Category Archives: Infractions

A Turkey Vulture was flying about in the strong winds,

Posted on by
Thursday, June 06, 2002
TEMPERATURE: Max. 12.0 C  Min. 11.0 C  Reset 11.0
MARINE LIFE: Early this morning one Bald Eagle flew around the Gulls nests, spending around 10 minutes looking for prey, despite the constant harassment by the Gulls. The eagle flew of to the west, and was out of site. Perhaps an hour later two Bald Eagles were spotted hunting together, they brought down a Glaucous-winged Gull and one eagle was seen carrying a Gull wing away. There was also other interesting bird action mid-morning. A Turkey Vulture was flying about in the strong winds, attempting to find food. The winds were a challenge for the vulture, with the bird struggling in the gusts. It was particularly noteworthy that the Black Oyster Catchers made a great effort to harass the vulture. This was caught on video just before the divers entered the water and can be seen at http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidbenmovie.htm The divers reported an abundance of sperm and eggs in the nutrient rich water off the docks.
HUMAN IMPACT: No whale watching activity within the reserve today. Indeed the strongs winds, 25-35 knots, kept most vessels away. Hyaku docked twice, bringing equipment and materials for the web-cast and conduit repairs. One major disturbance was the Defence Forces Blasting on Bentinck Island which clearly frightened the Sea lions into the water, Around 10 of the 12 Sea lions disappeared within the first two blasts, approximately 10:30am, and have not yet returned. (Note: As of June 18- they have not returned- will not be back until August now. ) .The three blasts with only a few minutes spacing sent shock waves that rattled the house and were not at all pleasant.
posted by at 9:45 PM
Good MorningWEATHER: Sky Partly Cloudy  Vis. 12miles  Wind West 25-30knots Sea 2-3 foot chop and rising posted by at 6:42 AM

a pod of 5 Orcas spotted about 1-2km south of Race Rocks.

Posted on by
Sunday, June 02, 2002
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Clear  Vis. 15 Miles  Wind West 15 Knots Sea 1 Foot Chop
Good Evening TEMPERATURE: Max. 13.5C  Min. 8.5C  Reset 12.0
MARINE LIFE: We were treated to a brilliant spectacle today with a pod of 5 Orcas spotted about 1-2km south of Race Rocks. The Sea lions were either unconcerned or unaware of their presence. The Divers found a large bed of sea anemones, urchins and coral while diving amongst the Bull Kelp in front of the docks. The Oystercatchers were quite agressively chasing the Crows away from their nests in what looked like an aerial dogfight.
HUMAN ACTIVITY: Again, we had fishermen within the reserve, using lures just off West Race. They moved off only after a repeated radio announcement notifying their breach of MPA regulations. The Orcas brought out a large number of eco-tourism boats, 10 moved throughout the reserve during the day. 5 recreational boats also cruised through the park, often not adhering to the no wake rule through Race Passage
posted by at 5:41 AM

Recreational lingcod fishing prohibited in Strait of Juan de Fuca

Posted on by
Saturday, June 01, 2002
Good Morning WEATHER: Sky Cloudy  Vis. 12 Miles  Wind West 11 Knots Rippled
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 13.0 C  Min. 8.1 C Reset 10.0
MARINE LIFE: Another beautiful day here, with quite a lot of marine activity. The Glaucous Winged Gulls are actively mating and nesting, being very defensive of their nests. Crows are harassing the Gulls, Oystercatchers and and Pigeon Guillemots, in search of an unattended nest and egg. One of the pairs of Canadian Geese on the Island are nursing their five young Goslings, despite the Goslings rapidly increasing size the Geese continue to be very protective of their youngsters. Divers spotted some large Ling Cod** around the docks, along with a healthy stock of smaller fish.
HUMAN INTERACTION: A lot of fishing activity around the reserve today, around 10 to 12 vesels on the reserve boarder actively fishing. Problems with both vessels motoring too quickly through the reserve and fishermen disregarding the reserve limitations and fishing around West Race rocks. Four eco-tourism vessels moved through the park today.
**Good news for the Ling Cod!! This note was just received from the Sierra Club:
June 1, 2002 Victoria, BC: Despite intense pressure from sports-fishery lobbyists, local Fisheries and Oceans managers have decided that this year’s recreational fishery for lingcod in the Strait of Georgia will not go ahead today as scheduled. In an unprecedented, last-minute move, regional Fisheries and Oceans officials decided late Friday to issue a variation order to the B.C. tidal waters recreational fishery regulations, to prevent the recreational fishery for lingcod from proceeding. In an unprecedented, last-minute move, regional Fisheries and Oceans officials decided late Friday to issue a variation order to the B.C. tidal waters recreational fishery regulations, to prevent the recreational fishery for lingcod from proceeding. The lingcod season, which would have run from today to September 30, would have allowed anglers a daily bag limit of one lingcod, a possession limit of two, and an annual limit of 10.
The commercial harvest of Strait of Georgia lingcod was banned in 1990, after commercial landings had steadily declined to 44 tonnes after a peak catch of 3,300 tonnes in the 1930s. Fisheries and Oceans scientists estimate that only five per cent of the 1950s-era lingcod biomass is left in the Strait of Georgia. Against the advice of federal fisheries scientists, the recreational lingcod fishery was allowed to continue, however, and by 2001 the sports catch was believed to result in an annual harvest of at least 30 tonnes. Friday’s decision to suspend the fishery will prohibit recreational lingcod fishing throughout Johnstone Strait, the entire Strait of Georgia area, and most of Juan de Fuca Strait.
“We believe that the vast majority of anglers will support this decision,” said Terry Glavin, fisheries adviser to the Sierra Club. “While we are encouraged by reports that there may be localized revivals in lingcod stocks, a full closure is the only hope that these precious fish will gain the time they need to recover to their former abundance.”posted by at 5:49 AM

Hummingbirds and Black Brants

Posted on by
Saturday, May 11, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 12.0 C  Min. 7.3 C Reset 10.1 C
MARINE LIFE: 2 mature Bald Eagles today, still the 3 geese.There is a lot of bird activity and it is never quiet.Today we saw the usual gulls,oyster catchers,eagles,pigeon guillemots, geese, starlings, crows and savannah sparrows. An added bonus were the 2 humming birds that buzzed around for 20 minutes or so, always amazed to see them so far from the mainland but do see a few every year especially if the winds are light. A couple of black brant geese landed in the small bay on the east side of Gr. Race but did not stay long.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 5 pleasure craft and 13 ecotour boats, the last two enjoyed a beautiful sunset as they left the reserve.The D.N.D. did some blasting on the beach on Bentinck Island between 17:30 and 22:00 but only two blasts about 20:20 and 20:25 were big enough to have any noticeable impact here.The birds took flight en masse each time and took 10-15 minutes to settle down,it was getting too dark to see much beyond Gr. Race.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:09 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Part Cloudy Vis 15 Miles  Wind West 19 Knots  Sea 2 – 3 Foot Chop
posted by Carol or Mike S at 5:49 AM

one nest of Black Oyster Catcher eggs.

Posted on by
Thursday, April 25, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 11.9 ºC »» Min. 4.7 ºC »» Reset 9.0 ºC
MARINE LIFE: 3 Bald Eagles -1 juvenile.The eagles left the reserve just after 17:00. We are back to 3 geese again,I’m surprised they haven’t all left for ‘greener pastures’ now that the puddles they enjoyed so much have dried up but for a few slimy inches.Still only the one nest of Black Oyster Catcher eggs.
HUMAN INTERACTION: 5 Ecotour boats, 4 Pleasure craft. 2 of the pleasure craft were fishing in the reserve just after 13:00 but moved on with apologies after being advised of the MPA status. Picked up a drifting commercial crab trap off the east shore of Gr. Race and brought it in for disposal. This afternoon 2 College boats were in with Garry,Laura and students for a dive also Angus with Guests.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:22 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Clear »» Vis. 15 Miles »» Wind North 3 Knots »» Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:26 AM

(eagle) eating the catch of the day (salmon).

Posted on by
Saturday, April 20, 2002
Good evening from Chris and Jane.
We arrived this morning at 11:45 am and took over for Mike and Carol today. As we approached Race Rocks, we both commented on the flag being at half mast. Even on this small island, as on parliament hill and across the country, the symbol of loss was displayed for the four soldiers and their families. Our thoughts were with them.WEATHER: Winds were at 10-15 knots, seas were rippled. Visibility was 10 miles. Clear skies.

MARINE LIFE: 3 bald eagles, two jeuveniles were seen on the south tip of Great Race. One adult on the cliff by the helipad. An adult was seen later in the day at the southern tip of great race, eating the catch of the day (salmon). Three Canada Geese were seen… two were a pair and located on the north eastern area of the island. The other was near the lighthouse. Some of the seagulls are starting to practice and display nesting behaviours. It looks like pairs are starting to form and courtship rituals are taking place. Two pairs of oyster catchers were seen. One on the north eastern side of the island and the other on the docks.

HUMAN INTERACTION: Six boats were fishing off of Rosedale Reef this morning. These were later seen further to the west of Rosedale Reef in the afternoon. They were checked on by a vessel from Fisheries and Oceans early in the afternoon. In the midafternoon, we observed one disabled vessel being towed back to Pedder Bay. One ecotour boat visited the area today and a few fishing vessels stopped on their way in and out to have a visit with the sea lions.

We are going to be returning back to Pearson College Campus at 20:00 hr after another great day on the rock!
Until next time,
Chris and Jane
posted by Chris Blondeau at 6:55 PM

Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Cloudy »» Vis. 15 Miles »» Wind 13 South West »» Sea 1 – 2 Foot Chop
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:39 AM

ammunition detonations at the D.N.D. site

Posted on by
Thursday, April 18, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 11.5 ºC »» Min. 5.7 ºC »» Reset 8.5 ºC »» No Rain :o)
MARINE LIFE: 2 mature bald eagles today, which spent the day flying between North and Southeast Rocks. Constantly on the alert because of the eagles, the birds were further upset by the ammunition detonations at the D.N.D. site.There were 4 sets of 3 blasts, with 2 minutes between each blast.Although there are not many sealions hauled out at this time of the year they were disturbed to the extent that 6 went into the water. The birds take flight with each blast. The more energy they expend, the more food they require and they are coming into breeding season now, putting a greater demand on the birds energy requirements.There were 3 geese today,1 pair and a loner that follows the pair around the island, wonder what happened to the 4th goose?
HUMAN INTERACTION: 2nd Nature in twice, station boat 2 return trips to Pedder Bay. 2nd Nature went out to pleasure craft to advise fishers of the ‘no fishing’ guidelines in the reserve.
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:33 PM
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Clear »» Vis. 15 Miles »» Wind West 3 Knots »» Sea Rippled
posted by Carol or Mike S at 6:59 AM

Elephant seal tangled

Posted on by
Monday, February 25, 2002
Good Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 4c >> >> Min 2c >> >> Reset 4c >> >> Rain none
MARINELIFE: Lots of Elephant Seal action today with one in the west bay and one on the slipway. Took lots of video. One on Centre Rock is still tangled in line. Two mature and one immature Bald Eagles here in the morning. Still three pairs of geese.
HUMAN INTERACTION: One ecotour boat and a short visit from Second Nature to drop off supplies. An airplane flew over the MPA at a fairly low (500 ft?) altitude and circled the MPA three times.
posted by Angus Matthews at 9:25 PM
Good Morning
Weather: Sunny and clear >> >>Vis 17 Miles >> >> Wind NNE 14 Knots >> >> Sea 2 foot chop
posted by Angus Matthews at 9:18 PM

Balloon pollution !

Posted on by
Saturday, February 23, 2002
Good Morning
WEATHER: Sky Overcast –Vis 7 Miles — Moderate Rain — Wind NNE 18 Knots –Sea 1 foot chop.
posted by Angus Matthews at 7:24 AMGood Evening
TEMPERATURE: Max. 5.0c >Min 4.2c >Reset 4.8c > Rain 6.0
MARINE LIFE: A day of some confusion as a total reorganisation of the Centre Rock occurred when a large male Elephant Seal returned to the rock and everyone had to trade places. Some confusion for the geese as well with the arrival of a third pair starting a turf war. Only 1 mature and 1 immature Bald Eagle seen today about 16:45.
HUMAN INTERACTION: One dive charter boat with 4 divers aboard in the MPA during the morning and 2 eco-tour boats through in the afternoon. One rental boat 14K-37805 with two people aboard set up to fish just west of the engine room but left when hailed and waved off. A TRIDENT submarine was observed steaming (or reacting) west out of the strait for places unknown under the oceans. One other unusual environmental impact today; as a consequence of a political protest at the BC legislature some 12 nautical miles from Race Rocks. Three blue balloons with the Hospital Employee’s Union logo floated through the MPA carried on the ebb tide and a NNE breeze. Unfortunate pollution.
I was joined by my wife Sandy and our friends Cathy Denny and David Anderson who are staying overnight as deputy assistant guest Eco-guardians. This resulted in a great dinner of Red Snapper. (NOT taken from the MPA!)
posted by Angus Matthews at 9:32 PM

Close call–

Posted on by
Friday, February 22, 2002
Good Evening
TEMERATURE: Max. 9.0c >>> Min. 5.2c >>> Reset 5.2c >>> Rain 29.5mm
MARINELIFE: 3 mature and 1 immature Bald Eagles were around a good deal today. Two pairs of Canada Geese enjoyed wading in the large puddles that have formed on Great Race Island as we have experienced 71.7mm of rain in the past 48 hours. An Elephant Seal chose to lounge beside the jetty for part of the morning.
HUMAN INTERACTION: Pearson College divers were out for a drift dive on the ebb tide. A television crew from The New VI joined us as well. Rick Searle, the host of EnviroMental on the New VI, is preparing a segment about Race Rocks for the program. Watch for it coming soon on Channel 12 in Victoria.
One eco-tour boat through the MPA about 13:00.
At 14:20 a rental boat from a local marina tried to run the tide rips in the narrow gap between the South Islets at full speed. I couldn’t believe my eyes as they stopped just short of the reef. Mother Nature has ways of dealing with fools but she let them off easy today!
We had to settle for arranging a stern warning when they returned to the marina.
posted by Angus Matthews at 8:12 PM
Good Morning again. Mike and Carol have gone ashore for a week, a very rare occurance. I will be your guest host and eco-guardian.
posted by Angus Matthews at 10:19 AM