Tourism Vessels and Low Impact Shipping Corridors in Arctic Canada:Trends, Risks, Community Perspectives and Management Strategies

• Main Authors: Dawson, Jackie, Carter, Natalie Ann, van Luijk, Nicolien, Cook, Alison, Weber, Melissa, Orawiec, Andrew, Stewart, Emma, Holloway, Jean
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Arctic; Canada
• Online Access: https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/660143f3-a352-4fb0-b6d2-54cd4533151d; https://doi.org/10.20381/d3dd-yk49; https://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/42458

Marine tourism in the Canadian Arctic is a small but rapidly growing industry. Since 1990, the average annual distance travelled by passenger vessels (e.g., cruise ships) has more than doubled, and for pleasure crafts (e.g., commercial or private yachts) the average annual distance travelled has increased by nearly 4000%. This growth is tremendous, yet, at the same time, pleasure craft vessels are also some of the least regulated vessels in the Canadian Arctic (Johnston et al., 2017a). The Federal Government of Canada has responded to the overall need for additional regulatory frameworks for all vessels in the Canadian Arctic. The government is in the process of developing what is now known as the Low Impact Shipping Corridors (LISC). The LISC are described as shipping routes throughout the Canadian Arctic that are intended to provide “infrastructure, navigational support and emergency response services needed for safer marine navigation, while respecting the environment and local ecology and cultures” (Transport Canada, 2017a). While this management system has the potential to provide much needed support to many types of vessels travelling through the Canadian Arctic (e.g. re-supply vessels), this report highlights the need for the creation of alternative and additional management systems for tourist vessels in particular. Tourist vessels present unique risks in terms of travel through the Canadian Arctic. The purpose of this type of travel is not simply to transit through, or to find the safest and fastest route, the purpose is adventure and exploration. This means that tourist vessels often travel to areas of the Canadian Arctic that are not necessarily well serviced or charted. The findings of this report show that a significant portion of the distance travelled by both passenger ships and pleasure crafts occurs outside of the LISC. At the same time, the findings also show that tourist vessels like to travel through government and community identified areas of significance, such as Ecologically and ...