This is the first in an investigative series on the issue of derelict and sunken boats on the West Coast: the effects, the damage to the ecosystem, and what is - or what is not - being done to resolve the ongoing problem.

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On the morning of July 16, a lone crewless vessel made its appearance in Baynes Sound and slowly drifted down Denman Islandsa国际传媒檚 shoreline.

At around noon, when the tide receded, residents of the island flocked to the end of Hinton Road in consternation.

sa国际传媒淣eighbours of mine sent me a picture of a boat that landed on our beach,sa国际传媒� said Baynes Sound/ Lambert Channel EcoForum co-ordinator Gail Dugas. sa国际传媒淚t got swept up on shore and it was on its keel. It was just a couple of hundred feet away from a clam lease.sa国际传媒�

A few hours later, when the high tide rolled back in, what was a peculiar sighting at first became a hazardous threat.

sa国际传媒淢y husband who works at the fire department got a call and the boat had tipped over and was on fire,sa国际传媒� added Dugas.

Denman Island Fire Chief Rob Manering and his team left the fire hall after they received a phone call at 4:34 p.m.

It is only once Manering and his crew successfully suppressed the flames that they witnessed the true extent of the incident.

sa国际传媒淚t was just a mess and nobody could tell anything from anything,sa国际传媒� said Manering. sa国际传媒淭here were all kinds of junk out on the beach; burnt wood, miscellaneous bits and pieces from the boat itself, burnt life jackets, and melted cans.sa国际传媒�

Though the fire was a hazard in itself, the fire chief was predominantly concerned by the smoke emanating from the wreck.

sa国际传媒淏urning, fibreglass (releases all sorts of) chemicals,sa国际传媒� added Manering. sa国际传媒淚n the smoke, you end up with fibreglass particles and when those get breathed in they get stuck in your lungs. We wound up evacuating the residents along that stretch of the beach.sa国际传媒�

Although the cause of the fire has not officially been determined, Manering theorizes that it may have to do with the exposure of worn-out wiring and batteries to salt water.

Venturing outside of their jurisdictionsa国际传媒攄etermined by the high-tide linesa国际传媒攖he Denman Island Fire Department was responsible for putting out the fire that would have otherwise continued burning into the night.

Shortly after the incident, Association for Denman Island Marine Steward board member Liz Johnston contacted the Coast Guard and filed a report. However, she is still awaiting feedback from the agency on the vesselsa国际传媒檚 future.

More than meets the eyes

The national inventory currently states that 70 per cent of the 1,491 abandoned vessels are found in B.C. waters. Twenty-one of them can be found in the region extending from Comox to Deep Bay.

However, according to Hornby Island Diving co-owner Amanda Zielinski, whose focus is on marine research and conservation, these numbers are off by an order of magnitude.

John Roe, co-founder of the Dead Boat Disposal Society, corroborated Zielinskisa国际传媒檚 statement.

sa国际传媒淭here are boats everywhere,sa国际传媒� said Roe. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 an old database that the (government) is working off and they are well aware that their numbers are off,sa国际传媒� said Roe. sa国际传媒淲e took out 41 boats (from the Comox Valley region) two years ago and we want to take care of another 38 boats.sa国际传媒�

Ranging from small dinghies to 80-foot fishing vessels, Roe says that the real number of abandoned vessels littering our ocean bed and waterways is currently unknown.

Many of these watercraft, Roe explained, have been orphaned because their owners did not want to deal with all the responsibilities that a boat entails.

sa国际传媒淲hen these boats got older, they get traded off because their maintenance is costly,sa国际传媒� said Roe. sa国际传媒淏oats are expensive to fix; itsa国际传媒檚 a hole in the water you throw money into. Thatsa国际传媒檚 why many of them end up in the woods or are abandoned at sea.sa国际传媒�

The cost of inaction

According to Zielinski and Roe, the rule of thumb says that sunken boats are at least three times more expensive to deal with than those that are still afloat.

sa国际传媒淔irst, you got to do an environmental assessment so theresa国际传媒檚 a cost to hiring a biologist,sa国际传媒� said Roe.

Then the cost of professional and qualified labour also quickly adds up to the bill.

sa国际传媒淲hen put commercial divers down there it just takes so much more time with all the laws and regulations,sa国际传媒� added Roe.

Once the divers are done, they give way to the big guns.

sa国际传媒淚t also requires big heavy infrastructures to lift and refloat vessels, which is immensely complicated,sa国际传媒� noted Zielinski. sa国际传媒淚f itsa国际传媒檚 down for any length of time, it gets fouled with the marine growth and it starts to spread and break apart. Itsa国际传媒檚 much more difficult to deal with a boat thatsa国际传媒檚 been down for years than a freshly sunken one. The very best thing is to prevent that from happening in the first place.sa国际传媒�

Yet, more often than not, it takes years for sunken derelict vessels to be removed from the environment.

sa国际传媒淭he boats generally sit there for three to four years before wesa国际传媒檒l actually get permission (from the government) to remove them,sa国际传媒� said Roe.

Roe estimated that the price tag for these removals can range from $30,000 up to $240,000, which often ends up being partially or totally covered by taxpayer money.

In the meantime, while paperwork is being filed, a legion of slumbering vessels are slowly discharging a cocktail of oils, lubricants, lead, mercury, zinc, asbestos, battery acid, microplastics, fibreglass particles, and styrofoam.

A common denominator

Among those dealing with derelict vessels, one thing stands out: frustration.

sa国际传媒淭here really doesnsa国际传媒檛 seem to be any strong policy on derelict boats,sa国际传媒� said Dugas. sa国际传媒淭here are a lot of gaps in the jurisdiction and theresa国际传媒檚 just no one to call. Jurisdictional responsibility is a huge question mark as we struggle to understand the health of the marine ecosystem.sa国际传媒�

Determining who to call between the Coast Guard, DFO, Environment Canada, Transport Canada and other governmental agencies often ends up in a wild goose chase.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a real uphill battle,sa国际传媒� said Zielinski. sa国际传媒淭heir default position is to avoid the situation and not to attempt to solve it. Any agency that you contact within those realms of responsibility will immediately start explaining why itsa国际传媒檚 not their problem and itsa国际传媒檚 someone elsesa国际传媒檚 problem.

sa国际传媒淏asically, any time you file a report, itsa国际传媒檚 gonna use up your whole day. Itsa国际传媒檚 very, very frustrating.sa国际传媒�

As of today, July 27, the burnt derelict vessel still sits on the Denman Island shoreline.

How damaging is it to the marine ecosystem? That depends on who is asked the question. The next instalment of the series will look into the effects of sunken boats to ocean health.

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olivier.laurin@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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