The ECHO Program: Key learnings at 5-year anniversary of vessel slowdown for at-risk whales off BC's southern coast

• Main Author: Ford, Ryan
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Western CEDAR 2022
• Subjects: Killer Whale; Killer whale
• Online Access: https://cedar.wwu.edu/ssec/2022ssec/allsessions/71; https://cedar.wwu.edu/context/ssec/article/3233/viewcontent/SSEC_202022_20Presentation_ECHO_20Program_20__20Ryan_20Ford.pdf

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority-led Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program is a regional collaborative initiative to better understand and reduce the cumulative effects of commercial shipping activities on at-risk whales along BC's southern coast. Bringing together over 100 U.S. and Canadian partners and advisors from across government, the marine transportation industry, Indigenous communities, scientists, and environmental groups. The ECHO Program advances research and implements voluntary seasonal initiatives that encourage ship operators to slow down or stay distanced while transiting through key foraging areas of the endangered southern resident killer whale (SRKW) population. In 2020, these voluntary initiatives achieved record-breaking participation rates that resulted in a nearly 50% reduction in sound intensity in key SRKW habitat areas. In addition to leading voluntary seasonal underwater noise reduction efforts for the last five years, the ECHO Program spearheads research and education efforts to better understand underwater noise and inform the development and adoption of vessel noise-quieting technologies. The ECHO Program's presentation will summarize some of the key insights and lessons learned from the program's voluntary initiatives and research projects to date, including: results of its underwater noise reduction efforts in the Salish Sea; trends in ambient noise and mammal presence in the area; results of ongoing studies investigating how factors such as vessel traffic, currents, water temperature, and weather affect ambient underwater noise and which vessel design characteristics contribute to underwater noise emissions.