Whale Sanctuary Project

TO ESTABLISH A MODEL SEASIDE SANCTUARY WHERE CETACEANS (WHALES AND DOLPHINS) CAN BE REHABILITATED OR CAN LIVE PERMANENTLY IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT MAXIMIZES WELL-BEING AND AUTONOMY AND IS AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THEIR NATURAL HABITAT.

SANCTUARY SITE: HAVING ANNOUNCED THE SELECTION OF THE WHALE SANCTUARY SITE IN PORT HILFORD BAY, NOVA SCOTIA IN 2020, WE PROCEEDED IN 2021 WITH EXTENSIVE SITE DEVELOPMENT WORK. THIS INCLUDED THE EXPANSION OF OUR HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL OF THE SANCTUARY WATERS WITH A LIDAR STUDY USING LIGHT DETECTION AND RANGING FROM AN AIRCRAFT TO ADD TO THE DATA COLLECTED WITH ACOUSTIC DOPPLER CURRENT PROFILERS (ADCPS) AND BATHYMETRY COLLECTED USING MULTIBEAM SONAR FROM THE WATER'S SURFACE. IN ADDITION, OUR TEAMS CONDUCTED THE FOLLOWING ONSITE RESEARCH: -AN ORNITHOLOGIST SURVEYED OVERWINTERING AND STAGING SEABIRDS FROM JANUARY TO APRIL; -WE CONDUCTED A FRESHWATER SURVEY DURING THE SPRING FRESHET IN MARCH, MEASURING STREAMS FOR INSTANTANEOUS AND MAXIMUM DISCHARGE. AND WE SAMPLED STREAMS AND PONDS FOR BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES TO ASSESS WATER QUALITY WHERE BIOLOGICALLY RELEVANT TO THE WHALES; -IN JULY, SIX CERTIFIED SCUBA DIVERS CONDUCTED A SURVEY THAT IDENTIFIED AND ENUMERATED ORGANISMS ON THE SEAFLOOR. WE USED THE SURVEY TO CALCULATE SPECIES RICHNESS AND ABUNDANCE. THE DIVERS ALSO DESCRIBED THE SEDIMENT TYPES AND DELINEATED THE PERIMETER OF EELGRASS BEDS. -WE MONITORED ICE CONDITIONS DURING REGULAR SITE VISITS AND FROM CANADIAN ICE SERVICE CHARTS; -REGULAR SITE VISITS FOLLOWED A PROTOCOL TO RECORD WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION, WAVE HEIGHT AND DIRECTION, AND WEATHER CONDITIONS WHEN TRIGGERED BY HIGH WIND SPEEDS; -WE RECORDED WEATHER CONDITIONS EVERY DAY FROM ONLINE DATABASES, INCLUDING THE WEATHER DESCRIPTION, AIR TEMPERATURE AND PERCEIVED AIR TEMPERATURE, AIR PRESSURE, SUSTAINED AND GUST WIND SPEEDS, WIND DIRECTION, PRECIPITATION TYPE AND AMOUNT, PERCENT HUMIDITY, VISIBILITY, THE NUMBER OF HOURS OF SUN, THE UV INDEX, THE MARINE FORECAST (WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION, PRECIPITATION TYPE, VISIBILITY, AND WAVE HEIGHT), TIME AND HEIGHT OF HIGH AND LOW TIDES, HOURLY TIDE LEVEL, MOON PHASE, AND PERCENT OF THE MOON THAT IS SUNLIT; -WE MONITORED SATELLITE IMAGES THAT ARE TAKEN EVERY FIVE DAYS FROM THE SENTINEL-2 SATELLITE; -WE RECORDED AIR AND WATER TEMPERATURES EVERY 30 MINUTES AT DIFFERENT DEPTHS; -WE RECORDED WATER LEVEL DATA EVERY 30 MINUTES UP TO OCTOBER, AND EVERY 12 MINUTES THEREAFTER; -WE TESTED WATER QUALITY FROM THE BAY AND NEARBY FRESHWATER INPUTS SEASONALLY FOR NUTRIENTS, METALS, AND COLIFORMS USING AN ACCREDITED LABORATORY; -ZOOPLANKTON IN THE BAY ARE IDENTIFIED AND ENUMERATED SEASONALLY BY AN EXPERT. IN ADDITION TO THE EXPENSES ABOVE THERE WERE DONATED LEGAL SERVICES OF 150,050 AND DONATED PAINTING SERVICES OF 1,500.

EXTENSIVE PUBLIC EDUCATION ABOUT THE MISSION OF THE WHALE SANCTUARY PROJECT WAS EXECUTED THROUGH PRESENTATIONS AND LECTURES BY THE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AS WELL THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS TO SUPPORT THIS PUBLIC EDUCATION EFFORT. EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AND INFORMATION WERE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THE WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO FURTHER TELL THE STORY OF THE WHALE SANCTUARY PROJECT, IDENTIFY WHALES THAT ARE SUFFERING IN MARINE PARKS, AND CALL ATTENTION TO THE URGENCY OF THE WHALE SANCTUARY PROJECT MISSION. A NEWSLETTER WAS DISTRIBUTED TO SUPPORTERS AND THE PUBLIC.

OPERATIONS & VISITOR CENTER: OUR U.S. AND CANADIAN STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS COLLABORATED TO RENOVATE AND RE-EQUIP A CENTURY HOUSE IN SHERBROOKE, NOVA SCOTIA, AS AN OPERATIONS & VISITOR CENTRE. THIS FACILITY OPERATES AS OUR LOCAL HEADQUARTERS WITH CONFERENCE ROOM, OFFICES AND ACCOMMODATIONS FOR VISITING STAFF. IT ALSO PROVIDES EDUCATIONAL EXHIBITS FOR THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHALES AND HOW SANCTUARIES IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CETACEANS. THE CENTRE ALSO HAS EXHIBITS ABOUT THE WHALE SANCTUARY AND IS A GATHERING PLACE FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO DISCUSS THE SANCTUARY AND SHARE THEIR QUESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. THE OPENING IN OCTOBER WAS ATTENDED BY THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR AND OTHER DIGNITARIES FROM AROUND NOVA SCOTIA. EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH: BEYOND THE OPERATIONS & VISITOR CENTRE, OUR CANADIAN STAFF COORDINATOR CONDUCTED NUMEROUS PUBLIC EVENTS, HELPING TO EDUCATE LOCAL CHILDREN AND ADULTS ABOUT WHALES, INCLUDING WITH WHALE-THEMED PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS. WE ALSO CONDUCTED NINE EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS TO AN AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN 3,000 PEOPLE. DISTINGUISHED GUESTS INCLUDED PIONEERING SCIENTISTS, INNOVATORS IN THE STUDY OF CETACEAN COMMUNICATION, LEGISLATION, THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHALE CULTURE, AND AUTHENTIC SANCTUARIES. WE EXPANDED OUR OUTREACH THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AS WELL AS WITH OUR AWARD-WINNING SHORT FILM "WHALES WITHOUT WALLS," WHICH IS REGULARLY USED AS AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM IN SCHOOLS. WHALE AID: WITH OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS ON MATTERS OF WHALE CARE AND WELFARE, OUR WHALE AID WORK INCLUDED: -ASSISTING SACRED LANDS CONSERVANCY, A NON-PROFIT CREATED BY LUMMI NATION ELDERS IN THEIR WORK TO RELOCATE SK'ALICH'ELH-TENAUT, THE ORCA WHALE ALSO KNOWN AS LOLITA, TO HER BIRTH WATERS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. WE HELPED IDENTIFY SUITABLE LOCATIONS IN THE SALISH SEA WHERE A BAY PEN AND NETTED ENCLOSURE CAN BE LOCATED FOR A POTENTIAL OCEAN HOME TO WHICH SK'ALICH'ELH- TENAUT, WHO HAS BEEN IN THE MIAMI SEAQUARIUM FOR MORE THAN 52 YEARS, COULD BE RETIRED; -OUTREACH TO THE DOLPHIN COMPANY FOLLOWING ITS ANNOUNCED PLANS TO PURCHASE THE MIAMI SEAQUARIUM. WE OFFERED TO ORGANIZE AN INDEPENDENT VETERINARY ASSESSMENT OF SK'ALICH'ELH-TENAUT'S HEALTH AND WELFARE. AND FOLLOWING OUR PARTICIPATION IN THE 2020 SUCCESSFUL RELEASE OF THE BELUGAS AND ORCAS HELD IN THE NOTORIOUS "WHALE JAIL" IN THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST, THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED THE PERMANENT CLOSING OF THAT FACILITY IN DECEMBER 2021.