Whale Sanctuary Project

Progress at the sanctuary site marine and land infrastructure design; third-party review and reporting of environmental data; marine geotechnical surveys; wine harbour buoy deployment.** marine and land infrastructure design: we made significant progress in design engineering of the sanctuary's mile-long perimeter net and marine animal care facilities (including delineating the appropriate anchoring systems to withstand potential forces of extreme weather). We also made progress towards finalizing the architectural design of shore-side animal care and operations facilities. ** third-party review and reporting of environmental data: we concluded three years of comprehensive environmental studies with a formal marine ecological risk assessment (mera), conducted by a third-party consultant and required by the government of nova scotia. The mera provides a conclusive determination that the site represents a safe and healthy habitat for future whale residents and that the whales will be ecologically compatible with the existing flora and fauna. ** submissions to the canadian government: we submitted all required reports to provincial and federal government agencies, as required by the terms of our offer of lease for the sanctuary waters. These include, but are not limited to, the mera, a formal land risk assessment / risk management plan (ra / rmp), and a crown land survey.** marine geotechnical surveys: these included use of an rov (underwater camera) to record video along the mile-long perimeter net line to confirm the suitability of anchor placement determinations.other marine geotechnical surveys during the year included a side scan sonar survey, which culminated in a comprehensive report on the sanctuary site's seafloor. Among other uses, this report provides data about the geologic makeup of the seafloor that is essential to determining the appropriate anchor types for the site's perimeter net and other marine infrastructure.**wine harbour buoy deployment: in collaboration with local fishers, oceanographers, and first nations, we deployed the wine harbour buoy off-shore from the sanctuary site. The buoy will provide near-real-time wind and weather data, essential for monitoring ongoing weather patterns in and around the site (including storms) and ensuring the safety of the whale residents. The buoy is also part of a growing network of connected buoys around nova scotia that will improve the quality and availability of marine weather information and will benefit the many communities who live, work and recreate on the water.

Outreach and education oceans day celebrations; community events in nova scotia; educational outreach to children and students of all ages.** oceans day celebrations: we organized and celebrated the first ever ocean's day celebration in st. Mary's municipality, where the sanctuary is located. Close to 500 people gathered at the whale sanctuary project operations & visitor centre to celebrate all things ocean, including science, conservation, and community. We attended additional oceans day events in halifax and antigonish, nova scotia. ** community events in nova scotia: local volunteers contributed hundreds of hours of time to mount eight major community events, along with smaller events at schools and camps. ** educational outreach to children and students of all ages: we continued our collaboration with schluter elementary school in haslet, texas, where a fourth-grade teacher has established a "wild for whales" curriculum. Students were featured on nbc tv news when they sent handwritten letters and drawings to the french minister of ecology, advocating for the retirement of orcas wikie and keijo to the nova scotia sanctuary. We also continued building student volunteer and mentorship opportunities with st. Francis xavier university, including site visits to conduct eel grass surveys essential for the understanding and long-term monitoring of the site.