Ocean conservation
Proponents are calling for more effective ocean protection measures to address the impact of marine traffic and pollution threatening some of Canada’s most iconic marine ecosystems, including the Great Bear Sea and the Northwest Passage. GETTY IMAGES
Sailing toward healthier waters on Canada’s coasts
On February 8, 2023, the federal government introduced minimum protection standards to limit harmful activities for Canada’s marine protected areas. One year later, experts reflect on this important milestone – and the persistent challenges that remain due to pollution from ships.
“From my home, when I look out at the trees and the water, I am always reminded how lucky I am to be living surrounded by such natural beauty,” says Danielle Shaw, chief councillor of the Wuikinuxv Nation. “I am also reminded that much of this ecosystem is not thriving the way it should.”
Ms. Shaw lives in Kitit Village in Rivers Inlet, B.C., in the Great Bear Rainforest on the West Coast. The waters surrounding the Great Bear Rainforest, called the Great Bear Sea, are considered one of the most productive cold-water marine environments on Earth, teeming with tiny plankton, massive whales and everything in between. Unfortunately, the marine environment is experiencing significant stress from human activities, including pollution from ships across different industries.
“We need to be mindful of the fact that this is an ecosystem in crisis – and that we’re already in the midst of climate change,” she says, adding that the aim to protect coastal waters unites a number of voices, including First Nations, conservation organizations, industry representatives and elected officials.
There is consensus among many local communities that, “if nothing is done to protect our marine environment, at the end of the day, this will also affect economic opportunities, including our fishing industry and tourism. A thriving ecosystem also means a thriving and sustainable economy,” says Ms. Shaw. “We’ve also been trying to get the federal government to the table to take marine protection more seriously. Since marine environments – and fisheries – fall under federal jurisdiction, it is hard to take a balanced approach to conservation without their full participation.”
Although Canada released minimum protection standards for marine protected areas one year ago, ecosystems continue to experience significant stress, including from chronic pollution from ships, says Sam Davin, senior specialist, Marine Conservation & Shipping at WWF-Canada.
“B.C.’s coast has some incredibly beautiful and pristine ecosystems – such as the Great Bear Sea – which is one of the reasons why cruise lines choose this route,” he says. “However, research by WWF-Canada found that while cruise ships make up only two per cent of vessels included in the study, they are responsible for two-thirds of the polluting waste discharged into Canadian waters.”
WWF-Canada’s National Vessel Dumping Assessment, published in 2022, looked at four sources of pollution:
Sewage: waste from humans, animals and medical premises, which tends to be more concentrated when it comes from ships than from cities;
Greywater: water from showers, galleys, washing machines, etc., which is produced at around five to eight times the rate of sewage and can be as environmentally damaging;
Bilge water: water contaminated by oil and often other substances such as cleaning fluids and grease;
Scrubber washwater: a byproduct of measures to reduce air emissions from burning heavy fuel oil, which is acidic, full of dissolved metals and carcinogenic compounds.
“Scrubber washwater is the biggest source of pollution,” Dr. Davin notes. “Annual dumping from these systems is 34 times the combined volume of all other waste streams.”
Although stronger international sulphur emission standards have pushed the shipping industry to adopt cleaner fuels, a loophole still allows operators to install problematic scrubber technology, says Michael Bissonnette, staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law. “These systems remove some air pollution from the exhaust, but they create wastewater that is then dumped into the ocean, effectively replacing air pollution with water pollution.
“Cruise ships have been among the most prominent users of this loophole, and the wastewater they produce is now one of the biggest sources of water pollution in Canadian waters.”
Cruise traffic has ”bounced back since COVID lows,” says Mr. Bissonnette. He emphasizes the need for “high standards – as well as better monitoring and enforcement – to protect the pristine places the cruise lines love to show off to their customers. These ships can produce as much sewage and pollution as a small city.”
Urgent environmental concerns associated with marine vessels are not unique to the West Coast – they are also evident in areas like the Pond Inlet Region, which has seen “a relatively sudden increase in ship traffic due to the close proximity of an iron ore mine and the ever-growing tourist attraction of the Northwest Passage,” says Alex Ootoowak, a field technician at Oceans North who lives in Pond Inlet in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut.
“The most obvious and immediate impacts have been the drastic decline and displacement of narwhal, which is particularly concerning because this area has been a prominent calving ground for narwhal since before humans ever entered the region,” he explains. “With noise pollution from shipping being the main cause of the initial disruption, there is reasonable cause for concern that other sources of pollution – like waste and invasive species from ballast water – are possibly causing irreversible damage to this fragile environment.”
According to reports from local hunters and boaters, numbers of arctic char in the local waters have also plummeted while neighbouring inlets, including Admiralty and Coutts, continue to be quite lucrative for fisheries.
Mr. Ootoowak strongly suggests the implementation of regulations and monitoring by Transport Canada, including the release of the Ocean Noise Strategy.
From Kitit Village, Ms. Shaw also advocates for stronger measures that “protect coastal waters to strengthen crucial ecosystems and allow species some breathing room so they can adapt.
“Traditional knowledge tells us that everything is connected,” she explains. “For example, when one salmon species declines – even for one season – this affects the bear population. The same goes for the eagles, seals and whales, and our coastal communities.”
Managing oceans in a more responsible and sustainable way – and safeguarding habitat such as eelgrass beds and kelp forests, where many species not only grow and thrive but also reproduce “is crucial,” says Ms. Shaw. “These habitats store blue carbon, and this affects the air we breathe. This means protecting them not only benefits our communities – it benefits all human beings on Earth.
“Our hope is that if we’re successful, we’ll still be seeing pods of killer whales and a thriving grizzly population along the coast in decades to come,” she says. “And people will still be able to visit and enjoy this beautiful place.”
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