Marine vessel activity

Human Interaction
At 0800hrs PDT a vessel was spotted trolling along the N side of North Rock.
At 0800hrs PDT a second vessel was spotted trolling along the N side of North Rock.
At 0800hrs PDT a third vessel was spotted trolling along the N side of North Rock.
At 0825hrs PDT a fourth vessel was spotted trolling along the N side of North Rock.
At 0825hrs PDT an OBMG vessel was spotted trolling along the N side of North Rock.
At 0833hrs PDT the OBMG vessel previously found to be fishing was spotted speeding through the Reserve on the N side of North Rock.
At 0936hrs PDT a small aluminum vessel was spotted fishing near the kelp bed on the east side of the south rocks. By the time the station vessel was launched the vessel had departed.
At 1014hrs PDT large fibreglass boat was spotted trolling through the RCA north of North Rock.
At 1250hrs PDT an OBMG vessel was spotted fishing east of Rosedale Reef. The station boat was deployed to deal with the issue.
At 1545hrs PDT a large displacement hull vessel passed through the narrow, small channel between Great Race and the south rocks and was thus in close proximity to sea lions swimming around East Bay

News Coverage : Race Rocks Advisers push for Protection

Murray Sager photo. Murray Sager is the relief caretaker of the Race Rocks lighthouse facilities. House, tower and generator building.

Murray Sager photo. Murray Sager is the relief caretaker of the Race Rocks lighthouse facilities. House, tower and generator building.

This column appeared originally in the Times Colonist
at: http://www.timescolonist.com/travel/Race+Rocks+advisers+push+protection/5275593/story.html

RACE ROCKS ADVISERS PUSH FOR PROTECTION: The Victoria Times Colonist August 18, 2011
After more than a decade of talks, the water around Race Rocks remains without federal protection. Now a push has begun to persuade Fisheries and Oceans to step back and allow Parks Canada to manage the Salish Sea from Race Rocks to Gabriola Passage.

The Race Rocks Advisory Board, a reincarnation of a board which sat between 1999 and 2002, was disbanded in March (2011) and some members have little faith that DFO can push an agreement to create and fund a marine protected area.

Angus Matthews, executive director of Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre in Sidney, who sat on both advisory boards, is fed up with fragmented jurisdictions and the lack of progress. He fears that, if agreement is reached, the proposal could derail when it reaches Ottawa, as happened in 2000.

“Most people are shocked that Race Rocks is not protected,” said Matthews, who is about to look for support from the Discovery Centre’s 17,000 members. “The public expects more from government and the ocean needs more. Race Rocks is the porch-light of the Salish Sea.”

Concerns include negotiations with First Nations, which, unlike the first round, are in secret, and questions about what benefits DFO is willing to bring to the table.

Dan Kukat, president of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, who has sat on both boards, said DFO is doing nothing to better protect Race Rocks. “It will only create more confusion and paperwork and red tape, and it could be detrimental to the area,” he said. “The Canadian taxpayer has paid $273,000 for consultations that have produced very little.”

The hodge-podge of protection now in place for the rocky islets and lighthouse, one nautical mile off the southern tip of Vancouver Island, includes a provincial ecological reserve designation, which covers the land, ***federal ownership of the lighthouse building,*** some fishing closures and a resident eco-guardian paid for by Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific.

It is vital to have a physical presence on the rock, but DFO is not offering to pay for the eco-guardian, said Matthews. He added that DFO seems unwilling to take on other federal department issues, such as Department of National Defense explosions and dumping of ballast water by freighters.

Glen Rasmussen, DFO oceans co-ordinator, said consultations with First Nations have not finished and, once completed, regulations have to be developed. “We are still targeting to have those published and in place by the end of March,” he said. “But we still have some hurdles to go and I’m not saying it’s a done deal at all.”

The advisory group was disbanded because consultations were complete, but a public advisory board will be re-established once the marine protected area becomes a reality, he said.

So far, on the Pacific coast, Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents and Bowie Seamount are designated marine protected areas and Parks Canada, in partnership with the Haida Nation, has designated water around Gwaii Haanas as a national marine conservation area.

Hecate Strait sponge reefs are going through the process to make them marine protected areas and Parks Canada is working on the southern Strait of Georgia as a national marine conservation area. Parks Canada would be interested in expanding to Race Rocks but, for the moment, such a move is probably not practical, said Richard Carson, Parks Canada’s national marine conservation area director.

“The notion of going bigger is appealing and it’s sorely tempting to dream that dream, but we need to be realistic about what we can achieve. “We have to be realistic about how big a bite we can chew,” Carson said.

Once the southern Strait of Georgia national marine conservation area is established, it is possible that expansion around the southern tip of the Island would be considered, Carson said.

Both marine protected areas and national marine conservation areas have the same objectives of marine protection while allowing multiple uses, but have different management styles.

jlavoie@timescolonist.com
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
*** There is some misunderstanding in regards this statement above , since the island and its contents are more likely provincially owned since the Colonial Government transferred ownership to the province when BC entered confederation. Further clarification on this issue is being sought;
Also see DFO announcement on selling off its lighthouses:

GF 2011.

Orcas in area

A transient bull passed through Rosedale Reef this afternoon. I was informed by Straitwatch that 6 more transients passed by earlier.
California Sea Lion: 35
Northern Sea Lion: 5

Human Interaction:
At 1202hrs PDT a red eco-tour RHIB was spotted pulling up kelp on the W side of the South Rocks kelp bed. No kelp was cut although kelp was certainly pulled onboard the vessel for examination before being released. The license number of the vessel was CO2242BC with the name \”Kodiak\”. Photos are on file.

Heavy traffic in the reserve

California Sea Lion: 14
Human Interaction

At ~1935hrs PDT a vessel was spotted fishing within the limits of the RCA in close proximity to the E. side of Rosedale Reef. The vessel eventually made its way out.

At 1245hrs PDT a vessel was spotted speeding into the Reserve from the E side. The station vessel was already on the water and advised the mariners to slow down.

At least 4 OBMG vessels were spotted this afternoon approaching close to mammals on Middle Rock and on Great Race and proceeding at a speed in excess of 7 knots.

Ocean Magic II produced a very large wake this afternoon while transiting the Middle-North Race channel against the current. This is the largest eco-tour vessel seen so far within the reserve

At 1945hrs PDT a CCG or CCGA rescue RHIB transited the South Passage E to W, then the main passage W to E. Once near the jetty end of the passage, the vessel throttled up and proceeded to power through the Middle-North Race Passage at high speed before exiting into Race Passage heading westbound.

At 2010hrs PDT a floatplane flew exceptionally low over the N side of the Reserve, E to W. No license/company name obtained.

Overall, yesterday and today were very traffic-heavy days due to whales in the area. At times 8 or more boats were in the Reserve at any single time.

Two techs arrived from Environment Canada to finish servicing the EC weather equipment at the top of the tower.
There were 2 visitors to the island today.
Vessels:

Pleasure: 7 Eco-Tour: 30 Total: 37

Calidris alba: Sanderling- The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Sanderling photogrepahed by Adam Harding- Ecoguardian at Race Rocks

This is the first image taken of this species. It breeds circumpolar and is a long distance migratory species. It must be back on its way down south having made this stopover here at Race Rocks August 11, 2011

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae
Genus Calidris
Species alba Pallas,1764
Common Name: Sanderling
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

 

maintenance work

At 1111hrs PDT a Prince of Whales vessel was spotted entering the Reserve at high speed in close proximity to West Race.
A CCG helicopter did a reconnaissance flight around the tower this morning.
Erik and Evgeny arrived to install the cable for the new underwater camera. Two techs from Environment Canada arrived to work on their weather equipment.
There were 4 visitors to the island today
California Sea Lion: 8