Canadian government faces suit over killer whales

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Environmentalists are taking the Canadian government to court, demanding it use the country's Species at Risk Act to protect killer whales off British Columbia.

Ecojustice, on behalf of eight environmental organizations, filed notice Wednesday in Federal Court of a lawsuit to force officials to use the legislation to safeguard the habitat of southern and northern resident killer whales, listed as endangered and threatened, respectively.

The move is in reaction to a notice posted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on the Species at Risk Act registry last month contending that orcas, commonly known as killer whales, are already protected by other laws, regulations and guidelines.

The environmentalists want the government to take specific steps to protect killer whales, including making some areas off limits to vessel traffic and closing some salmon fisheries to preserve stocks that the whales eat.

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