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HOW TO ADOPT A WHALE Step 1: SELECT A MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE |
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2: CHOOSE A WHALE To adopt a whale, make your choice by referring to the family trees. Each whale has been identified with its scientific number, adoption name, gender, and year of birth. |
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Step 3: PURCHASE OPTIONS |
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The
Blackfish Sounder is the annual Members-Only eight-page newsletter
of the BC Wild Killer Whale Adoption Program that is sent to anyone
who joins
the program by adopting a whale. Through a mix of news and feature stories,
The Blackfish Sounder keeps members up-to-date on what we currently
know about killer whales - in B.C. and around the world - and what we
hope to learn in the future. See the article below for a sampling from
this year's issue (printed June 2008).
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Back Issues of the Blackfish Sounder |
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Adobe Acrobat Reader is require to view back issues Robson Bight Barge Spill Sound Courtesy of OrcaLab
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Clean-up promised for famous Orca habitat
As you read this story, the BC and Canadian governments may finally be salvaging a fuel truck and other pieces of logging equipment—described by environmental groups as “a ticking time bomb”—from the seafloor of one of the world’s best known killer whale habitats.
The two levels of government announced in April that they would jointly fund a $1 million recovery operation in Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve off northeastern Vancouver Island. But they could not commit to doing it before the northern resident killer whales return this summer.
The trouble began last Aug. 20 when a commercial barge tipped over in the bight, dumping its load—including an estimated 19,000 litres of diesel fuel and other oils—300 metres to the ocean floor.
Some of the fuel leaked immediately and quickly spread at the surface. Within a few hours, a slick extended 14 km down Johnstone Strait.
The spill couldn’t have happened at a worse time or place. August is a peak month for northern resident killer whales in Johnstone Strait. A big part of the attraction is Robson Bight, where the whales frequently go to socialize and rub on pebbles at its beaches.
Two family groups of northern residents, the I15s and I30s, were nearby when the barge dumped its load. In fact, they were vocal during the incident. The hydrophones of OrcaLab on nearby Hanson Island recorded every jarring crash, bang and thud as the vehicles and equipment hit the seafloor.
Hear for yourself at www.killerwhale.org and listen for the orca calls in the background.
Confusion reigned in the days and weeks following the spill as two branches of the Canadian government disagreed over where the wreck was and how much oil had spilled. The main issue was whether the fully loaded tanker truck was still intact.
The original spill dispersed within a few days. But if there is more fuel down there and it leaks slowly or in one big blurp, the damage would be many orders of magnitude worse.
In December—after three months of pressure from environmental groups who raised funds for their own underwater inspection—the provincial government sent down a mini-sub to survey the wreckage. It found the fuel truck upright and intact.
Environmental groups immediately called for a salvage operation. But it took another four months for government to respond.
“Given that Robson Bight is an iconic reserve for our most iconic species, we’re very pleased that the two governments have made this decision,” says Barrett-Lennard. “It’s a relief that the salvage operation will finally proceed, but there’s a bigger lesson to be learned here. Our precious coast deserves a proper oil spill response system, especially given the increasing large ship traffic in this area.”
As the Blackfish Sounder went to press, the timing of the salvage operation had not been specified. The longer the tanker remains submerged, the more difficult it will become to recover safely.