Environmentalists are sounding the alarm bells for leatherback turtles along the Atlantic coast.
Concerned Nova Scotian fisherman, Darren Porter sparked media attention for these turtles’ wellbeing when he requested and publicized emails from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) earlier this year.
According to the Canadian Sea Turtle Network, when these endangered turtles begin migrating south, the ancient sea passage is blocked by the Canso Causeway which causes them to become stressed and frantic.
Executive Director, Kathleen Martin says the sea creatures risk getting hypothermia to go north around Cape Breton Island.
“Today, we would never block ocean passage. We would never block a safe animal passage through a water course,” she advised.
“We are really hoping that we will find a way to get safe animal passage through the causeway and that the federal government and the provincial government and all the people will be able to work together, you know, the really smart engineering community in Nova Scotia that will be able to put this together.”
Credit: Jessica Laing / Acadia Broadcasting
One turtle named Hoody was found washed ashore in Port Hood who was declared dead from hypothermia.
He had chafing along his shell by his flippers from panicked swimming, according to Martin.
Director of SeaLife Law and a post-doctoral fellow at Dalhousie University’s Marine Environmental Law Institute, Olga Koubrak says there are legal obligations that require us to protect the leatherback turtles, who are under the Fisheries Act and Species at Risk Act (SARA).
She recommends doing an assessment study to know how the ecosystem is impacted by the structure, which would identify what mitigating measures may be available, including a bridge between Cape Breton and the mainland.
The DFO declined an interview but in a statement say, the leatherback turtle’s population is declining worldwide as they face several threats.
“Through the Marine Mammal Response Program (MMRP), DFO works with conservation groups and non-governmental organizations to respond to injured, stranded, entangled or dead animals,” they stated.
The DFO say the Canso Canal locks are being transferred from them to the Department of National Defense (DND) on April 1, 2026.
Nova Scotia Public Works stated if the causeway requires expansion or reconstruction in the future that enhancements for fish and aquatic life and compliance with the federal Fisheries and SARA will be part of their design considerations.
