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Thursday's decision has been decried by conservation groups that say the refusal to issue an emergency order puts the species at greater risk of extinction.

Groups including the David Suzuki Foundation, Raincoast Conservation Foundation and World Wildlife Fund Canada had asked for the order last year.

The government says in a statement the environment and fisheries ministers announced their opinion in November that the species faces "imminent threats to its survival and recovery."

It says the ministers were then "obliged" to recommend an emergency order for their protection under the Species At Risk Act, but the government has declined. 

"It has been determined that the most effective approach is to continue to manage human activities without making an emergency order, using existing legislative tools and non-regulatory measures," the statement says.

"The decision also took into account social, economic, policy and other factors, and the broader public interest."

The conservation groups said in a statement on Friday that existing protection measures "have thus far proven inadequate."

They say "persistent and escalating threats" include inadequate salmon prey, underwater noise, fatal vessel strikes and pollution.

"The urgency of the situation demands that decision-makers act with the boldness required to save southern resident killer whales from extinction," the groups say. 

This report by °µÍø½ûÇø was first published March 7, 2025.