Underwater noise is a serious threat to endangered Southern Resident killer whales, as ship and ferry traffic intensifies through some of the busiest waters off Vancouver Island. With ship traffic surging following the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline — and set to grow even more following a port expansion at Roberts Bank, south of Vancouver — Indigenous-led efforts are underway to track vessel noise and protect whale habitat, according to government documents obtained by Canada’s National Observer.

Snuneywuxw First Nation, whose traditional territory includes the Gulf Islands and key fishing grounds along major shipping routes to Nanaimo and Vancouver, is now in its second year of actively monitoring underwater noise.

John White, member of the nation and director of land and natural resources, said vessel traffic, particularly in Nanaimo Harbour and the Northumberland Channel, generates underwater noise that has not been previously well-studied. “We’re seeing extreme impacts,” he said. ”[Noise] ranges jump off the charts when we see all these vessels coming through.”

Snuneymuxw Nation’s field teams collect acoustic data in a five-kilometre stretch between Nanaimo and Gabriola Island regularly crossed by BC Ferries and congested with freighters waiting for a berth in Vancouver. Using hydrophones deployed from shore and a cutting-edge autonomous vessel, they track vessel-generated noise, such as propeller wash and anchor disturbances, assessing impacts on marine life, including whales and other mammals.

White said killer whales tend to avoid the area during these spikes, but later move through, sometimes even entering the harbour. The noise, he added, visibly disturbs them as they chase food and migrate downriver.

Lance Barrett‑Lennard, a biologist specializing in the behaviour and population dynamics of killer whales, calls this constant din an “acoustic smog.” The orcas depend heavily on echolocation, a biological sonar system they use to send out sound waves to navigate and locate prey like Chinook salmon. Rising ship noise, he said, is making survival more difficult for the already struggling Southern Residents by disrupting vital pod communication and forcing orcas to call louder and longer, increasing their energy expenditure and reducing hunting efficiency.

This persistent noise pollution masks and blocks the orcas’ ability to detect prey, compounding the challenge of fluctuating salmon populations. When salmon numbers are low, as they often are, the whales must work harder to find diminishing prey. “There’s a double jeopardy,” Barrett‑Lennard said.

The orcas are endangered, with a small population of about 75 individuals as of 2023, and have been listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act since 2003.

For the Snuneymuxw, orcas are more than an endangered species on a government list — they are protectors and messengers of the sea, said David Laxiya, a 64-year old elder of the nation. He described them as Kanimitsen, or sea wolves — guardians that reveal the ocean’s health to those who live beside it. “We call them the sea wolf because they watch the waters for us. If something goes wrong, the first ones to be affected are the orca,” he said.

He said their struggles with ship noise and dwindling salmon are not only environmental crises, but warnings that the balance of the marine world is being disturbed.

Much of the monitoring in these waters stems from Transport Canada’s Quiet Vessel Initiative, a federal program launched after the 2020 Federal Court of Appeal ruled that Canada had failed to properly consult First Nations on shipping traffic tied to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX). The initiative was created to mitigate the risks to whales from surging marine traffic and to support Indigenous‑led monitoring in regions expected to face the heaviest pressure — particularly the Salish Sea, where tanker and freighter passages are projected to increase sevenfold.

Government documents obtained through access to information requests by Canada’s National Observer show that the Quiet Vessel Initiative Indigenous stream was oversubscribed, with $6.3M in requests against $2.48M available funding for 2024–26, leading to a merit-based selection process. Snuneymuxw’s proposal made the cut.

Indigenous-led monitoring

Blending acoustic science with Indigenous knowledge, the First Nation’s program pairs hydrophone recordings of ship traffic with guidance from elders to focus on critical salmon and whale habitat. The instruments have captured sustained, high‑decibel noise when ferries, tankers and freighters converge in narrow channels — findings that are now being reported regularly to Transport Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The internal document shows that the initiative was developed not only to measure the intensity, frequency and duration of underwater noise, but also to fill persistent gaps in transparency and accountability tied to government approvals for projects like TMX.

“We’ve always monitored our traditional territory and taken care of it … we’ve just ramped it up,” White said. “Our team has grown from three staff to 25 in the last few years, just to have that voice and that presence within our territory, just to ensure that our resources are protected, and our waters and lands are protected as well.”

White said the Snuneywuxw First Nation operation draws on partnerships beyond government. Years of collaboration with the Pacific Salmon Foundation, Ocean Wise and other regional environmental groups have strengthened Snuneymuxw’s capacity to process vast quantities of acoustic data and maintain continuous monitoring, even as federal support remains time-limited.

Barrett-Lennard sees significant progress in Indigenous stewardship across British Columbia, with many First Nations actively leading environmental planning and noise pollution management. He supports the Quiet Vessel Initiative, but warns that it has been long overdue.

“Its time was really 20 years ago,” he said. “My main concern is that it’s happening very slowly. We’ve got an urgent situation where the whales are in desperate condition, so the faster these things can take place, the better.”.

Andrew Trites, a marine mammal expert and professor at University of British Columbia, points out that the biggest contributors to underwater noise are BC Ferries and recreational vessels, rather than the oil tankers that often capture public attention. “It’s our use, in terms of moving ourselves, that turns out to be the biggest [noise] source at this time,” he said. BC Ferries alone generate nearly three-quarters of all vessel noise in the Strait of Georgia and the Gulf Islands, he said. The regularity and proximity of these sailings, combined with the use of powerful engines and the sheer number of crossings, create a constant acoustic backdrop that makes navigation, feeding and socializing more difficult for whales.

White said some of the recommendations they are working on with Transport Canada, as part of a working group to protect whales, include slowing down boats in sensitive areas, moving anchoring spots further offshore, limiting noisy activities like dragging anchor chains and handling ballast water, reducing the overall number of boats when possible and encouraging ships to use quieter engines or install systems that monitor underwater noise.

With the new funding, White said a major priority is building a permanent monitoring system to track rising noise levels as shipping traffic continues to grow — a trend that won’t be slowing down any time soon, particularly with the coming expansion of the Roberts Bank terminal. “All we’re going to see is increased shipping — unfortunately, that’s just how commerce and the world works, he said.

But for White, the effort isn’t simply a scientific exercise — it’s ultimately about protecting his community and way of life.

“When [a group of kids] catch a salmon for the very first time and bring it home, that explains why we do our work,” he said. “Our nation has occupied the shores of our territory in the Salish Sea since time immemorial. We derived a very significant portion of our cultural identity, trade, food and travel from our marine environment. This is why we do this work. We are the keepers of our traditional territory.”

Sonal Gupta / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer

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