WCMRC joined our federal, provincial & First Nation partners this week to develop shoreline surveys and response strategies for Belcarra. Work will continue this week in Burrard Inlet & Indian Arm.
More information from Environment and Climate Change Canada:
As part of the Oceans Protection Plan, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) Emergencies Science and Technology Section scientists are carrying out a number of studies to gather current data about the conditions of the shoreline throughout Canada. This work is important because shorelines are environmentally essential to ecosystems and are key resources to protect.
The coastlines surveyed to date include the Douglas Channel, Grenville Channel and a number of islands along the eastern side of Hecate Strait British Columbia, including Haida Gwaii Island; Port Hawkesbury and the Straits of Canso, Nova Scotia; Saint John and the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick; and Parc National du Bic, near the community of Baie du Ha Ha in Quebec.
In British Columbia, from July 10 to July 16, 2018, ECCC shoreline specialists will be conducting scientific survey of selected shorelines throughout the priority coastline of the Burrard Inlet, in the Port of Vancouver area and Indian Arm. This work will be done with partners, including the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, local municipal government, the Province of British Columbia, and industry. ECCC is collaborating with many agencies to collect as much data as possible across all scientific fields.
The survey will include measuring the slope of the shoreline, taking photos, digging a few test pits to determine the types and depth of sediments and taking sediment samples. All surveys are being done at low tide so that scientists can study the exposed shoreline zones.
The environmental data gleaned from these studies will be used to strengthen our science-based decision-making and will help protect our marine environments and communities from the potential effects of spills and day-to-day vessel operations.