B.C. tour guides haul 32.5 tonnes of plastic debris from ocean

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Over 24 days this summer, B.C. ship tourism operators hauled a staggering 32.5 tonnes of marine debris from the Northern Great Bear Sea coastline.

After taking a financial hit during the COVID-19 pandemic when tourists were staying home, ocean tour guides got together for the inaugural marine debris removal initiative in 2020 with funding from the provincial government.

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This summer was their third expedition, but the first time for Powell River naturalist Ethan Browne.

“You need to be pretty fit to haul those bags over the rocky shoreline,” said Browne, who works for the ecotourism company Maple Leaf Adventures helping educate tour guests about the natural landscape.

“I don’t think I was quite ready for how challenging it would be,” he added, laughing.

Forty-eight crew members aboard three vessels — the flagship 28-metre Maple Leaf schooner, the 42-metre catamaran Cascadia, and Bluewater’s 20-metre ketch Island Roamer — sailed around Bella Bella, Klemtu and Hartley Bay, between July 18 and Aug. 10.

They scoured the rocky coastline by foot, removing discarded fishing tackle, polystyrene floats, plastic bags and bottles and more. This garbage threatens wildlife and can break down into microplastics, which can harm the whole food chain.

“We even found a Yeti cooler, kids bike helmets, and a couple of small refrigerators, bits of cables, parts of fishing boats, stuff like that,” said Browne, who stayed on both the Maple Leaf and the Cascadia during the trip.

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“If this coastline that we were exploring was in a higher traffic area or a park in the Lower Mainland, we’d never allow it to exist. So you have to ask yourself, why are we allowing this to exist further up the coast?”

Jordan Lambe, spokesperson for Maple Leaf Adventures, said they found many kids bicycle helmets and inflatable toys that appeared to have come from the vessel ZIM Kingston, which lost 109 containers overboard during a storm in 2021.

At times, Browne was overwhelmed.

“People expect these pristine coastlines in B.C., but it’s shocking to see how much debris has accumulated,” he said.

“It’s a strange feeling you have up there because, on one hand, it’s devastating to see the impact we’ve had on this coast. But, on the other hand, you feel very proud and passionate about the work that you’re doing.”

The team is led by Maple Leaf Adventures and Bluewater Adventures and includes members of the Heiltsuk, Kitasoo Xai’xais, and Gitga’at Nations, as well as 19 Heiltsuk youth leaders.

Over three expeditions, crews have gathered more than 327 tonnes of marine debris.

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Later, Bridgemans Services Group processed the debris. From there, 80 per cent of the plastic trash was transported to Ocean Legacy Foundation and KUTE (Kitimat Understanding The Environment) to be recycled, according to Maple Leaf Adventures.

Kevin Smith, expedition leader and president of Maple Leaf Adventures, said ever since they completed the last cleanup in 2021 they have wanted to return for another expedition.

“This is like a slow-motion oil spill onto our coast that harms shorelines and wildlife,” he said.

“To us, it’s not done until whales stop being entangled, plastic stops breaking down on beaches and seabirds are out of danger of ingesting plastic. As ecotourism operators, doing this work as part of travel is what to us the future of tourism looks like.”

Randy Burke, captain and director of Bluewater Adventures, said they have been operating for 50 years and in that time, he has witnessed how marine debris has affected ocean life.

“This expedition cleaning up marine debris is an example of how business needs to be responsible for their actions and our common future,” he said.

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