News

December 2002 - January 2003

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

THE NUMBERS ARE IN

The figures from this year's West Coast Sea Kayak Symposium in Port Townsend, Washington indicate the show was a big success. There were 80 classroom lectures and 53 scheduled on-water classes and demonstrations. 44 manufacturers lined up along the sandy beach on Puget Sound for attendees to try out a smorgasbord of kayaks, canoes and accessories. 59 exhibitors were on hand to show and sell products. 1557 registrants tried the latest boats and gear, surrounded by an estimated 17,000 curious onlookers throughout the sunny weekend. The event was organized by the WCSKS Committee with nearly 100 volunteers. The silent auction raised over $2200 for Washington Water Trails Association. Next year's event, the 20th annual, is already in the planning stages for September 19-21, 2003. Contact Chris Mitchell, Trade Association of Paddlesports, 800-755-5228 or 360- 855-9434. Email: Chris@gopaddle.org. Web: www.wcsks.org.

BIG SURF AT LONG BEACH

Congratulations to the Vancouver Island White Water Paddling Society for staging the successful first annual "Canada West Kayak Surf Festival" at Long Beach, Pacific Rim National Park this fall.

Paddlers from Ecuador, USA, BC, and Alberta converged at Long Beach to show their stuff and learn moves from some of the top paddlers in the world. Although originally defined as a surf event, spectators were fortunate to witness the multitude of white water paddlers combine spectacular moves with the ocean surf. New white water moves such as the "Helix" were performed to the delight of the spectators by top paddlers James Mole, Ryan Whetung, Rob Cartwright, Kevin England, Kani Roland and Diane Bacon (3rd on the women's list West Coast Surf, USA). Paddling composite crafts allowed spectators and paddlers alike to experience the real surf scene.

Special thanks go to Sean Plecas for his time and enthusiasm, which allowed Shayne Vollmers to realize a vision. Thanks also to all those who volunteered their services and to sponsors who donated prizes. See you next year!

Check out www.surfkayak.org/ for photos and comments. (Report provided by Wayne Barson.)

KAYAKS IN SEARCH & RESCUE

Arrowsmith Search and Rescue (ASAR) is responsible for a large area of central Vancouver Island, including several large lakes and rivers which are difficult for searchers to access. Tom Marshall, ASAR Director and Swiftwater Rescue Tech, is an avid kayaker and he reports that ASAR has found kayaks (singles and doubles) to be a very useful tool in the search manager's arsenal. The searcher in a kayak can get a different point of view from the water, can see under all the overhanging branches and fallen debris at the lake edge while traveling at a pace that will give good search coverage and confidence that a subject will not be missed even if they are unresponsive. Once a subject is found they can be extracted by land, if possible, or by water with a dingy or double kayak for transport. The exact location is found by GPS and radioed to base for further instruction as to health and method of extraction, or police intervention in case of deceased persons.

For more info contact Tom Marshall at sunstar@macn.bc.ca.

MARINE PLAN EARNS APPLAUSE

The plan to establish the Southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA), announced in October by the Canadian government, will add significant protection for the marine environment of British Columbia's south coast.

"This is a major milestone in the protection of BC's exceptionally diverse marine ecology," said Peter Ronald, Marine Habitat Coordinator of the Georgia Strait Alliance (GSA). "This area is extremely rich biologically, but it is under increasing stress from population growth, transportation and other development pressures.

"The National Marine Conservation Area will contribute significantly to the vision of the Orca Pass Stewardship Area, a large, international, zoned area specially managed for protection of aquatic habitat and species of the Strait of Georgia and northern Puget Sound," said Ronald.

Complementing the new Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, the Southern Strait of Georgia NMCA will extend environmental protection into the marine realm in an area that Parks Canada has called the most at risk natural environment in Canada.

For more info: Peter Ronald, Marine Habitat Program Coordinator, GSA: 250- 381-8321. For more information on Orca Pass: www.georgiastrait.org or www.pugetsound.org.

Editor's note: WaveLength will be devoting our entire Aug/Sep 2003 issue to the Orca Pass project in order to showcase the world's first transboundary marine protected area project and the exceptional paddling in the area.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY GROWS

The environment industry is now one of the top five industry sectors in Canada, employing more people than the steel industry or the chemical manufacturing industry, growing at an average of 4% per year over the last decade. According to a new Statistics Canada report, the environment industry sector generated $14.4 billion in revenues in the year 2000, employing over 159,000 people in 7,474 small companies.

The environment industry sector grew in response to the creation of laws, regulations, guidelines, and international agreements regarding the clean-up of the human environment and the reduction of pollution. Instead of polluters using the air and water as a free source of toxic dumping - where they harm human health and raise medical costs and reduce productivity of the labour force - the polluters were required to pay for pollution control and environmental clean up.

For more information contact grenser@statcan.ca.

EARTH ECONOMY

Lester Brown, in his book entitled Eco- Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth, reports that advances in wind turbine design have reduced electricity costs from 38 cents per kilowatt hour in the early 1980s to less than 4 cents at prime wind sites in 2001. And further cuts are likely.

In response to falling costs, wind farms have come online recently in Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, and Pennsylvania.

A quarter-acre of land leased to the local utility to site a large, advanced design wind turbine can easily yield a farmer or rancher $2,000 in royalties per year while providing the community with $100,000 worth of electricity. Money spent on wind-generated electricity tends to remain in the community, providing income, jobs, and tax revenue. As wind-generating costs continue to fall and concern about climate change escalates, more and more countries are turning to wind energy.

In December 2000, France announced plans to develop 5,000 megawatts of wind power by 2010 (1 megawatt supplies 350 homes in an industrial society). Argentina followed with a plan to develop 3,000 megawatts of wind power by 2010 in Patagonia, with its world-class wind resources. In April, the United Kingdom accepted offshore bids to develop 1,500 megawatts of wind power. And in May 2001, China reported that it will develop some 2,500 megawatts of wind power by 2005.

Brown also reports that the use of solar cells is expanding rapidly. At the end of 2000, nearly one million homes worldwide were getting their electricity from solar cells. With new solar cell roofing material developed in Japan, the stage is set for dramatic gains in this new energy source as rooftops become the power plants of buildings.

For many of the nearly 2 billion people without electricity, solar cells are their best hope. In remote villages where supplying electricity traditionally depended on building a centralized power plant and constructing a grid to distribute the electricity, it is now often cheaper simply to install solar cells. In inaccessible Andean villages, investing in solar cells may be cheaper than buying candles. The same is true for those villages in India where lighting comes from kerosene lamps.

"The materials economy is also changing," said Brown. "The challenge is to shift from a linear flow-through economy to a comprehensive recycling economy. Progress is being made on this front, but not nearly enough. Some countries are advancing. For example, 58 percent of US steel production now comes from old recycled scrap iron and steel."

From Eco-Economy: Building an Economy for the Earth, available at http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/index.htm.

CRUISE SHIPS

Oceans Blue Foundation recently released a "Blow the Whistle" report on the cruise ship industry. The first of a two-part report that makes the case for greater cruise industry accountability and reform is now online:

http://www.oceansblue.org/bluetourism/chartacourse/cruiseship/cruisereport.html.

Each large cruise ship emits smog-creating pollutants equal to those from 12,240 vehicles, for each day in port (US Government Accounting Office).

In the year 2000, the North American-based fleet (International Council of Cruise Lines members only) of 163 ships emitted the equivalent of pollutants from 1,995,120 vehicles each day.

SHIPS DUMP OIL

A scathing new World Wildlife Fund report says 300,000 seabirds are killed each year off the East Coast of Canada in preventable spills.

Irresponsible shipping companies deliberately dump oil in Canadian waters because the fines are a fraction of penalties imposed for dumping in US waters. Polluters dump more oil in Atlantic waters each year than was spilled in the Exxon Valdez disaster.

The biggest fine levied in Canada for dumping oil at sea was $125,000 Cdn in a judgment earlier this year. In contrast, the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line was forced to pay $27 million (US) in 1999 for oil dumped by eight of its ships in US waters.

The spills are caused when ships pump out bilges where dirty oil used in engines and mechanical systems collects. The US has eliminated that problem, largely through deterrence.

Many ships dumping in Canadian waters aren't even bound for Canadian ports, but are headed for the US East Coast .

GREEN ENGINES

A new type of boat propulsion system that reduces emissions, removes the need for oil, has no propeller and reduces noise pollution, means that boating could become a lot more environmentally-friendly.

The system, being developed by the Hertfordshire- based firm Pursuit Dynamics, works by injecting steam into an elongated funnel-shaped unit under the boat which is filled with seawater. The temperature difference between the seawater and the steam causes the steam to condense, resulting in an implosion that draws in water and air through the funnel. This produces a reactive thrust, propelling the boat through the water.

The new system requires no gearbox, thus it has no need for oil, removing the potential environmental hazard posed by both oil use and disposal. Fewer working parts also mean less noise.

Traditional two-stroke boat engines emit 25% of their fuel and oil directly into the water or air. This means that in the US alone marine two-stroke engines spill 15 times more oil and fuel every year into waterways than did the Exxon Valdez, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The California Air Resources Board has also found that a seven-hour ride in a recreational boat powered by a two-stroke engine produces the same amount of smog-causing emissions as over 100,000 miles in a passenger car.

The new prototype has recently been verified by the University of Hertfordshire as being capable of running at the same efficiency level as a two-stroke outboard engine but without any of the pollutants. The company is expecting further efficiency improvements in the near future.

FISH FARMS CAMPAIGN UNFOLDING

Chefs, scientists, fishermen, and conservation groups on both sides of the Canada/ US border teamed up in late October to announce the launch of an international campaign to educate US consumers and retailers about the environmental and potential health risks associated with the production of farmed salmon.

"'Think Twice' is what we're saying to US consumers, who need much more information to make informed choices about this product," said Jennifer Lash, a member of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) that launched the campaign.

"Farmed salmon is produced using pesticides, antibiotics, and chemical additives to alter the colour of the fish, and most consumers know nothing about this. In fact, people often don't know that the salmon they're buying is manufactured and not a wild fish," said Lash.

More than 130 organizations sympathetic with this campaign are helping distribute information throughout the west coast of the US and in Canada. "We are asking retailers and consumers to do an easy thing: to make a public commitment to stop buying and selling farmed salmon until its safe for us and safe for the oceans," Lash said.

Acclaimed Portland chef Greg Higgins, who traveled to Vancouver to help launch the campaign said, "Salmon is in high demand, but the issues around farmed salmon are little understood. When US consumers fully understand all the issues, they'll see the need to keep the marine habitat healthy and to consider the quality and source of their salmon."

BC exports most of its farmed salmon to the US. In fact, almost all the farmed salmon consumed in the US is from Canada. And the lifting of a provincial ban in September on new farms is set to unleash a major expansion of the BC industry.

Already, retailers and restaurateurs in the US and BC are signing on to the campaign. So far 50 stores and restaurants have joined the campaign, including "white tablecloth" chefs in San Francisco and Portland.

The coalition is also threatening to take legal action against the federal and BC governments to try to put a halt to open-net fish farms. They say the farms are threatening the survival of wild salmon stocks by spreading diseases like sea lice.

A report by CAAR claims that most of the spawning runs of pink salmon off northern Vancouver Island were wiped out by the lice this year. The near collapse of pink salmon runs in the Broughton Archipelago, where millions of fish failed to return to spawning rivers this fall, is being blamed on fish farms in the area. Biologist Alexandra Morton says fish farms there are breeding grounds for the lice. (See From the Archipelago.)

You can learn more about CAAR by visiting the website www.farmedanddangerous.org. CAAR also encourages you to send a fax to industry directly from that site.

FIRST NATIONS' OPPOSITION

A BC Central Coast Native band is taking the province to court over salmon farms. The Heiltsuk First Nation has a "zero tolerance" policy on the farms.

It says the province has gone ahead and issued licenses to two companies to operate on land the band is claiming in the treaty process.

Chief Pam Reid says the band should have been consulted first.

"The bottom line is just a simple respect from government and industry to come and consult with us," she said. "We live here, live off the land. We harvest all year round for different resources. Everything we live off here is at risk."

Reid says she wants the fish farms monitored for how they dispose of waste.

She's also worried about the farmed salmon spreading viral infections to other species in the water.

South of the border, the Tribes are also getting active. At the 49th Annual Conference of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians in Washington this September, the Tribes called for a moratorium on commercial marine salmon net pens and support for tribal salmon fisheries.

BRITISH PROTESTS

The Sunday Herald in Britain reports that farmed salmon is the most contaminated food sold by British supermarkets, according to a new analysis by government advisors. Among 100 different worst-case examples of fruit, vegetables, meat and other foodstuffs polluted by pesticides over the past five years, salmon comes out bottom. Every sample of farmed salmon in the batch tested by scientists was found to contain at least three toxic chemicals. The revelation comes as the Scottish salmon-farming industry faces its biggest, and potentially most damaging, nationwide protest to date. Virtually all fresh salmon sold in British supermarkets is farmed. In October, protesters picketed over 200 supermarkets in 80towns, villages and cities across Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland, urging shoppers not to buy farmed salmon.

CONGRATULATIONS

Jennifer Lash of the Living Oceans Society and coordinator of the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) was recently awarded the Jane Bagley Lehman Award from the Tides Foundation. The Award celebrates excellence in public advocacy and visionary leadership for social justice. Jennifer was selected for her innovative approach and committed activism to challenging aquaculture in the Pacific Northwest. She traveled to San Francisco in November to receive the award which included a $10,000 grant.

Editor's Note: Jennifer worked with us on two of WaveLength's Ocean Kayak Festivals in the mid-1990s. Congratulations Jen!