Can ships and whales co-exist here?
The lands and waters of the Gitga'at Nation are important to both people and wildlife including at-risk fin whales, orcas and humpbacks. Shipping traffic here is set to increase seven-fold by 2025. Can these whales sustain this increase of disturbance in their habitat?
Ships, Whales & Acoustics in Gitga’at Territory (SWAG) initiative is a collaboration between the Gitga’at First Nation, BC Whales (North Coast Cetacean Society) and WWF-Canada to develop real time tracking tools for whales and ships, and collaboratively develop mitigation measures to reduce the impact of commercial shipping on four populations of at-risk whales in one of Canada’s most important whale areas.
Although the number of whales in B.C. has been slowly increasing since the end of commercial whaling, many of these species are still at risk.
Gitga’at waters provide important habitat for their recovery. More marine traffic poses two serious risks to whales: ship strikes and noise.
Learn more about the sights & sounds of the Whales of Gitga’at Territory
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