A Particularly Sensitive Salish Sea

In 2016 the nomination to designate the Salish Sea as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) under the International Maritime Organization will be submitted by President Barak Obama and Prime Minster Justin Trudeau at the request of tribes, government agencies, industry, and non-governmental organizations. A PSSA is defined as an area in need of special protection through the IMO due to its ecological, social, cultural, and economic, or scientific significance and because of its vulnerability to damage by international shipping activities. Our waterways already crowded, and with a 43% increase in shipping traffic projected if all proposals to expand or build new terminals are approved in BC and Washington, means a greater chance of a spill. To address these global shipping impacts, Friends of the San Juans and project partners have identified the IMO PSSA Designation as the best option to protect the Salish Sea’s fishing, culture and the environment. A PSSA is the premiere global tool a community can adopt to protect a uniquely important marine ecosystem from the threats posed to it by international shipping. A PSSA in the Salish Sea can pull together and synchronize very complex, and often conflicting, domestic and international, legal and policy goals. A Salish Sea PSSA Designation would culminate in a set of associated protective measures that would strengthen protections. These measures include routing requirements, strict application of discharge and equipment requirements for ships, no/limited anchorage zones, and Vessel Traffic Services. PSSA’s have been set up in 14 areas world-wide. The Salish Sea deserves to be the 15th PSSA