The Government of Canada will invest $258 million over the next five years to protect whales from marine traffic and improve their habitats.

The investment builds on the success of the Whales Initiative and the Oceans Protection Plan. It aims to reduce ship strikes, lower underwater noise, improve prey availability, prevent entanglements, and strengthen habitat protections. The government announced the new funding in this year’s spring economic update.

“Canada will continue to take decisive action to protect these majestic marine mammals. From coast to coast to coast, this funding will support the continued protection of at-risk whale species and the greater marine environment,” says Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson.

The investment will support initiatives to introduce and enforce measures to protect whales. These measures include vessel speed limits, fisheries management actions, and responses to marine mammal incidents.

The initiatives will also support ongoing research and funding for whale monitoring and detection systems. A new regional program will monitor and manage underwater noise in the Salish Sea. Efforts will be made to reduce underwater vessel noise by up to . Funding for Indigenous participation in projects will continue and increase.

The government also issued an interim order requiring vessels to stay at least m away from Southern Resident killer whales starting June 1, 2026. It is also considering amending the Marine Mammal Regulations under the Fisheries Act to set the minimum approach distance at 1,000 m permanently.

Canada’s oceans are home to more than 30 species of whales. Since 2018, the federal government has worked to mitigate threats to the North Atlantic right whale, the St. Lawrence Estuary beluga, and the Southern Resident killer whale.