Long-time Elphinstone resident Angela Kroning spoke to me recently about attending an Oceans Protection Plan Pacific Dialogue Forum on behalf of the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association. The forums are being organized by the federal government to consult with organizations about improving marine safety. “My main take-away was that B.C. is not ready for the increased shipping traffic of diluted bitumen,” Angela said, “but this planning allows for some long-overdue collection of data about our marine environment.”
The Ocean Protections Plan is a national five-year plan with a $1.5 billion dollar budget to create a world-leading marine safety system, and to protect and restore the marine environment using science-based evidence. It will also provide an opportunity for government to update regulations and legislation, especially in responding to the accidental release of hazardous and noxious substances. Although environmental concerns are secondary to marine safety in the plan, Angela says this review is long overdue. For more information, see www.tc.gc.ca/eng/improving-marine-safety-through-the-oceans-protection-plan.html where you can also give your own comments.
Angela has been part of the Sunshine Coast Friends of Forage Fish for about 10 years, a group that samples for two critical species that deposit eggs between the high tides – Pacific sand lance and surf smelt. The importance of a natural beachfront is essential for these species (and others), which, along with herring, provide the basis of the food chain on which Chinook salmon especially depend. I have seen these volunteers at work on our beachfront and it is exacting work!
Hard surfaces such as retaining walls can lead to declining numbers for this important rung of the marine ecology. The over-harvesting of seaweed, especially in the spring months can also lead to huge losses of eggs of these and other species that rely on it to lay their eggs. Our creeks in Elphinstone should be full of chum, coho and pink salmon, but our efforts to help reintroduce salmon are all for naught without their food supply. Angela has also been a Pacific Streamkeeper trainer for about 20 years – it’s nice to know we have such dedicated environmentalists in our midst.
Note that the next meeting of the Elphinstone Community Association will be Wednesday, Jan. 9 (2019!) at the Frank West Hall at 7 p.m.
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