The effects of Vessel Underwater Noise on whales

Currently Mike Fenger and I are representing the Board of the Friends of Ecological Reserves as Intervenors in the New round of Reconsideration Hearings  of the National Energy Board on the Trans Mountain Pipeline Proposal . You can follow this process with its daily updates from participants at https://apps.neb-one.gc.ca/REGDOCS/Item/View/3614457

Since one of the aspects ordered by the Review Panel is the state of the Southern resident Killer whales one of the most disturbing piece of evidence of their plight comes  I have come across is contained in this audio clip:

This audio clip comes from the following image posted in the NEB records:

A95280-effects-of-uw-noise-and-what-mariners-can-do-A6J6G4

 

The Tidal Cycle at Race Rocks and the Abiotic Effects of Tides

https://www.oceannetworks.ca/tides is a good reference on the cause of Tides

At Race Rocks we have a tidal range of about 3 metres.

For tidal Level predictions , from the closest station at Pedder Bay see this link

http://www.tides.gc.ca/eng/find/zone/9

 

 

 

 

 

The link below is for the Race Passage Current tables.  .. See this file for the result of original work done by Pearson College Divers assisting Institute of Ocean Sciences in the deployment of the current meter to gather a years worth of data from which these tables are constructed. 

 

 

 

 

 
Marine Science teacher at Pearson College Laura Verhegge was interviewed on CBC radio about what was a “Negative tide”. Listen below.

 

The role of the moon is a major factor in determining the rise and fall of the tides.The view of it from Race Rocks in a full sky is often stunning. 

And of course the other component causing tides is the sun. See this file for Solar energy records for Race Rocks .  

 

 

See this file for the Abiotic Effect of Solar energy on Organisms at Race Rocks

 

 

THE ABIOTIC EFFECTS OF TIDAL LEVEL CHANGES:

The rich variety of life in the intertidal zones of Race Rocks provide habitat for many animals which have adapted to living part of their life exposed . “ANITA’S ISLAND” on the West side of Great Race Rocks provides an excellent example,  in the month of June when the tidal level often drops below zero datum so one can really appreciate the effects of the daily changing tidal levels on intertidal life. This island is actually a peninsula which you can walk out onto when the tides drop to -0.0m, but is totally submerged at high tide, (around 2.6 meters). You can often see the top of it from remote camera1  ( It looks black because it is covered with mussels.)

For several years in the 1990s  we did research with Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss on these low tides in June. We only had a half hour or so until the isthmus joining the island to Great Race Island was flooded however. Each year that we went out, Anita found a great many of the hydroid samples from which she identified for the Ecological Reserve.  

THE INTERTIDAL ZONE: The island is totally covered on every square centimeter with some form of life, either invertebrate or plant.

    • Those organisms nearer the top or in the high intertidal area, are more resistant to changing temperatures, and changing salinity. Exposure in a rain storm means they have to tolerate fresh water, and changing salinity.  On a hot sunny day , the surface temperatures can elevate quickly. 
    • Other hazards of this habitat between sea and land create an extreme environment for survival. Predation from Birds and other animals is possible when exposed at low tide , wheres the same organisms are exposed to predation from fish and predatory invertebrates such as sea stars when the tide is in. 
    • This zone also makes the organism vulnerable to pounding waves and surf, so built in resilience is necessary to hold on and remain attached , and not be crushed by the force of the water.
  • Living in this zone also leaves an organism exposed to wind driven foreign objects.. At Race Rocks drifting logs are often present on the surface and these can exert a powerful force when striking a shoreline, 
RESEARCH ESSAYS: The implications for an organism living at different elevations on the intertidal zone are very significant. Over the years several students have done research in the intertidal zone at Race Rocks and have examined how different organisms have adapted. Check this file for examples 
TIDEPOOLS: In our tidepool file , you will find an index with links to a set of tidepools where we have recorded the effects of the tide being out for different lengths of time. The abiotic conditions in the pools change significantly as the tide levels go up and down. Salinity and Temperature are especially variable and they influence the type of organisms that lives within the pools.
Intertidal TRANSECT Studies.We use transects to quantify the interrelations of organisms as they are distributed throughout the intertidal zone on the shore. Tidal levels are a major factor in determining this zonation. In this file you are invited to examine some of our data, and create your own transect baseline studies as well. They may have nothing to do with tides, but they can serve as an excellent record which you may use to base measurements showing change or stability of the ecosystem in the future
The Effects of CURRENTS. 

Tidal Currents are also a result of the tidal cycle . This file documents aspects of the Currentsa at Race Rocks

 

Other tidal heights from along the coast of Vancouver Island and British Columbia

An interesting exercise is to compare the tidal heights at several locations around Vancouver Island. There is a significant difference, with times as well as tidal ranges varying depending where the station is located. There are many factors which determine tide levels, the most obvious being the stages of the moon and the position of the sun, but here you can see that geography has a major role to play as well.

DND Blasting disturbs sea lions.


On November 7, 2002, the DND were still doing their demolition blasting exercises at Bentinck Island. (not Oct 7 as stated in this draft version of the video) The students from Lester Pearson College who were out for a project week were able to catch the images of the impact of these blasts on the first day from the science centre window and on the second day from the top of the light tower. In the tower, they interviewed Mike Demarchi of LGL who is currently doing a $50,000 contract for the Department of National Defence to monitor the impact of these blasts and to compare them with other disturbances at Race Rocks. (Click on audio icon below) Click the arrow on the left in the bar below for
THE INTERVIEW WITH MIKE DEMARCHI
by Jeremias Prassl (LBPC yr29)


Before and After images of DND Blasting effects

You may see the complete report here. Note in particular, the discussion of the results concerning the effects of blasting on the behaviour of sea lions.

RACE ROCKS MPA FEATURED ON the CBC IDEAS PROGRAM

 

paulonOn Saturday May 26, 2001, we hosted at Race Rocks Paul Kennedy, the host of the CBC program “Ideas” (9:00 PM nightly Mon-Fri. ) .

Paul was on the West Coast that week preparing a special series on Canada’s oceans and marine issues. See Paul’s OCEAN JOURNAL entry for May 26 for an account of his trip to Race Rocks.

OCEANS EXPLORATIONS: LEARNING FROM OUR OCEANS is a project which will result in eight hours of programming on IDEAS in December 2001. Paul will spend much of the next seven months on each of Canada’s three ocean coasts. He’ll be on board fishing dorys, Haida canoes, off-shore oil rigs, and snowmobiles crossing Arctic ice. By talking with Canadians who live and work on the sea, he’ll begin to learn about many of the things that the oceans can teach us.threeandrr

Paul was accompanied by Garry Fletcher and Angus Matthews of Lester B. Pearson College, and Mark Pakenham, of Ocean’s and Fisheries It was a great day to be on Race Rocks as we were in there in the middle of the Swift Sure Sailboat Race, so the vessels kept making close passes through the islands of Race Rocks MPA . Photos by Angus Matthews.

Paul returned in the Fall of 2001 to do a webcast with the students.

gfpaul-1

Interview by CBC reporter Loreen Pindera (PC year3)

In this interview for the CBC program “The World This Weekend” by CBC reporter Loreen Pindera (Pearson College student, year 3) with Garry Fletcher, faculty member at Lester Pearson College. they discuss how a fragile ecosystem can be loved to death by too many people wanting to visit it, The solution for the Race Rocks Ecological reserve was to use the technology of the internet to bring this island ecosystem in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the world while conserving this fragile ecosystem -Sept 16/2000.

BBC interview on the future use of technology to bring Race Rocks to the internet

In November of 1997, BBC reporter Hugh Warrick accompanied Garry Fletcher to Race Rocks and did an interview on the future plans for using technology to make available the resources of Race Rocks to all through the internet.

As is said in the interview : “Typical of ecotourism you could love an area to death”—  the solution of using the right kind of technology to broadcast on the internet is discussed and even robotically controlled video cameras on the internet are mentioned. Later in the early part of 2000 that was to become a reality .
for mp3:

 

 

 

BBC interview on a Proposal for Virtual Race Rocks

In November of 1997, I was interviewed by Hugh Warrick of the BBC on a plan to set up a network on RaceRocks to be able to have live streaming video on the internet, Here is the audio clip of that interview

BBC Interview at Race Rocks in November of 1997 on Technology for Sustainability at Race Rocks