The Sanctuary Site in Port Hilford Bay, Nova Scotia

This inspiring site in Port Hilford Bay, Nova Scotia, offers expansive space and good depth for the whales to swim, dive and experience a natural sea-side environment.

They will be able to explore the seafloor, chase birds on the surface and spend their time in nature. They will have a new life that makes up for as much as possible of what went before.

The sanctuary will occupy more than 100 acres of water space with depths up to 18 meters. It is being designed to set the gold standard for many more that can then be built all over the world in the coming years.

Three Video Tours of the Sanctuary

An aerial tour of the sanctuary site.

Walk along the shore with Executive Director Charles Vinick as he explains where the buildings and infrastructure will be.

And come aboard our work boat as Charles takes us for a 1.5-mile (2.4k) tour around the perimeter of the sanctuary.

What Is a True Sanctuary?

An authentic sanctuary is by definition a place where the wellbeing of the residents is always the priority. Lots of facilities call themselves “sanctuaries.” How can you tell whether they really are authentic? Check out this post and this webinar.

Site Development Work, Leases & Permitting

Nothing is more important than ensuring that the sanctuary area is a safe and healthy habitat for the whales and that the whales will be a positive contribution to the bay and all its inhabitants.

Immediately after announcing our choice of Port Hilford Bay for the location for the sanctuary, we began a series of environmental studies. This detailed work involves expert analysis of everything from microorganisms, water pressures and temperatures through every season over two years to gaining a full understanding of the soil and rock on land and on the seabed.

Many of these studies are also required by law before permits can be granted for construction of the sanctuary and transfer of the whales.

Dive into the Environmental Analysis

On the water, the team’s studies have included water chemistry, salinity, and temperature gradients, along with currents, tides, waves and surges, plus multibeam sonar, acoustic doppler current profilers, hydrophones and hydrodynamic models. Explore these here.

On land and seabed, studies of soil and rock help us determine how best to anchor the nets that will surround the sanctuary waters.

To learn more about the studies, the permits and the lease on sanctuary waters, go here.

Perimeter Net and Sanctuary Structures

The perimeter net will enclose the 100 acres of sanctuary waters, anchored on land at Rocky Point at one end and at the tip of Barachois Island at the other. (Check out this video tour to follow the line of the net.)

The net, the structure that supports it, the anchor and the outer cork line will employ a state-of-the-art design that provides for a walkway, allowing staff members direct access to the whales for routine care, medical care and other special circumstances. The net, net structure, anchoring and cork line will consist of the following components:

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More about the Structures

More details about the state-of-the-art perimeter net and the outer cork line.

Also:
• Animal Care & Veterinary Center;
• Marine Operations, Security & Administration Building;
• Net Loft and Generator Storage Building;
• and Observation Tower.

Go here to see plans and layouts.

The Two-Year Search for the Ideal Location

Starting with charts and maps and recommendations, we researched 135 possible locations in Washington State, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. We narrowed the list down to 30 sites and then visited all of them.

Some were too remote, others too close to built-up civilization. We focused on three main factors: the essential physical criteria of land and water; potential impacts on and from local wildlife; and community interests, including concerns of local residents and commercial and recreational interests.

The site that met – indeed exceeded – all of these three factors was in Port Hilford Bay. And we were delighted to be able to select it as our preferred site and to begin work on environmental analyses and on securing the land for the sanctuary structures and the lease for the sanctuary waters.

Follow the Search as It Unfolded

Check out this series of posts about our search on the west and east coasts of North America and what we learned about what constitutes an ideal site for a whale sanctuary.

Above: During our first visit to Nova Scotia, the town council of Sherbrooke, close to Port Hilford Bay, invites us to one of their committee meetings.