Whales and shipping How the port authority-led ECHO Program is - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

Krista Trounce Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program Project Manager December 5, 2019

Whales and shipping

How the port authority-led ECHO Program is working to reduce the effects of ship traffic on whales in the Salish Sea

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

Our vision

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Outline

• 1. Whales and shipping
• 2. What is the ECHO Program?
• 3. Research project highlights
• 4. Global applications

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Port of Vancouver

Enabling trade with more than 170 world economies

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Whales in our waters

Many at-risk marine mammals species off the coast of British Columbia

Fin (Threatened)

DFO

Sei (Endangered)

NOAA

Harbour Porpoise (Special Concern)

Erik Christensen

Hum pback (Threatened)

NOAA

Resident killer w hale (Endangered)

HelloBC

Blue (Endangered)

NA

North Pacific Right w hale (Endangered)

NOAA

Biggs ( transient) killer w hale (Threatened)

Jim Borrowman

Based on Canadian Species at Risk Act.

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Example Floating Caption Slide

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Known threats to marine mammals

Photo: Oceanwise / NOAA

Environm ental Contam inants Availability of prey Acoustic Disturbance Physical Disturbance

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• Southern resident killer whales use sound to

find food, communicate and navigate

• Ship noise can disrupt their ability to

communicate, socialize, rest and their ability to hear returning echolocation clicks when feeding

Whales and acoustic disturbance

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Whale echolocation Sound clip: Northern resident killer whale masking from passing commercial vessel. Credit: Orcalab

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• International shipping lanes overlap

protected critical habitat for endangered southern resident killer whales and other at- risk species

• Underwater noise can affect whales’ ability

to feed and communicate

• Predicted shipping activity and human

population growth in both Canada and USA

• Port authority mandate under the Canada

Marine Act

Commercial shipping activities and whales

An international issue

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What is the ECHO Program?

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Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program overview

Photo: Joan Lopez

What? A collaboration with marine transportation industries, conservation groups, scientists, Indigenous individuals and Canadian and US governments. When? Convened Nov 2014 Why? To better understand and reduce the cumulative effects of commercial shipping activities on at-risk whales throughout the southern coast of British Columbia. Key actions:

• Collaborative international and regional relationships.
• Research projects, with an emphasis on underwater noise.
• Trial and implement threat reduction measures

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Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

• First of its kind in Canada
• Formalizes role of ECHO Program over five-

year term

• Focuses on existing and new voluntary efforts

to reduce acoustic and physical disturbance from large commercial ships operating in Southern Resident killer whale critical habitat

Species At Risk Act Conservation Agreement to support recovery of southern resident killer whales

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Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

ECHO Program actions: Research projects highlights

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Key acoustic research questions

• What are current ambient noise levels?
• What do different ships sound like?
• Where do different types of ships contribute

to noise?

• What options exist to reduce underwater

noise from ships?

Photo: Joan Lopez

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Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

• Three locations with two years of data
• Undergoing analysis for drivers of ambient noise

and trends

• Environmental conditions (current, wind, rain, marine

animals)

• Anthropogenic factors (small and large boats and

ships)

• Fourth location 2019 – Burrard Inlet

What are current ambient noise levels?

Underwater noise monitoring in the region

Strait of Georgia Boundary Pass Haro Strait Burrard Inlet

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Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

What do different ships sound like? Underwater listening stations

Locations:

• Strait of Georgia
• Haro Strait
• Boundary Pass

Listening for:

• Level of noise from ships

(10,000+ ship transits)

• Marine mammal detections
• Ambient noise

Photo: VFPA

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Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

Five loudest ship types

Average radiated noise level* Container ship >200m 189.7 dB Bulkers >200m 186.6 dB Ferries 186.5 dB Tankers 185.9 dB Bulker <200m 185.9 dB

What do different ships sound like?

Strait of Georgia underwater listening station

Source: Strait of Georgia underwater listening station, 2015 – 2018 * Average Radiated Noise Level (dB re 1μPa) Total transits = 5134

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What can we hear?

Strait of Georgia underwater listening station

Project partners: Ocean Networks Canada, Transport Canada and JASCO Applied Sciences

Container ship Birds?

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Killer whale Humpback whale

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Where do different ships contribute to noise?

Regional noise contributors study – 2017 modelling Haro Strait Strait of Georgia

Modelled unweighted noise in July 2017, by vessel class Source: ECHO Program regional noise contributors study, 2017

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What options exist to reduce vessel underwater noise?

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Quiet design, technology and maintenance options Quiet operating options

Port authority incentives Slowing and route alterations

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ECHO Program actions: Trial and implement threat reduction measures

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Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

Underwater noise reduction criteria added to existing EcoAction Program in 2017

Quiet design, technology and maintenance options

Port authority incentives for quieter ships

BRONZE Technologies that help reduce cavitation

23%

discount

GOLD Quiet ship notation from ship classification society

47%

discount

SILVER Noise reduction performance indicator from Green Marine

35%

discount 21

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Quiet operating options

Voluntary ship slowdown in Salish Sea Why: To better understand the relationship between ship speed, underwater noise and potential effects on killer whales Where: ~16-30 nautical miles through critical whale feeding areas in Haro Strait and Boundary Pass Who: Over 80 organizations Monitoring:

• Participation and vessel speeds
• Ambient noise
• Vessel source levels (2017 only)
• Killer whale presence and behaviour

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Voluntary ship slowdown in Haro Strait

Modelling underwater noise before and during the trial Baseline speed (19.4 knots)

Comparison of a underwater noise from a container ship Source: JASCO Applied Sciences

Trial speed (10.6 knots)

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Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

Voluntary ship slowdown in Salish Sea

Overview of results 2017 2018

1.7 dB reduction at Lime Kiln (filtered)

Acoustics

1.5 dB reduction at Lime Kiln (filtered) 11 knots through the water for all vessel types Variable speeds 12.5 and 15 knots through the water

Speed Duration

111 days 61 days 61% reported participation (951 total ships) 87% reported participation (1678 total ships)

Participation SRKW

22% reduced impact to foraging time (modelled) 15% reduced impact to foraging time (modelled)

2019

TBC Variable speeds 11.5 and 14.5 knots through the water 103 days 82% reported participation (1551 total ships) TBC

Distance

16.6 nm 16.6 nm 29.6 nm

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Quiet operating options

Voluntary route alteration (lateral displacement) trial in the Strait of Juan de Fuca Ships and tugs were asked to shift as far south as possible in existing lanes to reduce underwater noise in near- shore feeding areas.

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Voluntary route alteration (lateral displacement) trial in the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Overview of results 2018 2019

• 0.6 to 1.0 dB deep-sea
• 4.3 dB tugs

Acoustics

TBC Deep-sea and tugs Tugs only

Speed Duration

125 days 72 days 82% deep-sea 80% tugs 80% tugs

Participation SRKW

33 days of killer whale sightings* TBC

*from BC Cetacean Sightings Network

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Other projects

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Measures: Raising mariners’ awareness

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Vancouver Fraser Port Authority |

What: Online tutorial for mariners to learn about species of whales in the Pacific Northwest and how to best navigate in their presence When: November 2018 How long: ~90 minutes to finish, certificate upon completion Who can take it: Focus on regional operators, open to anyone Visit: www.portvancouver.com/echo/resources

Whales in our Waters tutorial

Developed for mariners, open to public

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Global applications

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Global applications

• Collaborative approach for a common solution
• Increasing mariner awareness and involvement
• Industry and government working together to balance

economic factors and optimize voluntary participation to benefit whales

• Use of research and technology to support science-based

decision making

• At-risk whale species around the world can benefit from

underwater noise reduction research and efforts

• Working with the Government of Canada to bring

underwater noise as a work item at the International Maritime Organization

Photo: VFPA

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Looking ahead

• Best practices document for ambient noise

measurement and analysis

• Conclusion of pilot project to measure

noise levels of port-related activities

• Boundary Pass underwater listening

station

• Plan for 2020 quiet operating measures to

reduce underwater noise

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Thank you for listening!

Krista Trounce

Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Project Manager Vancouver Fraser Port Authority ECHO@portvancouver.com www.portvancouver.com/ echo

Photo: Joan Lopez

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