Weather
Boats/Visitors
Ecological
Other
Weather
Boats/Visitors
Ecological
Other
Weather
Boats/Visitors
Ecological
Other
Weather
Boats/Visitors
Ecological
Other
Notes
The Royal Canadian Navy says it takes great pains to protect whales, so it was a shock in August when skippers of Victoria-based whale-watching boats reported ugly confrontations with sailors during blasting on Bentinck Island.
Navy officials say they try to avoid endangering passing orcas and humpbacks, just as they take care to protect the ecology of Bentinck Island and the nearby land on shore occupied by the Department of National Defence at Rocky Point in Metchosin.
Its sailors and officers make their homes in Greater Victoria. Like any other residents, they say they want nothing to harm the unique elements of living on southern Vancouver Island, whether it’s marine mammals, migrating birds or the other animals and plants.
“We are actually quite proud of the environmental protection we have in place,” said Commodore J.B. (Buck) Zwick in a special media session.
“We take our roles as environmental stewards very seriously,” said Zwick, who commands the Canadian Fleet Pacific and Naval Training System.
In incidents on Aug. 3 and Aug. 31, whale-watching skippers confronted navy sentries posted in small boats off the island during a blasting session. The whale-watching skippers tried to convince the sentries to call off the blast because orcas were nearby.
Instead, the whale-watchers were told it was too late. The fuse was already lit, and safety procedures forbid any attempt to stop it. According to the whale-watching skippers, when the explosions occurred on the beach minutes later, the creatures were obviously distressed.
The incidents were also a shock for whale-watchers, who say they have always enjoyed a positive relationship with the navy.
Dan Kukat, owner of Spring Tide Whale Watching and navy liaison for the Pacific Whale Watching Association, said in the August incidents, whales were spotted approaching the blast zone, the navy was notified but the blasts went ahead regardless.
Whale-watchers worry the acoustic vibrations from the beach blasting interferes with and even harms the whales. The creatures are echo-locators and make their way around underwater obstacles using sound and echoes.
Kukat emphasized several times he and members of his association have nothing but respect for the navy. It’s just sometimes the natural world could use a break.
“In these days now, when it’s not entirely necessary to defend the country, let’s think about defending the environment, too,” he said in an interview.
The navy, however, maintains it was complying with its Marine Mammal Mitigation Procedure. It’s a 15-year-old document that instructs sailors on what to do at Bentinck Island when marine mammals approach during blasting activity.
It requires sentries, posted in boats 1,000 metres offshore from the beach, to look out for whales. When whales approach within two kilometres, the sentries radio the officer in charge of the blast range, who can shut things down.
In the past, the navy has conducted acoustic studies. They show underwater noise from the land-based explosions is negligible compared to the normal ambient noise levels a whale encounters.
Nevertheless, since August, the navy has taken a second look at its demolition training and how it interacts with whales and whale-watchers. It has halved the maximum amount of C4 plastic explosive to 2.5 pounds from five (1.125 kg from 2.25 kg).
The navy says halving the size of the explosive charge will make no difference to the demolition training for sailors and service people. The noise will be slightly less above ground and water.
“The process is the same, the quantity of the charge makes no difference, except for a bigger bang,” said Capt. (N) Martin Drews, commander of Navy Training and Personnel.
“But it’s important to use live ammunition during training because it helps instil a sense of discipline in our sailors,” said Drews.
Its sailors and officers make their homes in Greater Victoria. Like any other residents, they say they want nothing to harm the unique elements of living on southern Vancouver Island, whether it’s marine mammals, migrating birds or the other animals and plants.
“We are actually quite proud of the environmental protection we have in place,” said Commodore J.B. (Buck) Zwick in a special media session.
“We take our roles as environmental stewards very seriously,” said Zwick, who commands the Canadian Fleet Pacific and Naval Training System.
In incidents on Aug. 3 and Aug. 31, whale-watching skippers confronted navy sentries posted in small boats off the island during a blasting session. The whale-watching skippers tried to convince the sentries to call off the blast because orcas were nearby.
Instead, the whale-watchers were told it was too late. The fuse was already lit, and safety procedures forbid any attempt to stop it. According to the whale-watching skippers, when the explosions occurred on the beach minutes later, the creatures were obviously distressed.
The incidents were also a shock for whale-watchers, who say they have always enjoyed a positive relationship with the navy.
Dan Kukat, owner of Spring Tide Whale Watching and navy liaison for the Pacific Whale Watching Association, said in the August incidents, whales were spotted approaching the blast zone, the navy was notified but the blasts went ahead regardless.
Whale-watchers worry the acoustic vibrations from the beach blasting interferes with and even harms the whales. The creatures are echo-locators and make their way around underwater obstacles using sound and echoes.
Kukat emphasized several times he and members of his association have nothing but respect for the navy. It’s just sometimes the natural world could use a break.
“In these days now, when it’s not entirely necessary to defend the country, let’s think about defending the environment, too,” he said in an interview.
The navy, however, maintains it was complying with its Marine Mammal Mitigation Procedure. It’s a 15-year-old document that instructs sailors on what to do at Bentinck Island when marine mammals approach during blasting activity.
It requires sentries, posted in boats 1,000 metres offshore from the beach, to look out for whales. When whales approach within two kilometres, the sentries radio the officer in charge of the blast range, who can shut things down.
In the past, the navy has conducted acoustic studies. They show underwater noise from the land-based explosions is negligible compared to the normal ambient noise levels a whale encounters.
Nevertheless, since August, the navy has taken a second look at its demolition training and how it interacts with whales and whale-watchers. It has halved the maximum amount of C4 plastic explosive to 2.5 pounds from five (1.125 kg from 2.25 kg).
The navy says halving the size of the explosive charge will make no difference to the demolition training for sailors and service people. The noise will be slightly less above ground and water.
“The process is the same, the quantity of the charge makes no difference, except for a bigger bang,” said Capt. (N) Martin Drews, commander of Navy Training and Personnel.
“But it’s important to use live ammunition during training because it helps instil a sense of discipline in our sailors,” said Drews.
This article is from the Times Colonist of September 2, 2017 by Richard Watts and Katherine Dedyna
Warnings of orcas showing up near a navy dry-land blasting site on Bentinck Island came too late to stop explosions on Thursday, the navy said. Mark D Williams, SpringTide Whale Watching & Eco Tours Photograph By Mark D Williams
Relations between Victoria whale watchers and the Royal Canadian Navy appear to be frayed over the navy’s use of a blasting range near Race Rocks.
On Friday, the relationship appeared to be working. Whales showed up near a navy dry-land blasting site on Bentinck Island. Whale watchers informed the navy, and the blasting range was shut down.
On Thursday, however, two explosions were set off while killer whales were in the area. According to whale watchers, the animals fled in a panic, porpoising as they left.
Whale watchers and the navy have committed themselves for at least 15 years to a Marine Mammal Mitigation Procedure. It includes one provision under which the navy agrees not to set off explosions within 1,000 metres of a marine mammal that happens by.
Also, during explosions or live firing, the navy always has two sentry boats on the water. They sit just outside the 1,000-metre safety zone, ready to alert the range safety officer if a boat or whale appears to be getting close.
“It’s been a very smooth 15 years,” said Dan Kukat, owner of SpringTide Whale Watching and navy liaison for the Pacific Whale Watching Association. “It’s just in the last 12 months something seems to have changed.”
The navy contends it followed, as closely as possible, the Marine Mammal Mitigation Procedure. But in Thursday’s explosions, four in total, the warnings of orca proximity were received too late for two blasts.
Navy spokesman Lt. Tony Wright said the explosions are set off with a five-minute fuse.
Once they are set to fire, they can’t be stopped.
“You push a button and once you do that, you can’t turn it off,” said Wright.
He said the four explosions were part of a training exercise to practise clearing a beach of debris to make it passable for something like an amphibious landing to follow.
But whale watchers said the navy had good warnings of the approaching orcas and didn’t need to allow the explosions to occur.
Also, their complaint comes about two weeks after Kukat met at CFB Esquimalt with navy officials to streamline communications, resulting in an agreement that Kukat would alert the navy immediately when whales are spotted in blasting areas.
The meeting was in response to an incident Aug. 3 in which an Eagle Wings Tour skipper drove his boat and 50 passengers into a restricted zone to stop the firing of explosives near a pod of orcas.
Kukat said he had placed five phone calls about noon Thursday to various naval officials trying to let them know orcas were in the blasting area. He also made an additional four phone calls about 2:30 p.m.
“Our information seemed to fall on deaf ears,” Kukat said.
Also, he said he has been told at least two whale-watching boats informed the navy sailors on a sentry boat between 3 and 3:30 that there were orcas in the immediate vicinity.
But the two explosions still went off shortly after.
The whale watchers are concerned noise and vibration can damage the echo-location system that orcas use to hunt and to find their way under water.
Kukat said he is appealing to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step in and help out.
“I understand and respect the vital role our navy plays protecting the interests of our nation Canada,” he said.
“But the way we are living today, the marine environment is also very high on the agenda and in certain circumstances it should receive priority. Thursday, that didn’t happen.”
Boats/Visitors
Ecological
Other
Census
Notes
Boats/Visitors
Ecological
Other
Weather
Boats/Visitors
Ecological
Other
Weather
Ecological
Boats
Visitors
Other
