Atténuer le bruit sous-marin à l’aide des savoirs autochtones

Underwater noise pollution from marine shipping activities can negatively impact marine mammals in a variety of ways.¹ Marine mammals rely on sound to hunt, communicate and breed, and noise from vessel traffic interferes with these basic behaviours. Reducing harm to marine mammals from ship-source underwater noise requires a holistic approach, and combining Indigenous traditional knowledge with western scientific practices could be a key part of the solution.

Indigenous Peoples are deeply connected to the environment around them and have centuries of knowledge on migration patterns, the best hunting spots, and behavioural patterns of marine mammals. This knowledge is essential in developing comprehensive, effective solutions to the negative impacts of human activities on the marine environment. This article highlights some of the ways that Indigenous communities have participated in protecting their traditional waters and the marine mammals that call those waters home.

Indigenous Stewardship of the Marine Environment

We can look to the Mahalat Nation as an example of strong stewardship of the marine environment. The Malahat Nation sought to understand the interactions between vessels and the local marine mammals, so they invested in an underwater hydrophone station. The Malahat Nation set up hydrophones to listen to both ships and marine mammals in their traditional territory. With help from marine scientists to better understand hydrophones, the Malahat Nation settled on 20 separate locations to examine and record the underwater noises in those areas. Using the acoustic data they collect, the Mahalat Nation hopes to advance their fisheries and prevent future damage done by vessels in their local waters.²

Case Study: Underwater Noise in the Arctic

The underwater noise pollution issue is particularly important to the Inuit. The Inuit, meaning “the people”, originate from what is now known as the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Northern Quebec, and Labrador. The Inuit are dependent on marine mammals, such as seals, for food and other reasons, and have a deep understanding of and connection to marine mammal populations in their territory. Underwater noise from ships may disrupt marine mammals behaviour and movement patterns, which could affect subsistence hunting and other cultural practices for the Inuit.³

There has been a significant increase in ship traffic in Tallurutiup Imanga, a national conservation area at the north end of Baffin Island. The National Marine Conservation Area was established in 2019 (TI NMCA) to protect 110,000 sq km of core marine mammal habitat in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut. Utilizing ship traffic data, Indigenous Knowledge, and western science (i.e., noise modelling), and knowledge of the environment from the local people, the Inuit and marine scientists were able to estimate the number of ships passing through the area. The collective results showed a clear increase in ship movement over important habitat areas for narwhals, belugas, and bowhead whales. The Inuit had the knowledge and resources to contribute to this research in many ways, including the ability to identify areas where marine mammals occupy, which was essential to the success of this project.⁴

Case Study: Underwater Noise in Burrard Inlet

The Tsleil-Waututh Nation (səl̓ilwətaɬ), the people of the Inlet, has resided in the Burrard Inlet since time immemorial. The Tsleil-Waututh Peoples strongly believe in “a sacred, legal obligation to past, current, and future generations to protect, defend, and steward the water, land, air, and resources of our territory”. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation values the harmony between traditional knowledge, uplifting Tsleil-Waututh values, and an ethical approach to growth, in order to protect their territory and culture.⁵

Southern resident killer whales are an endangered species that reside in the Salish Sea and hold a significant importance to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.⁶ To better understand the current whale presence and assess levels of underwater noise from ship traffic in their territorial waters, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation partnered with the Enhancing Cetacean and Habitat Observation (ECHO) Program out of the Port of Vancouver.⁷ The Tsleil-Waututh Nation worked with the ECHO Program to deploy several hydrophones a year over 2019–2022 to gather acoustic data in Burrard Inlet.⁸ The data gathered will be helpful information to assist in protecting the southern resident killer whale habitat in the Burrard Inlet.⁹

A Way Forward

To lessen the negative impact of underwater noise and better protect the marine mammal populations along the coast of British Columbia, Indigenous knowledge needs to be incorporated in the solution. The connection between Indigenous Peoples and marine life is deeply rooted in the well-being of the marine environment, which is linked to the well-being of Indigenous communities. Indigenous ways of knowing and their unique perspectives need to be prioritized in programs and research related to addressing the impacts of underwater noise on marine mammals.

A Two-Eyed Seeing approach, taught by Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall, could be beneficial in developing a holistic solution to underwater noise pollution. This approach is explained as “learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of mainstream knowledges and ways of knowing, and to use both these eyes together, for the benefit of all”.¹⁰

United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Rights

Article 29.1 Indigenous Peoples have the right to the conservation and protection of the environment and the productive capacity of their lands or territories and resources. States shall establish and implement assistance programs for Indigenous Peoples for such conservation and protection, without discrimination.¹¹

About the author

Chanessa Perry is a citizen of the Nisg̱a’a First Nation and is of mixed European and Nisg̱a’a ancestry. She completed three internships through Clear Seas’ Indigenous Internship Program, and recently joined the team as a Research Assistant. In this role, she’ll continue to develop her research on the impacts of shipping on marine mammals and the ways Indigenous communities are applying Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous research methods to steward the marine environment.

References

1. Administration portuaire Vancouver-Fraser. (2020). Burrard Inlet Underwater Noise Study: 2019 Final Report. ↩︎
2. Malahat Nation. (2022). Environment. ↩︎
3. Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) News. (2022). Using western science and Inuit knowledge to model ship-source noise exposure for cetaceans (marine mammals) in Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound), Nunavut, Canada. ↩︎
4. Ritchot, M. (2021). Ship noise could change marine mammals’ behaviour, research suggests. ↩︎
5. Nations Unies, Département des affaires économiques et sociales. (2022). Tsleil-Waututh Marine Stewardship. ↩︎
6. WWF-Canada. À propos des épaulards résidents du Sud. ↩︎
7. Administration portuaire Vancouver-Fraser. (2020). Burrard Inlet Underwater Noise Study: 2019 Final Report. ↩︎
8. Administration portuaire Vancouver-Fraser. (2021). Burrard Inlet Underwater Noise Monitoring Final Report. ↩︎
9. Administration portuaire Vancouver-Fraser. (2022). Burrard Inlet Underwater Noise Study Framing Document. ↩︎
10. Bartlett, Marshall, & Marshall. (2012). Two Eyed-Seeing. ↩︎
11. Nations Unies. (2007). Déclaration des Nations Unies sur les droits des peuples autochtones. ↩︎