Feds limit chinook fishery to help resident killer whale recovery
VANCOUVER — The federal government is closing some recreational and commercial chinook fisheries on the West Coast in an effort to help save endangered southern resident killer whales.
Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday that a lack of prey for the whales is one of the critical factors affecting their recovery.
Southern residents inhabit the waters from south and central Vancouver Island all the way to northern California where they hunt for the salmon.
There are just 76 of the whales left and LeBlanc said in a news release that a reduction in the total chinook fishery of 25 to 35 per cent will help conserve the orca’s main food source.