Waterbird decline observed in local waters

By JOHN AND HEATHER NEVILLE

The marine habitat degradation at Burgoyne Bay (Xwaaqw’um) was featured in the Driftwood last week. 

There is a recent research paper documenting the decline of waterbirds in the Salish Sea done by Birds Canada, accessible at http://www.ace-eco.org/vol15/iss2/art20/ and illustrated in the accompanying graphic on this page.  

We have been the surveyors for the BC Coastal Waterbird Survey for Burgoyne Bay for the last 20 years. We have watched and recorded the steady deterioration of the habitat. The sunken boats, damaged and beached houseboats, beached floating barges and discharge of raw sewage and pollutants in Burgoyne Bay are negatively impacting all the sea life. Burgoyne Bay is the estuary of two productive salmon and trout- bearing creeks.

Please support the cleanup and protection of the Burgoyne Bay (Xwaaqw’um) by contacting BC Parks’ area supervisor Sarah Joanisse at Sarah.Joanisse@gov.bc.ca , 

Islands trustee Peter Grove (pgrove@islandstrust.bc.ca), Joe Akerman, Stqeeye’ Learning Society (akermanjoe@hotmail.com) and John Roe of the Dead Boats Disposal Society (250-383-2086). 

Please also report pollution and impacts at the following two phone numbers: Canadian Coast Guard Regional Operations Centre 24/7 Marine Pollution Hotline: Reporting any boat incident, whether it’s abandoned, a live-aboard, sinking, polluting or hazardous – 1-800-889-8852. Report fisheries violations and damage to fish habitat and pollution at 1-800-465-4336.