Dead Boats Disposal Society Explained

Dead Boats Disposal Society
Founder:John Roe
Purpose:To remove abandoned boats and marine debris from beaches, oceans and inlets around the BC coast
Location Country:British Columbia, Canada

The Dead Boats Disposal Society (DBDS) is a non-profit society dedicated to the removal and disposal of abandoned boats and marine debris from shorelines in British Columbia, Canada.[1] The Victoria-based Society[2] has hauled 124 boats out of the water since 2017,[3] most from bays and inlets in the Capital Regional District from Sooke to the Gulf Islands.[4] [5] By February 2020, the group had removed 89,300 metric tonnes of marine debris.[6]

Issue

The problem of derelict boats is widespread along the British Columbia coast since, before July 2019 when the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act came into effect, it was not illegal to abandon a boat along Canada's coastline.[7] With the Act, the government of Canada gained enforcement powers to impose penalties on individuals of up to $50,000, and to remove problem vessels if they are a hazard to safety or a threat to the marine environment.[8] However, after four years, only two fines had been levied.[9] [10] Also, the Saanich Inlet Protection Society says "It seems the only time they act is after the boats have sunk."[11]

A boat may be an environmental and navigation hazard for years before it sinks,[12] and John Roe of the DBDS notes that delaying action increases the cost of removal.[13] While local municipalities are left to deal with derelict boats that come ashore, the problem is complicated from a jurisdictional standpoint because the seabed is a provincial responsibility, activities on the surface are under the purview of the Coast Guard, and the water in between is subject to Fisheries and Oceans Canada authority.[14]

Process

Typically, when the Society is notified by the public about a problem boat, it conducts a survey to determine if the vessel is truly abandoned.[15] Once a boat is removed with a barge and crane, it is tested for contaminants, dismantled, and disposed of at appropriate landfills. The cost to remove and dispose of a small craft ranges from $5,000 to $75,000.[16] [17] Transport Canada estimates there are close to 1,600 abandoned and derelict boats in the waters of British Columbia.

Funding

The DBDS has received grants and resources from "a long list of partners" including the Capital Regional District,[18] and Transport Canada's short-term Abandoned Boats Program.[19] [20] [21]

Recognition

The Dead Boats Disposal Society's operations director and founder, John Roe, has been cleaning up derelict boats from British Columbia waters for more than 25 years.[22] [23] Roe received an award from Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes on February 25, 2019, for the DBDS's work removing problem boats from Cadboro Bay and the Gorge Waterway.[24]

References

  1. Web site: The Dead Boats Disposal Society.
  2. Web site: Kloster. Darron. 17 February 2021. Feds fund removal of more derelict boats from waters off Vancouver Island. Victoria Times Colonist.
  3. Web site: MacDonald . James . 22 January 2021 . The abandoned boats washing up on Victoria's shores, in pictures: The Dead Boats Disposal Society has spent decades pulling the wrecks out of the water and off the beaches in Victoria . Capital Daily.
  4. Web site: Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, British Columbia. 24 August 2019. Province seeking solutions to address abandoned boats.
  5. Web site: Patterson. Travis. 25 January 2019. Dead Boat Disposal team work midnight shift to pull boats from Caddy Bay: Group plans to remove 'sunken, abandoned boats' from B.C.'s shores. Saanich News.
  6. Web site: Paterson. Travis. 20 February 2020. Group continues to pull sunken, abandoned wrecks from Salish Sea: Dead Boats society inching towards 89 wrecks pulled from Capital Regional waters. Today in BC.
  7. Web site: Transport Canada. 30 October 2017. Speaking Notes for the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport for a News Conference on Bill C-64, The Wrecked Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act. Government of Canada.
  8. Web site: Transport Canada. 1 March 2019. Government of Canada marks the passage of Bill C-64: the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act to address vessel abandonment and ensure owner accountability. Canada.ca.
  9. News: Four years after passage of law on abandoned boats, only two fines have been levied . cheknews.ca . 12 July 2023 . Mia . Rabson.
  10. News: Owner of boat in Cadboro Bay fire blames mechanical issue . 18 July 2023 . Laura . Brougham .
  11. Web site: Weston. Scott. 6 October 2021. Marine advocates demand action by federal government after abandoned boats sink off Vancouver Island. CTV News.
  12. Web site: Depner. Wolf. 22 October 2021. Abandoned boat legislation leaves Vancouver Island lobby group with a sinking feeling: Officials waiting too long to remove dilapidated boats, says Saanich Inlet Protection Society. Cowichan Valley Citizen.
  13. Web site: Sjuberg. Gail. 9 November 2021. Dead Boats Society Wants Your Derelicts. Gulf Islands Driftwood.
  14. Web site: Descoteau. Don. 9 October 2020. Greater Victoria's coastal communities take derelict boat issue to the CRD: Group looking for regional body to partner on regulation recommendations. Oak Bay News.
  15. Web site: Kotyk. Alyse. 26 August 2021. There are around 1,400 boats abandoned on BC.'s coast, boat removal society says. CTV News.
  16. Web site: CBC News. 7 March 2021. Federal funding boosts volunteer efforts to remove thousands of abandoned boats in B.C.: Leaky, busted, rusty dinghies and boats wreak environmental havoc.
  17. Web site: Arrais. Pedro. 10 October 2021. Canadian Coast Guard urges patience as it deals with up to 1,600 derelict boats. Victoria Times Colonist.
  18. Web site: Patterson. Travis. 25 August 2019. Dead Boats Society moving towards 100 wreckages removed from the Salish Sea: 'Gorge Guy' John Roe on his way to removing another 39 derelicts. Vancouver Island Free Daily.
  19. Web site: Province of British Columbia. February 2020. What We Heard on Marine Debris in B.C..
  20. Web site: Province of British Columbia. Addressing Abandoned Vessels, Marine Debris and Marine-Sourced Plastics in B.C.. gov.bc.ca.
  21. Web site: Our Partners . Dead Boats Disposal Society .
  22. Web site: 31 August 2019. One sunken boat pollutes ocean as much as 480,000 plastic straws, non-profit says: Dead Boat Disposal Society one of several groups working with B.C. gov't to find solution to abandoned vessels.
  23. Web site: Willcocks. Paul. 1 September 2016. Reflections on an Urban Swim, and the Changes One Person Can Make: Victoria's Gorge waterway, once a dumping ground, takes on renewed life.. The Tyee.
  24. Web site: Depner. Wolf. 1 March 2019. Saanich recognizes Dead Boat Society lead for helping clean up Cadboro Bay. Saanich News.

External links

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