

WWF
OTTAWA, July 26, 2017 — Statement from Paul Crowley, WWF-Canada’s vice-president of Arctic conservation, on the Supreme Court decision to uphold Clyde River’s appeal against seismic testing in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait:
  
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling sends a clear message to both resource extraction companies and the National Energy Board that Inuit need to be fully and adequately consulted on issues that will impact their land and waters. The consultations, in this case, were clearly not sufficient to inform the community of possible impacts to assess the risks associated with blasting the ocean. It was a David and Goliath fight and, thankfully, David won.” 
 
“We applaud the community of Clyde River and their supporters, who were fighting to sustain a way of life. The NEB had authorized the use of high-decibel, underwater seismic blasts at close proximity to marine mammals off the coast of Nunavut, despite research showing that seismic testing can seriously harm marine life. This also posed a substantial threat to traditional Inuit subsistence activities such as hunting and fishing. The Supreme Court ruling today shows again that the NEB process must be reformed and that Canada’s antiquated laws regulating oil and gas activities in the Arctic need to be modernized. In the 21st century, oil and gas should not trump all other interests.”
   
Why seismic testing is dangerous for marine mammals
  • Some marine mammals, such as whales, have evolved to use sound as their primary means for communication, foraging, navigating and generally perceiving features in the environment around them. 
  • High-decibel blasts from seismic explosions can:
    • disrupt their natural activities, 
    • induce stress responses, 
    • degrade their environment,
    • in more extreme cases, lead to permanent hearing damage and even death.
  • Recent evidence suggests that seismic surveys also cause significant mortality to zooplankton, which underpin the health and productivity of global marine ecosystems. 
 
About World Wildlife Fund Canada
WWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive together. Because we are all wildlife. For more information, visit wwf.ca.
 
For further information
Sarah MacWhirter, senior manager, strategic communications, [email protected], +1 416-347-1894