NEWS

June-July 2004

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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PADDLE TO A CURE

A dedicated group of kayakers with a cause are dipping their paddles in various Canadian waters this summer to raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Paddle to a Cure: Journeys of Hope is a series of sea kayaking expeditions that has taken place annually since the summer of 2000. More than $750,000 has been raised to date, and organizers are still accepting registration forms from people interested in helping them reach the $1 million mark in 2004, the Paddle’s fifth and final year.

Five expeditions have been arranged:

• July 17-24: Georgian Bay, Ontario

• July 26-30: Georgian Bay, Ontario

• August 5-8: Georgian Bay, Ontario (special trip for breast cancer survivors)

• August 2-7: Mayne Island, BC

• August 16-21: Ship Harbour to Taylor Head, Nova Scotia

For more info contact: Lisa Marchitto (Ontario) 416-815-1313 ext. 500, lmarchitto@cbcf.org; Melanie Graham (BC) 250-363-5291 or 250 382 9649, ; Jan Kretz (grahammj@shaw.caBC) 250-755-6702, Jan@adventuress.ca.

PADDLE FOR THE PRESIDENCY

550 people attended the 4th annual Port Angeles Kayak Symosium in April. Kayak manufacturers displayed their products and a wide variety of kayak gear was offered at discount. Demo kayaks were available on the beach to test in the calm waters of Port Angeles Harbor. Well-attended slideshows of kayaking and river rafting included a trip around Iceland by noted paddler Chris Duff, and Bryan Smith’s attempted first descent of northeast India’s Lohit River. The Symposium was sponsored by Olympic Raft & Kayak, located near the Elwha River Bridge, highway 101: www.raftandkayak.com.

This summer, Paddle for the Presidency (P4P) will bring dozens of US political enthusiasts paddling down the Mississippi River in canoes to raise awareness for the 2004 election. Their target: youth voters.

P4P, a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded by recent college graduates, plans to paddle the entire river from its source in Lake Itasca, MN, toNew Orleans, hosting riverside rallies in both small towns and large cities where they will provide food, entertainment, political speakers and most importantly, voter registration. For more info, see www.paddle4president.org or call 719-473-5997.

KAYAK CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Garden State Kayak Championships is one of the largest paddling events in New Jersey. This competitive race, Saturday, September 11th, is open to paddlers of all ages and skill levels. One entry fee enables competitors to compete in one or both of the scenic 3 and 5-mile courses on the open waters of the Barnegat Bay. For more information, log on to www.vikingpromotions.com or call 732-237-0576.

MARINE LIABILITY ACT

Commercial Kayak Tour Operators (including Motherships) come under the Marine Liability Act

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/M-0.7/index.html).

Of interest to commercial kayak tour operators are Part 3 and Part 4 of the MLA. These sections have set specific levels of liability insurance that must be carried by Commercial Marine Vessels, including kayaks, as well as limiting or restricting the use of waivers to limit the liability of owner/operators of commercial marine vessels. At issue for the commercial kayaking industry is whether or not kayaks are considered commercial vessels. The final report on the MLA (http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/EN/Report/Marine/rcpi.htm) prepared by the Mariport Group for Transport Canada makes several recommendations about the application of the MLA to the Adventure Tourism industry.

Kayaks are typically one or two persons, and could either be removed from the requirements of the MLA by operation of the Transport Canada Marine Safety Bulletin 14/2000 (http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/EN/Report/Marine/rcpi8e.htm#8.2) or by the MLA section 37 crew filter (http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/EN/Report/Marine/rcpi5.htm). Requirements of the MLA would appear to apply in the case of a guide and a client in the same double kayak.

In any case, it would appear that Transport Canada may accept a minimum level of $1 million of liability insurance coverage for kayak tour operators that are covered by the MLA.

The use of waivers and whether or not they can be used for on water activities that are covered by the MLA remains a contentious issue. Operators should consult with their lawyers to determine if waivers are valid for their particular marine activities.

The above information is in no way to be considered legal advice. Commercial kayak tour companies should consult their own legal and insurance advisors.

COMMERCIAL TENURE

KAYAKS SAVE THE DAY The last time Laurie and I were out paddling, we encountered divers stranded by a heavy current flow near Gabriola Pass. We towed one of them back to the boat and he was then able to pick up the others. —Alan Wilson.

After consulting with industry representatives, including the Association of Canadian Sea Kayak Guides and the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC, the Province of BC, through its agent, Land and Water British Columbia Inc. (LWBC), has implemented a revised Commercial Recreation Policy governing the use of Crown land by commercial kayak tour operators.

The policy provides opportunities for tour operators to be granted authority to occupy Crown land for camp purposes and gives authorized users the benefit of business certainty, protection of business investment and recognition as a valid user of Crown land. Additionally, authorized tour operators have access to a process in which to deal with trespassers and other land use conflicts.

A tenure incentive program was initiated April 1, 2003 to encourage existing businesses using Crown land apply for tenure. That program ended March 31, 2004 and LWBC has now established a Compliance and Enforcement program to address trespass issues. LWBC has recently hired Compliance and Enforcement Officers who will be responding to complaints from the general public and authorized operators. These officers will be conducting patrols to ensure that commercial users of Crown land are indeed authorized and that the terms of existing agreements are being met.

Commercial kayak tour operators who have been using Crown land without authorization still have an obligation to make application for tenure. Those business owners who choose not to obtain the necessary approvals will find that they are subject to administrative penalties and may be ordered to immediately cease operations, particularly if they have been previously contacted and informed of the need to obtain authorization. In order to assure their businesses will be allowed to operate this season, all unauthorized tour operators should contact their local office of Land and Water BC Inc. and visit the web site: www.lwbc.bc.ca/applying_for_land/commercial_recreation.htm.

CRUISE LINE IMPROVES

The international ocean advocacy group Oceana has announced that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has committed to install Advanced Wastewater Purification technology on all its ships, to meet strict water quality standards. Cruise ship pollution is a real scourge on the ocean environment and it is hoped the entire cruise industry will emulate Royal Caribbean.

MARINE WEATHER SURVEY

The Meteorological Service of Environment Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Marine Safety division of Transport Canada, and Decima Research Inc. are conducting a survey to determine what type of weather information is important to marine users, and to assess the level of satisfaction with current marine weather information.

The results will be used by Environment Canada to modernize their marine weather services and to coordinate these services with Transport Canada and Canadian Coast Guard.

To take the survey, go to www.decima.com/research/surveys/ecws04.html.

The survey must be completed no later than June 4, 2004.

OIL & GAS

The BC and Canadian federal governments seem to be moving toward lifting the moratorium on oil and gas exploration off the BC coast, against the wishes of conservation groups, the tourism industry, and a majority of the public.

“There is absolutely no need for petroleum production on BC’s beautiful coast,” says Neil Frazer, Professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii.

“To start with, Canada’s official petroleum reserves are now greater than those of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore,” says Frazer, “I very much doubt that BC’s offshore fields can be produced at prices competitive with Alberta’s tar sands, which are now being produced at a cost of around $11/bbl. In other words, the arguments for producing offshore BC are dubious even on economic grounds.

“Even if there were an economic argument for producing offshore BC,” Frazer says, “I think that argument would founder on the likelihood of loss of BC’s precious wild fisheries, and huge, yet barely tapped, potential for tourism on its north and central coasts. Anyone who imagines that it is possible to have petroleum development without sacrifice to the environment should drive down to Galveston, Texas and take a walk on the beach—after the walk they will need to buy gasoline to wash the tar off their feet. Moreover, recent scientific research shows that the breakdown products of petroleum spills persist for a very long time in the environment with toxicities we are only now beginning to understand.” For informationon the issue see www.oilfreecoast.org.

 

The following news items are presented as part of our commitment to marine conservation, in conjunction with the Georgia Strait Alliance:

CONSERVATION DONATION

Rodger Touchie of the Heritage Group of publishers has arranged for a donation to the Georgia Strait Alliance for orders placed at www.bcbooks.com for any of Heritage’s three new kayaking titles (see books).

ECO-ADVENTURERS PROGRAM

Ten eco-tourism businesses around the Strait of Georgia have teamed up with the Georgia Strait Alliance to launch the ‘Eco-Adventurers Giving Program’, to promote action and support for the marine environment among eco-tourism clients.

These locally owned businesses, including resorts, kayaking, sail charter and wildlife watching companies, are all strong advocates for a healthy marine environment and have a history of promoting responsible use of our coastal waters and shores. They’ve been supporters of GSA’s work for some time. Now, through the new program, they’ll be encouraging their clients to support GSA as well, in order to help keep coastal BC spectacular.

• Bluewater Adventures

• Coast Mountain Expeditions

• Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Center

• Ocean River Sports

• Pacific Northwest Expeditions

• Sea Legs Kayaking Adventures

• Spindrift Resort

• Taku Lodge

• Tide Rip Tours

• West Coast Expeditions

For more info, contact or call 250-753-3459.gsa@georgiastrait.org

SUMMER RAFFLE

Three prizes have been donated to the Georgia Strait Alliance for the group’s annual Summer Raffle:

• a 17.5 ft Discover Aurora sea kayak from Seaward Kayaks (value: $2825)• a luxurious 3-night Adventure Package from Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa (value: $1475)• handcrafted silver pendant set from Dolphin Spirit Jewellery (value: $152). A wildlife cruise with EcoCruising BC and a paddling with Ocean River Sports are part of the Brentwood package.

Ticket sales will begin on May 15th and continue all summer, with the draw happening on September 14th at Seaward Kayaks in Ladysmith, BC.

Only 2,500 tickets printed ($6 each or 3 for $15). All proceeds go to marine conservation. To order, contact 250-753-3459 or raffle@georgiastrait.org.

FIRST NATION PARTNERSHIP

In April the Xwémalhkwu (Homalco) First Nation and the Georgia Strait Alliance announced the signing of a protocol agreement outlining how the two groups will work together on marine restoration and protection initiatives in BC’s Bute Inlet and the surrounding waters.

The Homalco band has turned down the fish farm which was being urged upon them by government and industry, and is focusing instead on ectourism, including bear-watching. They have an excellent website: www.BearsofBute.com.

“Wild salmon are integral to our culture and to the well being of Bute Inlet,” said Chief Darren Blaney. “Signing this protocol with the Georgia Strait Alliance is another step towards protecting and restoring this precious resource in our traditional territory. We want to continue to build bridges as we work towards economic development that does not put our marine environment, and the industries that depend upon it, at risk.”

BC FAILS ON FISH FARMS

A Report Card on the state of salmon farming in BC released this spring gave the BC Government a failing grade for its regulation of the industry. Regulating Salmon Aquaculture in BC—A Report Card shows that the government has failed to live up to most of the recommendations table d by its own Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) in 1997. Contrary to the government’s claim to have implemented 39 out of 49 recommendations, in fact only 10 recommendations have been fully implemented.

The Report Card gave the government a failing grade in 8 out of 10 areas previously identified by the EAO.

“The government has failed British Columbians and continues to endanger wild salmon,” said author, Suzanne Connell of the Georgia Strait Alliance. “We’re calling on the government to reinstate the moratorium and live up to its responsibility to regulate the salmon farming industry.”

This call was echoed recently by the BC Wildlife Federation, a former supporter of salmon farming, which passed a resolution calling for the moratorium to be reinstated.

In all areas, the Report Card found the government fell far short of claims to have properly regulated the industry, and noted that government consistently failed to provide the public with access to information on salmon farms.

The Report Card called on government to require salmon farm operators to disclose all information to the public concerning disease outbreaks, drugs and chemical use on their farms.

The Report Card was produced by the Georgia Strait Alliance for the Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR). A full version is available at www.georgiastrait.org/BCFishFarmReportCard.pdf.

For further information on fish farms, visit www.farmedanddangerous.org.