Category Archives: Infractions

Trustee Tour Day

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The wind was out of the west today although it did swing to the southwest a few times and is trending that way now. The barometer has been slowly dropping for a few days. A few real clouds made another gorgeous sunset with a super crescent moon low in the west.

There were three tour boats today and one recreational fishing boat was noted fishing inside the reserve boundary today. They must have known as they stopped as soon as it was clear that they were being observed. There was military blasting today.

An animal census indicated 200 fewer sea lions than last week and brought to light 17 tagged and branded animals, with nine complete tag numbers recorded and seven partials. One of the Northern Sea Lions appears to have a badly embedded line around and growing into its’ neck. Only seven Glaucous–winged Gulls remain unfledged although some of the adults, presumably with failed nests are still carrying around nesting material and acting broody. At least one Pigeon Guillemot is bringing fish into the large boulder scree just west of the jetty, presumably they have a late chick there that they are feeding.

The struggle for sustainability continues and the solar panels contributed well to the island’s energy needs today even though it was not sunny all day.

Chris brought out a family group of 11 people with at least three generations today on Second Nature. They were delighted to make first hand observations of sea lion and elephant seal behaviour and enjoyed the beauty of the place.

Maintenance work consisted of the routine cleaning of solar panels, mucking out the waste, repairing the jetty fence line, collecting seawater salinity data and making biological observations. The generator was only run for an hour and a half, thanks to the solar panels.

Orcas

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Fog all morning. North westerlies 20-30 knots all day. Clear skies in the afternoon. Barometric pressure hovering 1019.0 hPa.

31 whale watching boats

2 recreational fishing boats (one actively fishing)

There was a 12 ft zodiac off the South Islands of the reserve today. Unfortunately the boat was not a boat license number so I could not report it to the DFO.

A big pod of orcas went right through the north channel of the reserve this evening. There were 2-3 a couple hundred metres in front of another group of 10-12. No breaching but lots of dorsal fin and you could easily make out the white markings. A Prince of Whales zodiac followed the pod for a long time staying within 20 metres of them with the motor running.

Finished cleaning the boathouse today and started on the tank shed.

 

Humpbacks

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Overcast this morning with some rain, clearing up in the afternoon. Strong winds from 0800h onwards. Barometric pressure on the rise since Wednesday morning. Fifteen to 25 knot winds are predicted for tomorrow.

19 whale watching boats

There were two humpbacks on the southern border of the reserve this afternoon heading west. Several whale watchers surrounded them. Eagle Winged Tours was particularly persistent in chasing them. We now have 5 elephant seals on the reserve. Chunk, the big male, and the other four about half of his size or smaller. Chunk is looking very slim.

Two bombs sounded this morning off of Bentinck Island around 1015h.

Went into campus today from 1330h to 1530h to pick up a visitor for the night. Took a load of garbage/junk with me off the island.

Illegal fishing in the reserve

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North westerlies 20-25 knots most of the morning. After noon the winds picked up considerably. Sky has been changing all day. Sun and clouds. Heavy fog in the morning. Light winds forecasted for tomorrow morning with 15-25 knots later in the day. 1 whale watching boat. 1 illegal fishing boat (recreational) A northern rough-winged swallow was spotted on the reserve today. Today a rental boat from Pedder Bay Marina entered the reserve around 1500h. The driver was moving the boat into kelp beds, where it would temporarily anchor in the seaweed. The men would fish until the boat was pushed out by the current and then would move to another kelp. I called PBM and they sent a boat to come inform them of the eco-reserve boundaries, and the Rockfish Conservation Area,  and reported the incident to DFO. The boat left around 1600h. They caught two fish and released one.

-Checked water level in the cistern.
-Chopped and stacked wood.
-Changed water in the eyewash station.
-Ran desalinator.

Gale

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Clear skies. Gale force West winds all day. Force 6-8
The barometer has been on a very slow rise from 1018 hPa all day. The gale warning continues for tomorrow.

4 tour boats
1 dive boat
3 halibut boats on the edge of the reserve

A recreational fishing boat was cleaning their catch (from somewhere else) North of Middle Rocks. They were tossing something (food of some sort) into the water a luring the seagulls over, and swinging at the gulls with a paddle. They didn’t hit any gulls, but I was pretty unimpressed. Sadly, as far as I know, there is nowhere to report people just being idiots on the water.

There is an amazing, thick blanket of fog extending from the Sooke basin, over the Sooke hills, and petering out towards William Head. Like someone smeared a thick layer of grey icing on the landscape. There is also a low layer of marine fog to the South of me, just in front of Washington. The freighters are slipping in and out of view as they move up and down the Juan de Fuca. I am very happy that the fog stayed away from Race Rocks all day.

-Finished tidying my house for Max’s 5 day shift. He’ll be out here starting tomorrow morning until the 12th. I will post his observations when I get back on station.

Canada Geese

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Clear skies. Light winds.

The most Canada geese that I have counted to date is 33. The Canada goose (Branta canadensis. Not “Canadian goose”, they do not have citizenship) is a regular visitor/resident out here at Race Rocks. The species has 11 sub-species, many of which experienced a dramatic decline at the beginning of the 20th century because of hunting pressure and habitat loss. However, in the last 25 years the species has experienced a strong recovery. There are many groups that have also ceased to do their seasonal migration. They have recovered to a point where they are now considered a pest in many places. The main reasons for their change in status and migrations has to do with the bird’s adaptability. It has thrived under decreased hunting pressure and changes in weather/climate. This has combined with an increase in protected grassy areas (eg lawns, golf courses, and parks) and agricultural practices that leave waste grain in the fields over the winter. The species is considered to be invasive in New Zealand, where it was intentionally introduced as a game species. The species was also introduced, and has also migrated, to the UK and several Scandinavian countries. The species’ adaptability means that the Canada Goose is now the most numerous waterfowl in North America.

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Motor Boat Disturbances to Life at Race Rocks

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Whether or not you consider marine mammals to be a valuable part of an ecosystem, we have the unique opportunity of having an island close to a major centre of population which is a haulout habitat for five marine mammal species and a birthing habitat for three of those species. This is unique in Canada, and it is our responsibility to maintain that ecological integrity of the location as much as possible. The purpose of the ecological reserve is to protect as far as possible the entire ecosystem, including the seabirds, mammals, marine invertebrates, fish and algae.
Below we have some examples of the results of what we might call “Anthropogenic” or human caused disturbances from encounters of animals with motor boats. These are only the ones we see and document. No one knows what goes undocumented. Safe boating practises and speed reduction are needed in all areas around bird and mammal colonies. Regulations for all boaters within the reserve can be found in the regulations file.
 
 cut seal
 sea lion - boat collision
In this video, you can see the results of what a motor boat can do when driven over an elephant seal. Male Elephant Seal Injured by BOAT propeller
–January 2003		 his file provides evidence of what can happen when boaters do not exercise caution. Over the years, we have picked up several baby harbour seals at Race Rocks which have been decapitated by careless boaters. The most recent ones in Pedder Bay are documented here also. Regular observation and photographing of sea lions in 2009 has shown a number of horrendous injuries which are probably caused by collision with boat propellers. This file documents a number of those.

Often the greatest ignorance about marine mammal viewing regulations is illustrated by the actions of recreational boaters. Such infractions of the laws are forwarded to the DFO Marine Mammal Division for follow-up.

Infractions noted in the log are linked here:

marine mammal infraction marin mammal infraction marine mammal infraction marine mammal infraction
On the afternoon of February 15, 2009, these boaters were seen off South Rock, speeding in the ecological reserve and driving too closely, They succeeded in stampeding the northern sea lions into the water. Being in that area they probably scraped bottom as well.
 On February 26, 2009  a vessel entered the reserve with excessive speed from the north just before noon.  It stopped too close to North Rocks where some northern sea lions and harbour seals were hauled out.
 It then cleared the E. side of these rocks and again sped to the rocks on the SE side of Great Race.  They did two passes of these rocks at this or closer distance, and then sped out of the reserve going north.
marine mammal viewing public ignorance boat too close
Boat # 14k4117 seems to think that the regulations about marine mammal viewing don’t apply to them.
11:30 AM Sept. 8, 2009		 From boat# 30K2923 an individual throws a baitfish to the sea lions from a few metres off the shore. Needless to say this was a first!
Noon, September 30, 2009.		 October 19, 2009.

The Problem with Drones

So far we have only had one instance of a drone being deployed over Race Rocks by a private boat in August, 2015.  We would like to remind the public that because of the potential to disrupt wildlife, the only justification for deploying a drone in any Ecological Reserve would be for research purposes and then only under permit from BC Parks,

The Problem with Personal Watercraft

Personal watercraft speeding in reserve Personal watercraft speeding in reserve disturbed sea lion personal water craft
The inevitable has happened. The personal watercraft was photographed on March 6, 2010 These vessels are sure to increase in the area unless Federal regulations are brought up to date. This sea lion was alert after two others had just been disturbed by the vessel and had jumped in the water. In March, 2012 a pair of personal watercraft came through the reserve
DND REPORTDEMARCHI, MW AND MD BENTLEY. 2004. Effects of natural and human-caused disturbances on marine birds and pinnipeds at Race Rocks, British Columbia.

LGL Report EA1569. Prepared for Department of National Defence, Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt and Public Works and Government Services Canada. 103 p.

 

research from weather dataCara Lachmuth, UBC uses Race Rocks atmospheric and sea data for Master’s thesis in 2008 on A Model-Based Approach Investigating Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Exposure To Marine Vessel Engine Exhaust.This report was commissioned by the DND in 2003 to determine the impacts of disturbances at Race Rocks. Examples of the impacts on bird and mammal behaviour by several types of motor vessels using and transiting the reserve are detailed
D

 

Return to the Environmental Impact and Disturbances Index.

Go to the files on:

Permits/ Operating regulations/ Guidelines for human activities

Disturbance from Kayaks at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve

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Kayaks are frequently a problem in the reserve, as kayakers seem to think they are so environmentally friendly that they can approach the bird and marine mammal areas without causing disturbance. We believe from our observations however, that kayaks are in fact the most disruptive form of transportation around the islands. Their quiet, stealthy approach to within the flight distance of the birds and mammals often leads to a greater stampede effect when the kayaks are noticed. There must also be continued enforcement of speed limits in the reserve, and a total exclusion is recommended for all motorized ski craft, before it becomes an issue.Link to the Ecoguardians posts which demonstrate the Problem with Kayaks
All of the margins of the islands are especially sensitive when seal pupping takes place from April to August. In particular, the channel to the south of the tower must be off limits to all boats. Harbour seals and cormorants especially are spooked at any time of the year when kayaks or other boats approach. Research has been done on this problem by Trudy Chatwin. It is available here: http://ecoreserves.bc.ca/category/17+management/entitled How Close is too close and Development of Scientifically base Guidelines for Viewing Seabirds
On February 3, 2007, the cormorants in the photos below on the left were suddenly disturbed by kayakers approaching too closely to the shore of Race Rocks . An observant viewer on the cam 5 robotic camera sent these photos with the comment: ” There was a sizeable group of cormorants with those seagulls and suddenly they took to the air – I thought it was an eagle approaching but it was the paddlers, so they did indeed scare the birds.  The first picture was taken a few seconds before the kayaks were seen.”.

Distance between the main islands. This map shows the 100 metre zone around areas of marine mammal haulout and seabird colonies. This is the recommended minimal viewing distance. See DFO regulations

Return to the file on : Index of Disturbances of the Ecosystem at Race Rocks
Link to: Updated Draft of the Marine Mammal regulation  (DFO)

Westerly, speeding, visitors

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Monday a west wind picked up over night and was blowing over 20 knots most of the day with gusts over 40 knots.  The wind diminished over night and was calm on Tuesday.  I had been planning on picking up some guests Monday but it was too windy so rescheduled for Tuesday morning. Tuesday was partly sunny and today there has been a light N wind and partly cloudy sky. I went off island today for a short christmas visit with family.

On Tuesday a private sports fishing boat traveled through the reserve well in excess of the 7knot speed limit (within 400m of rocks). I signalled to the boat to slow down, they saw me and slowed down but not enough. I photographed the boat and got ID numbers and made a request to Pedder Bay Marina to check if it was a boat returning to their marina and if they could speak to the operator about the speed limit in the reserve.

On Sunday Chunk left great race and returned to Middle rock. There has been one moulting female elephant seal hauled out in the rocks in south bay.

-cut fire wood
-pulled in log from water
-cleaned solar panels
-2 visitors (arrived Tuesday)

illegal fishing

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tour boats: 4

A rental boat was fishing illegally within the reserve boundaries on the North side of the kelp bed in Middle Channel from 1330 to 1400 hours. They did not respond to radio calls. They were reported to the illegal fishing hotline.

Still having issues with the Davis weather station. It has needed to be reset several times in the past days.

-New screen door handle on keeper’s house
-Door sweep on student house
-Tidied up more outside (woodpile, pathways, etc)
-Got the pressure washer and new pump working