Industrial waste washing ashore is likely to become more common: Campbell River Salmon Foundation
The Campbell River area shoreline is now a safer haven for marine life, thanks to a united effort among local environmental organizations and businesses.
On Monday (Nov. 3), a coalition came together to remove the 11 large industrial tires that had washed ashore about 10 kilometres south of Campbell River in recent weeks.
Each tire, weighing roughly four tons, was filled with styrofoam used to help with floating. In the wind, rain and waves, the styrofoam had been breaking up and spilling onto the shoreline.
Styrofoam poses a threat to marine life as it breaks down into small pieces. It can be mistaken for food, accumulating in the digestive systems of marine animals.
On Oct. 22, 27 volunteers with the environmental non-profit Greenways Land Trust helped haul 430 kilograms of styrofoam and other debris from the beach, later transporting it to the landfill in Cumberland.
The tires are thought to have broken away from a dock or barge and washed ashore from elsewhere in the region during a recent storm.
On Monday, collaborating with Greenways, Coast Island Marine Ltd. took care of tugboat duties, pulling the tires from the beach to a marine terminal. The tires will then be lifted out of the water with a crane and loaded onto trucks for disposal.
A-Tlegay Fisheries Society, a non-profit First Nations fisheries society in Campbell River, helped with two more boats, collecting styrofoam and debris that came loose as the tires were hauled away.
"We were so happy to see such strong community engagement and support for this effort," said Camille Andrews, Greenway's habitat management coordinator.
The next step will be transporting the tires to the landfill, with help from several other local businesses.
Greenways is also working with the City of Campbell River and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to establish a new marine debris removal response plan and team, Andrews noted. This will help organizations react efficiently and effectively to future incidents.
In August, three industrial tires that washed ashore around Shelter Point Beach, just off Heard Road, were removed using heavy equipment, which set the Campbell River Salmon Foundation back $6,000.
Foundation president Phil Griffith said tires like these have likely had different owners. However, what is important is removing them from the natural environment as quickly as possible.
"If we try to hunt down who and where and what, that's going to take lots of time," he said.
Griffith cautioned that large industrial waste washing ashore is likely to become increasingly common, and it is wise to have a strategy in place for cleanup efforts.
"The (Dead Boats Disposal Society) said there are 1,700 abandoned crafts on our coasts, and they figured they've only counted half or a third of them," he said. "It's going to happen with all the boats, docks and what-have-you in the Strait of Georgia."