The rumble of ships, deafening seismic blasts from oil and gas exploration and the roar of marine construction and port expansions continue raising the volume in our oceans. Canada’s efforts to protect marine life from the harmful impacts of underwater noise pollution have not kept pace. The draft Ocean Noise Strategy — announced in 2016, promised for 2021 and finally released by the federal government last week — is an important step forward, says WWF-Canada.

But it affirms the draft recommendations lack clear direction on how and when Canada will determine, implement and enforce critical pieces like noise thresholds and limits, area-based noise targets and regulatory review.

Ocean noise from shipping and other industrial activities drowns out the natural sounds that marine species rely on to communicate, navigate, feed, and care for their young, leading to stress, displacement, injury and fatal whale strandings and ship strikes. This draft strategy provides a much-needed roadmap to begin addressing these impacts by filling knowledge gaps, standardizing research and monitoring methods, promoting innovative technologies, and establishing a clear and transparent federal management framework.

Led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), with input from Indigenous Peoples, industry stakeholders, various partners and other federal departments and agencies, the draft Strategy builds on existing work taking place across Canada. On August 23,  Fisheries and Oceans Canada launched a 60-day public consultation period to gather feedback from the public,

“Now the consultation process begins, giving Canadians the opportunity to speak up for what we want to see in the strategy on behalf of the whales and other marine wildlife that cannot,” WWF-Canada stated.

“WWF-Canada looks forward to providing feedback on the draft Ocean Noise Strategy during consultation and will, as we have over the past three years, continue calling for the swift release and implementation of a strong and action-oriented final strategy that:

• Establishes noise limits for activities we already know have a negative effect on soundscapes. These limits should be informed by biological thresholds (noise different species can withstand without adverse impacts) and by local and Indigenous knowledge.
• Takes an area-based approach that sets noise-reduction targets in excessively loud regions, such as B.C.’s south coast and the St. Lawrence Seaway, and sets noise limits in historically quiet but rapidly developing areas, such as the Arctic. Canada should also prioritize developing and implementing noise reduction targets and limits for protected and conserved ocean areas and key habitats for at-risk species.
• Incentivizes the development and adoption of quieter technologies while immediately implementing operational measures that reduce noise, such as ship slowdowns across protected and conserved ocean areas.
• Enshrines regulations for ongoing noise-level monitoring and the enforcement of noise limits and reduction targets.

“This process of going from a draft to implementation, however, won’t happen fast enough to protect endangered marine species. WWF-Canada is urging the federal government to take immediate actions to mitigate the escalating impacts of underwater noise pollution in the interim.”

Kristen Powell, specialist marine conservation and shipping at WWF-Canada, says: “Canada’s iconic and endangered marine mammals — including southern resident killer whales, narwhal, St. Lawrence beluga and North Atlantic right whales — are facing increasing pressure from underwater noise, and our oceans are only getting louder as the years go by. At-risk marine species need a strong Ocean Noise Strategy that uses and expands upon Canada’s Indigenous and cumulative knowledge, regulatory tools and conservation commitments to measurably reduce underwater noise pollution. We need to establish noise thresholds based on biological limits, area-based targets for both loud and quiet soundscapes, and standardized monitoring backed by regulatory enforcement. Let’s get it right, before it’s too late.”

 (Dreamstime photo of humpback whale)