Canadian military to resume weapons training along section of B.C. coast after 3-year hiatus
The Canadian military says it will resume weapons training along a section of the B.C. coast after a three-year pause to study its effects found "negligible" impacts on marine mammals, including the endangered southern resident killer whale.
The study, conducted by engineering firm Golder Associates, found the military's existing procedures are sufficient to mitigate the harmful effects of sea-surface and aerial gunnery in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near the southwestern tip of Vancouver Island.
In 2019, the military called a pause on all surface weapons training in the "Whiskey Hotel" operating area, a roughly 30-kilometre stretch of coastline west of Victoria that is used for weapons training by both the Canadian and United States militaries, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.
During the hiatus, the Department of National Defence and Public Services and Procurement Canada hired Golder to study the underwater and surface noise impacts of military small arms fire on aquatic mammals.
The study did not examine the potential impacts of gunfire striking marine mammals, nor the potential contamination of the waterway from spent rounds or debris. Nor did it examine the effects of gun noise on other marine life, such as birds and fish.
"Further studies would be required to evaluate those effects," Golder wrote in its final report to the federal government.
"However, the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Coast Guard follow firing orders that identify specific areas that must be clear of all land, vessels, aircraft and marine mammals," the firm wrote. "These areas are specific to each weapon and are based on weapon hazard patterns that were developed from a worst-case scenario that includes deflection error, environmental factors, ricochets and round fragmentation."
The study paid particular attention to how the southern resident killer whale (SRKW) population could be affected by the noise of .50-calbre machine guns, as well as various small arms fired from naval vessels and Royal Canadian Air Force helicopters.
The Canadian and U.S. militaries conduct most of their weapons training in the area during the summer months when calmer seas provide a more stable firing platform.
"As the [area] is located within SRKW critical habitat and within key foraging areas used by this population during the summer months, potential effects to this population are of particular importance," Golder wrote. "Modelling results for all scenarios indicate that small arms noise will not exceed the underwater disturbance threshold for any marine mammal species."
WEAPONS TRAINING TO RESUME THIS MONTH
The Canadian military says it will resume surface weapons training in the "Whiskey Hotel" area – roughly between Sooke, B.C., and Port Renfrew, B.C. – later this month.
"The study concluded that with the application of existing mitigation procedures, potential residual effects to marine mammals is anticipated to be negligible" when training resumes, National Defence said in a release Monday. "Specific to southern resident killer whales, neither injury nor disturbance is considered likely to occur."
The declining southern resident killer whale population is a chief concern among West Coast conservationists as the number of whales has fallen from its recent peak of 98 animals in 1995 to 80 whales in 2001, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The most recent population study in September found that 73 southern resident whales remain following the deaths of three whales between July 2021 and July 2022, according to researchers at the Washington state-based Center for Whale Research.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment Tuesday. This story will be updated if and when a response is received.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE Evacuation order issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods as wildfire nears
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
BREAKING A ‘remarkable time’: After 8 years at the helm of Toronto Public Health, city’s top doctor Dr. Eileen de Villa announces resignation
The doctor who led Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic as the city’s top public health official is stepping down.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
BREAKING Sask. man faces 60 charges in child exploitation investigation, with crimes dating back to 2005
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
1 killed, 3 injured in head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.