OC Opposes Roberts Bank Container Terminal 2
Help defend the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whale population by submitting a comment opposing the proposed construction and operation of a container terminal located at Roberts Bank in Delta, British Columbia.
Orca Conservancy has submitted a comment letter opposing the proposed construction and operation of the Roberts Bank Container Terminal 2 (RBT2) , located in Delta, British Columbia, due to the threats it will create for the struggling Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) population which is critically endangered. The public comment period is open through March 15th, 2022.
Send an email to the below email addresses:conditions@iaac-aeic.gc.ca steven.guilbeault@parl.gc.caBoth US and Canadian residents can submit a comment since this project will impact both US and Canadian waters. Please be sure to write in your own words the reasons you are submitting a comment to ensure that every comment is counted.Suggested Talking points:
- Prey availability is one of the major threats to the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whale population (SRKW). RBT2 poses a risk to SRKWs by causing "significant adverse effects" on the Fraiser River Estuary and the diverse ecosystem it supports, which includes Chinook salmon, the main food source for SRKWs.
- RBT2 will cause an increase in marine traffic, specifically large size cargo ships which create disruptive noise pollution. SRKWs use echolocation to hunt and find food (salmon). Studies over the past few decades have shown that vessel noise interferes with their ability to echolocate and find prey. A new study conducted by NOAA shows that vessel noise is especially problematic for lactating mothers with young calves, who change their behaviors in the presence of noisy vessels and may stop foraging. This is problematic as the future of the SRKW population is dependent on healthy calves surviving into adult years to reproduce.
- Adding another container terminal in an already heavily trafficked waterway will increase the amount of cargo traffic, and therefore increase the risk of an oil spill or other hazardous spill which would be catastrophic to the entire ecosystem and the SRKWs.
- The RBT2 project violates SARA and fails to meet Canada’s commitments to protect the globally-significant Roberts Bank ecosystem under the following international treaties and agreements: The Pacific Salmon Treaty; The Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management Treaty; The Convention on Biological Diversity; The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance; The North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI Canada); U.S.-Canada Cooperation in the Salish Sea; The Migratory Bird Convention Treaty and others.
Click here to read Orca Conservancy's comment letter on RBT2