NIMMSA Conservation Fund Year

NIMMSA funding supported the rebuilding of the Eagle Eye observation structure in the Qwiquallaaq/Boat Bay Conservancy. The improved facility enhances whale monitoring, visitor education, and warden safety while supporting long-term stewardship and conservation efforts in Robson Bight.

This project assembled and analyzed long-term data on Pacific salmon populations in the Broughton Archipelago. Using a clear stoplight assessment approach, the work provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of salmon status in DFO Area 12 and supports informed decision-making for wild salmon management.

NIMMSA funding allowed OrcaLab to purchase and deploy a new hydrophone integrated into its existing monitoring network. The system enhances the detection and recording of cetacean vocalizations in northern Vancouver Island waters, strengthening long-term acoustic monitoring and research capacity.

With support from the NIMMSA Conservation Fund, MERS delivered two updated catalogues of individual humpback whales documented off northeastern Vancouver Island. These updates support research, conservation, and ecotourism by improving whale identification, tracking population trends, and increasing public awareness of threats such as entanglement and vessel strikes.

Completion and publication of the first study describing minke whale vocal behaviour on feeding grounds in the eastern North Pacific. The research improves the ability to acoustically detect minke whales and assess the impacts of vessel and industrial noise on their communication.