The Government of Canada is taking action to better understand pressures facing our marine environment to help us protect our oceans and its creatures for generations to come.

Additional multimedia

“To protect our endangered marine mammals, we must first understand the pressures they face, so that we can develop and implement effective protections. Today' major investment in science will play a key role in improving the health of our oceans and protecting marine mammals.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

“Our coastal regions are home to important marine species and habitats that play an important role in our country’s economy. Today’s investment is helping restore funding for ocean and freshwater science, which will ultimately make our waters healthier for the benefit of all Canadians and future generations.”

Darren Fisher, Member of Parliament, Dartmouth–Cole Harbour

• The $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan is the largest investment ever made that is ensuring our coasts are healthier, safer and better protected.

• This initiative includes funding of $635,000 to Dalhousie University to support monitoring efforts of North Atlantic Right Whales in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence and in Roseway Basin, an area off southern Nova Scotia. The university will deploy underwater acoustic gliders to detect the presence of the whales and how they move through the areas.

• Dalhousie University also received $22,000 to support the development of an ocean noise model capable of predicting the natural or “normal” underwater noise levels in waters inhabited by whales. This modeling work will help us better understand and quantify the noise levels that human activities are contributing to our oceans.

• Funding of $3.1 million was previously announced for four research projects to study the impacts of underwater noise on the Pacific coast. Partners include Ocean Wise, the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

• Under Budget 2018, the Government announced additional funding of $167.4 million for whale initiatives will help protect and support the recovery of the Southern Resident Killer Whale, the North Atlantic right whale, and the St. Lawrence Estuary beluga whale through comprehensive actions tailored to address the unique combinations of threats.

Related products

• Backgrounder – Understanding the marine environment to better protect whales

Associated links

• On Alert for Whales – Interactive Map
• Protecting our coasts
• News Release - Government announces new initiatives to protect whales under the Oceans Protection Plan
• News Release - The Government of Canada takes immediate action to protect endangered whales through the Oceans Protection Plan
• Marine Environmental Quality Initiative

For more information:

Vincent Hughes
Press Secretary 
Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard 
613-992-3474
Vincent.Hughes@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Media Relations
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
613-990-7537
Media.xncr@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Stay Connected

Follow the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Follow the Canadian Coast Guard on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.