B.C. NORTHERN SHELF BIOREGION SPEED AND DISCHARGE ANALYSIS

The analysis provides recommendations to mitigate shipping impacts in HRAs, including vessel speed reductions, The impacts of shipping in the NSB have been overlooked re-routing ships away from HRAs, enhancing operational as most of the human population and shipping activity have discharge restrictions and banning the use of exhaust gas been centralized in southern B. [...] PORTS IN THE NORTHERN SHELF BIOREGION There are four small ports and one large port within the NSB, collectively handling thousands of port calls annually within the bioregion (Figure 1 and Table 1).6 The Port of Prince Rupert (PoPR) is the third-largest seaport in Canada and the second- largest port for cargo and container volume in B. [...] RECOMMENDATIONS REDUCING RISKS TO CETACEANS IN THE NORTHERN SHELF BIOREGION The following recommendations and best practices are technical in nature and aim to mitigate impacts of both vessel speed and vessel discharge on at-risk cetaceans in HRAs within the NSB. [...] The intent of this analysis is to guide further discussions and encourage collaborative stakeholder involvement in the development of stronger protection measures for at-risk cetaceans in the NSB. [...] Prioritizing increasing knowledge and co-management of coastal marine ecosystems and resources through identified HRAs for at-risk cetaceans is vital to the long-term preservation and protection of the NSB’s health and biodiversity.