A Denman Island residents association is speaking out against a large experimental aquaculture application along northern Union Bay.
They’re worried that predator nets at the bottom of the Strait of Georgia could kill species such as herring, diving ducks, otters and seals, while increasing noisy boat traffic disturbs waterfowl in a globally significant area for birds.
The Association for Denman Island Marine Stewards (ADIMS) is calling for a moratorium on future applications or expansion of existing shellfish growing tenures in the area, in response to a plan by Seastainable Aquaculture Ltd. to ranch Nuttall's cockles, Pacific oysters, Pacific scallops and horseclams on 81 hectares of ocean bottom off the shores south of Royston.
"The health of Baynes Sound is in serious jeopardy and more tenures will exacerbate the acidification, negative changes to phytoplankton and lack of oxygen we are now experiencing," said Edina Johnston, co-chair ADIMS. "Enough is enough!"
But proponents behind the application, who are seeking permission to grow 261 tonnes of sea creatures in the subtidal ecosystem, say taking an "extensive" approach to farming underwater will make all the difference. The method is in contrast to the often more environmentally taxing "intensive" approach, which crams as many valuable animals together as possible.
The conversation follows in the wake of the announcement from nearby intensive shellfish producer Island Scallops that $10 million worth of its Pacific scallops had died, likely as a result of ocean acidification.
Eric Gant, one of the three applicants involved in the northern Union Bay proposal, says he believes extensive farming is better for the marine environment, adding it also helps build the populations of native species back up to previous levels.
"We won't strive for the maximum sustainable density," he said in countering the local residents association's charges, pointing to the powerful impression humans have had on the ecosystem. "They need to take responsibility for the fact that there is massive nutrient runoff from human occupation along the shoreline even when the septic systems are running - let alone when they're malfunctioning."
As the government examines this application it is keenly aware that the issue of allowing a tenure for introducing new crops of animals such as cockles, is intrinsically tied up with decisions about how to handle the valuable geoduck (pronounced gooy-duck) aquaculture industry.
Right now no one is allowed to apply for geoduck farming permits because the government hasn't figured out its policy on the matter yet.
Currently the geoduck fishery is the most valuable dive fishery in British Columbia, bringing in a quantity of animals representing an annual average of $39 million in export value. South of the border Washington State's wild fishery was worth $22.5 million a year.
Under a previous attempt at securing the northern Union Bay tenure, Gant had applied to harvest geoducks and sea cucumbers from the same targeted underwater land.
As far as ADIMS is concerned, there is just too little known about this kind of aquaculture to allow it to go forward.
The minimal research on the subject was highlighted during a recent experiment done in Nanoose Bay by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in 2013.
However, the study did point out there were few ecologically significant long-term impacts on the intertidal area examined. The one-year study revealed some short-term disturbances to the environment in direct proximity to the harvest region but also showed the regenerative capacity of the ecology.
Some concerned residents wonder if Gant is applying for this tenure now in order to add geoducks and sea cucumbers onto the licence later under a less stringent review process.
While Gant, who serves as the president of geoduck-focused Manatee Holdings, didn't try to play down his interest in pursuing geoduck tenures up and down the coast of BC, he stressed his interest in experimenting with new types of underwater crops stems from a desire to move the broader shellfish industry towards ranching.
Over harvesting in the boom years of the 1980s (12.6 million lbs of geoduck were hauled ashore in 1987 - 3.3 million more than that year's prescribed quota) hurt stocks considerably, leading to a decline in the amount divers are allowed to collect today. Preliminary data from DFO reveals the wild geoduck fishery brought in just over 3.3 million lbs in 2012.
"We have to improve," Gant said. "We have to learn how to fit into the natural ecology."
