Overview

• The roadmap, drafted by more than 30 experts at a March Vancouver workshop, finds no recovery signs for the 73 remaining southern resident killer whales despite protections introduced since 2019.
• It warns of a high probability of extinction unless stronger actions address dwindling chinook salmon stocks, chemical pollutants and vessel noise.
• The report details 26 recommendations, including fisheries limits, toxin bans and legally binding underwater noise standards.
• Federal Fisheries, Transport and Environment departments have not issued formal responses to the roadmap’s proposals even after recognizing imminent threats earlier this year.
• Fisheries officials caution that biological recovery may take decades due to the whales’ slow reproduction, underscoring urgency of prompt implementation.