Crews from Rugged Coast Research Society have been working under their latest provincial funding since August, removing marine debris and other waste from B.C. coastlines. (Rugged Coast Research Society)

By Alex Rawnsley

plastic waste

‘Terrible for marine life:’ Nanaimo group tackling marine debris across Island & B.C. coast

Dec 22, 2023 | 5:30 AM

NANAIMO — Under a tight deadline, work continues on vital coastline cleanup across expansive areas of Vancouver Island and B.C.’s coasts.

Rugged Coast Research Society, a Nanaimo-based group, was one of five awarded funding from the province in November for marine debris removal and shoreline cleanup.

Cael Cook, the society’s business manager, said the $1.9 million in provincial funding will help them tackle over 600 kilometres of coastline. As part of the funding, work must be done by the end of February 2024.

“Certainly a lot of plastic waste, the West Coast is kind of this big trap for a lot of prevalent ocean currents. There’s several peninsulas…that are kind of these big geographic arms that stretch out and a huge catchment area in these locations.”

Projects covered by this round of funding include several spots on the Island’s west coast, B.C. central coast and around the Nanaimo area.

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Their Salish Project encompasses the Nanaimo waterfront, Gabriola Island, Valdez Island and down into the Cowichan region.

More remote projects include Nootka Sound and Kyuquot on northwestern Vancouver Island, as well as Chatham Sound on B.C.’s north coast.

“One of the big ones is EPS, or styrofoam, it’s marine floats, dock floats, packaging and this styrofoam breaks down into the little white balls,” Cook said of their main focus. “They’re terrible for marine life, they’re ingested by everything from fish to sea birds.”

Teams of eight to 15 head out to remote areas, guided by local First Nations, to find areas of high accumulation. (Rugged Coast Research Society)

Fishing gear, ropes, netting, lost floats or traps, along with tires make up a huge portion of the debris they remove.

A lot of the work Rugged Coast and the other groups covered in November’s funding announcement, undertake is informed by area First Nations.

Cook told NanaimoNewsNOW their knowledge is invaluable.

“We’re nothing without our First Nation partners, they guide us to these high accumulation zones, they’ve pointed us in the right direction of where there’s been derelict vessels abandoned and dumped.”

Work has been largely dictated by available weather windows, with crews at various sites since mid-August.

Cook admitted they’d been fortunate through the early fall and winter months.

Between eight and 15 people are on scene at any one site depending on the scope, while Rugged Coast has been able to hire between 50 and 60 people for different jobs as a result of funding from the province over the years.

“There’s an amazing amount [of garbage] out there, an amazing amount of coastline these projects aren’t even going to touch. We’re hoping the B.C. government has the funds and ability to keep this program rolling for the years to come.”

Around $10.5 million was awarded by the province for projects across the B.C. coast, including to the Coast Restoration Society.

Rugged Coast is one of five provincially funded groups currently working to clean up B.C. coastlines through the latest round of grants. (Rugged Coast Research Society)

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