Daily Archives: Monday,October 7, 2002

Effect of DND Blasting on Bentinck Island on Sea lion Behaviour at Race Rocks

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This video was made on October 7, 2002 in order to document the effect of the Department of National Defence demolition exercises on Bentinck Island on the behaviour of birds and marine mammals at Race Rocks MPA. In previous years we have observed considerable disruption by military exercises involving blasting on nearby Bentinck Island in the fall just after the sea lions have returned to the island. We have requested that blasts be spread out over a longer period of time during an exercise. Traditionally blasts have come in a series of three. The first one would alert the sea lions, the second would send a few in the water and the third would clear the islands. This year on this one occasion, only two blasts were held at five minutes apart. The results are shown in the video.

See the index of the effects of human activities on marine life at Race Rocks

DND Blasting

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TEMPERATURE: Max. 13.7 ºC »» Min. 10.1 ºC »» Reset 10.3 ºC »» Rain 0.2 mm.-2002-10-07′, ’23:42:00′, ‘First day since the sealions have returned this fall that the DND has conducted Demolition exercises at Bentinck island video archive at http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/viddndblast.htm‘,

MARINE LIFE: With the blasting on Bentinck the sea lions were unsettled, ‘barking and growling’ well into the afternoon. At each blast the birds all took flight but returned fairly quickly. There is a juvenile Heermann’s gull with a broken wing, one California S.L. with a 16 cm scar near the right shoulder which looks fairly well healed. A Blue Heron spent some time sitting in the various kelp beds around Gr. Race, it was most likely here for the fish,as there is still a good supply of feed judging by the numbers of gulls and cormorants feeding. The seals and sea lions are catching some good sized salmon as well.

HUMAN INTERACTION: The LGL monitoring crew docked first thing in the morning, Garry over in Hyaku for most of the afternoon filming. There were 7 Pleasurecraft and 6 Ecotour boats through the reserve today.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:07 PM