On Feb. 19, the Cadboro Dead Boats Society and Royal Victoria Yacht Club gathered community members, politicians and advocates for a special presentation addressing derelict boats in Cadboro Bay.
"It's to bring awareness to the people," said Gerry Thompson of the yacht club, speaking to the environmental impacts on the bay and the need for a solution. Despite the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act coming into law in 2019, enforcement remains weak due to jurisdictional confusion and resource shortages.
"We are dealing with two municipalities, one province and one federal government, the Coast Guard and every other group known to mankind who passes the buck," said Eric Dahli, chair of the society.
But this year Dahli and Thompson have what they think is a solid plan to address the issue. If it can get more political fire under its wings, they believe it can make real change and ultimately serve as a model for other B.C. communities struggling with derelict boats.
Their proposition is for the District of Oak Bay to apply for a licence of occupation (LOO) with the province. This licence would grant non-exclusive use of Crown land, including the seabed, so that a private entity could manage the mooring area, while local police, the RCMP, Transport Canada or the Coast Guard would continue to be responsible for enforcement.
Through a LOO, the district could give authority to a community contractor who could help enforce existing regulations. The Royal Victoria Yacht Club has agreed it could take on that role.
Currently, Cadboro Bay runs like the "Wild West," Dahli said. This newly appointed local authority would require boats to check in and direct them where to anchor. Boat insurance would be mandatory, live-aboarding and holding tank dumping would be banned and permanent buoys would be instructed where to go. The club would also hand out a rules pamphlet.
Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch is "on board," according to Thompson, but first wants to do a study group, which is yet to happen.
"I am putting together a task force to look at the best approach, and a licence of occupation is certainly one model that could be used," Murdoch told Oak Bay News. "So yes, we will look at that, but important to know it's not the only approach."
While Thompson said their efforts are gaining traction, he believes there is a way to go. "We've been at it now for a year, and we still are not at the starting blocks," he said.
Meanwhile, the bay is facing challenges, Dahli pointed out. People are throwing their garbage off boats, theft is happening, and the seabed's health is affected. He also worries when he sees little kids climbing on the derelict boats. "It's unsafe as hell ... There were syringes washing up on the beach," he said.
At the Feb. 19 meeting, SeaChange Society, Surfrider Foundation, and Peninsula Streams Society presented findings on how the bay is faring. SeaChange, for instance, has been mapping out the bay's bottom, cleaning out ghost traps (like crab traps that were never retrieved), and monitoring the seafloor's health.
Susan Anthony, a SeaChange project manager and researcher, said they found "a whole bunch of boats and a bunch of trash" on the sea floor. The organization can now make a stronger case to funders to clean it up in March knowing there is potentially a plan to limit the future input of debris and boats that sink, she said.
Cadboro Bay being so "beautifully sheltered" means it also has issues like "concentration of pollutants," she said, and derelict boats on the seafloor have paints, plastic, batteries and gas that leach into the environment, plus nets and sails that can entangle animals.
Another reason to clean up the area is its flat, sandy floor makes it an ideal eelgrass location; if it could find a good home there, the eelgrass could help stabilize erosion and absorb carbon, she said.
Thompson said he feels optimistic that change is on its way and that the community can come together to put a better system in place.
"It has to happen," he said. "Or the bay will eventually die."
