To me, this field trip was a series of surprises that made me realize how little I knew the city I’ve lived in in the last three years. As we started near the Vancouver Maritime Museum, Amanda introduced that there are no legal regulations on boat disposal, leading to many boats being abandoned on shorelines and ports. This is problematic since these boats can leak fuel and toxic chemicals if left untreated. Fishing boats are usually abandoned since there is little market interest in buying them. I plan to read more about what measures we can implement to prevent pollution from these vessels.

Fraser MacDonald and BC Fisheries

Our first stop was the Fishermen’s Wharf in False Creek, where we heard from Fraser Macdonald, a first-generation fisherman currently fishing spot prawn, albacore tuna, lingcod, and halibut. We have long been talking about how ocean conservation is interdisciplinary in class, but Fraser’s talk really brought the social aspect of conservation to life. This activity taught me how understanding social issues are equally (if not more) important to scientific research when it comes to managing our oceans.

Fraser was very passionate and enthusiastic about his work and introduced many sustainability efforts currently practiced by BC small-scale fisheries. For example, there is automatic video recording for the boat’s activities, and all catch is monitored and recorded. Fraser catches tuna via long-lined fishing, which is highly selective as each fish is caught individually by line and hook. No bycatch is discarded. This also allows higher biodiversity as he catches individuals from multiple schools over the fishing season instead of taking a whole school using a large trawl net. The fish is then individually processed and frozen on the boat to ensure the products are fresh and of high quality. In addition, local fishermen contribute to retrieving ghost traps. This was a vivid demonstration of using local knowledge in conservation, as they are the most knowledgeable on where traps are located. Though I don’t eat fish myself, I will encourage my friends to buy spot prawns and other sustainable fish locally!

One of the most important messages from Fraser was that younger generations of fishermen are facing high barriers from entering the industry and establishing a stable living income. Licenses are a tradable commodity, and license owners may hold fishing quotas without going fishing themselves. As a result, most licenses in BC are held by Jim Pattison and a few large corporates, making it difficult for new fishermen to obtain quota and establish their business. Fraser conducts his fishing by leasing licenses, yet he must pay license owners extra if he does not reach the specified quota. The bleak prospects of fluctuating catch and unstable pay discourages new people from entering the industry, which can cause labor shortages as the older generation retires.

In addition, the current license system allows corporations to “own” the catch even before it is harvested and sell harvested stock overseas. As corporations have most of the supply in their hands, they control market prices, causing the fish to be sold more expensively locally. It was particularly sad to think that most fish in our local waters have predestined to be shipped out and, in a sense, no longer belong to us. The good news is that more catch has ended up in the BC local market due to COVID shipping difficulties. Hopefully, this trend will persist to allow the establishment of more local fish supply chains. This activity led me to question the structure of the fisheries license systems on the West Coast and be more mindful of the challenges small-scale fishermen face. I will help support their campaigns more actively in the future.

Environment Modification of False Creek

The second part of the field trip explored the modifications on False Creek and habitat restoration in the Olympic Village. When I first visited Vancouver, I felt that it was a city with a great emphasis on sustainability with many large natural habitats. There are multiple beaches, marshes, and forest areas in proximity, which was much more vibrant than Beijing’s tree, shrub, and grass landscape that I was familiar with. I was greatly astonished to discover the extent of habitat modification and pollution that Vancouver had gone through in the past two centuries. I learned that False Creek had once spanned 40% more of its current width, reaching what is now W 2nd Avenue. The current shoreline is very artificial and uniform compared to the muddy marshes historically seen in the area. However, Habitat Island has attracted many marine organisms, including herring and grey whales. This made me better appreciate the efforts taken by Marc and his colleagues to reintroduce aquatic ecosystem functions.

My main takeaway from Marc Adams’ talk was that environmental conscience makes a great impact on conservation. He mentioned that a key part of his work was to examine the features of other natural habitats that he wanted to recreate. His words resonated with me, as I have long been keen on observing my natural surroundings even though I grew up in the city. On my way to school, I always took my time to examine the plants, mushrooms, and small critters that I came across, which made me feel much more related to the biological world around me. Marc’s insight made me realize that this contributed to my interest in conservation. My memories go back to when Amanda made all of us imagine the ocean, yet most people think about beaches. The main reason behind this phenomenon was that most people simply grew up without seeing what’s under the ocean’s surface, whether from their own experience or on media. Thus, they didn’t have an inherent urge to care about it. Habitat Island is not only valuable in bringing back the species and ecosystem functions, but also serves as a site where people can see aquatic life within the city and feel more connected and responsible to nature.

Additional Resources:

Read Fraser MacDonald’s testimony to the Canadian Fisheries Committee for a personal perspective on the hardships that young fishermen face.

Learn more about the environmental modifications in the Burrard Inlet in this news article and this report summary by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

• BIOL 420
• Ocean Conservation