Letters Being Accepted on Inadequate Draft Right Whale Action Plan - Deadline August 9

The clock is ticking. We have until August 9^th to comment on the draft Action Plan for the recovery of the North Atlantic Right whale, a document that outlines and prioritizes actions the federal government will take to protect this species.

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Without strong commitments, the North Atlantic right whale is on track to extinction.

With only around 400 individuals left, every single whale is vital to the continued survival of this species. Since 2017, scientists estimate we have lost 41 right whales – a staggering 10 percent of the population. We know remaining female right whales are not having young at the rates they used to, making recovery efforts even more crucial.

Of the only ten calves born this season, two of these nursing infants were mortally wounded by propeller and ship strikes.

People from around the world have stepped up and called for Canada to ensure the survival of these beloved whales. We had high hopes that this Action Plan would show the Canadian government’s commitment for the survival of the right whale. It doesn’t.

The Action Plan lacks a clear commitment that the Government will take action to prevent all human-caused deaths of right whales - a commitment needed to ensure the recovery of the species. It also fails to confront gaping holes in how the oil and gas industry is assessed and regulated in Atlantic Canada - leaving whales vulnerable to seismic blasting and the threat of oil spills in their habitat.

We need your voice and the voices of people from around the world to say this is not enough. That we cannot wait for the last right whale to make its final lonely call for our leaders to wake up – because then it will truly be too late.

Please call on the federal Ministers of Environment and Climate Change, Fisheries and Oceans and Transport to step up. We have seen in recent years that strong action will be taken if people speak out.

Let’s make sure we are getting heard!

Gretchen Fitzgerald

National Programs Director

To: The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Environment and Climate Change Minister, The Honourable Bernadette Jordan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transportation *

To: Director, SARA Directorate *

Message Subject *

Your message *

Dear Ministers Wilkinson, Jordan, and Garneau,

I am alarmed that the proposed Action Plan for the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) in Canada is not sufficient to prevent the extinction of this species.

I want you to commit to fixing the proposed Action Plan and ensure Canada is taking all possible steps to eliminate North Atlantic right whale deaths in Canadian waters.

I call on you to:

-	Make a clear commitment in the Plan to prevent all unnecessary, human-caused deaths of North Atlantic right whales;
-	Commit to immediate, mandatory ratcheting up of actions if a human-caused mortality of a right whale occurs;
-	Place a “High” Priority on specific management actions in the Action Plan to reduce deaths from ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear, including immediate commitments for reporting the source of gear that entangles whales and a timeline for implementing ropeless gear;
-	Commit to regulations for ship speeds in right whale habitats and for areas to be avoided – since we know voluntary measures are not working; 
-	Create science-based regulations to limit ocean noise from seismic blasting and shipping to safe levels for right whales across their range; and 
-	Ensure oil and gas activities do not threaten right whales by placing a moratorium on oil and gas in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The situation for right whales is dire: we need the best possible science and knowledge keepers at the same table to help right whales. I urge you to place a “High” priority on the immediate establishment of the North Atlantic Recovery Network dedicated to the recovery of right whales.

Overall, the Plan lacks specific timelines and a level of detail required to know if Canada is doing everything possible to protect this critically endangered species. I need to know we are doing everything possible to protect these whales – and the Action Plan is the right place for Canada to make those commitments.

I look forward to improvements on the proposed Action Plan, and your commitment to the survival of the North Atlantic right whale.

Sincerely,

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