Orca Conservancy opposes the Bay of Fundy Tidal Turbine Project / Minas Passage

Orca Conservancy’s urgent concern is directed to the harbour porpoises that frequent Minas Passage/Basin, Nova Scotia, Canada. Phocoena phocoena is an abundant small cetacean in the Northwest Atlantic, and as such, is an important top predator. It is also one of the most threatened species, particularly as a consequence of fishery by-catch. Harbour porpoises are listed by the Committee on the Status of  Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as a species of special concern and represent the most commonly occurring species of cetacean in Minas Passage/Basin, seen year-round in small pods.It should go without saying... Orca Conservancy absolutely supports 'green alternative' energy. What we don't support and what continues to be missing time and time again with tidal energy projects is the lack of accountability — the act of making a condition or consequence less severe — especially once the turbines are deployed and submerged. This essential and missing piece is a mandatory necessity to ensure conclusive and fundamental measures will be taken when, not if, said tidal energy project imposes detrimental effects on marine mammals and the marine environment in which they live.