Transport Canada funds Indigenous marine noise monitoring

Transport Canada announced funding under its Quiet Vessel Initiative to support Indigenous-led monitoring of underwater vessel noise along the Trans Mountain Expansion Project marine shipping route (September 25, 2025).

• Main action: Transport Canada’s Quiet Vessel Initiative will fund seven Indigenous communities (T’Sou-ke, Tsartlip, Malahat, Penelakut, Stz’uminus, Snuneymuxw, Halalt) with individual grants ranging from $397,375 to $400,000 to build scientific capacity to measure and monitor underwater vessel noise and assess impacts on marine mammals, including the Southern Resident killer whale.
• Project details & background: Projects include deployment of shore-based and vessel-mounted hydrophones, integration of Automatic Identification System (AIS) and camera data, use of autonomous surface vessels, dashboards for real-time noise/whale localization, community training, IT procurement, and multi-year community-based monitoring in locations such as Saanich Inlet (no implementation timeline beyond the announcement provided).