April 4, 2007

Oil exploration a threat to exceptional richness of life off the coast of Vancouver

The waters of the Strait of Georgia, between Vancouver's coast and Vancouver Island, hold an exceptionally rich and diverse ecosystem of thriving life. The region's unique geography allows the mingling of water from many different sources to create a potent mixture of life-giving nutrients. Ocean tides travelling through channels of the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the south end of Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte Strait on the north end bring in nutrients from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. These tides are joined by fresh water from the Fraser River and snowmelt flowing out of fjords. The fresh water pulls in salt water originating in the ocean and this has the effect of drawing in additional nutrient-rich water.

This environment gives rise to a very extensive world of life, from microscopic organisms, plankton, kelp, and invertibrates, to herring, salmon, halibut, and more complex living creatures such as the many whales of majestic beauty. Under the surface of the water hides a dense forest of creatures of delicate beauty and often curious names, such as egg yolk jellyfish, sea urchins, feather duster worms, nudibranchs, sponges, and tiny shrimps. The waters further north, between Vancouver Island and Queen Charlotte Island have much to offer as well, including the only glass-sponge reefs found on earth

Renewed interest, in recent years, in exploring these and surrounding waters for oil and gas is a potential threat to this incredible richness of life. The harvesting of oil and gas could cause irreversible damage to the wonders that this sensitive environment holds. Somewhat reassuring might be the fact that before any drilling could begin the British Columbia government would have to convince the federal government to end its moratorium on oil exploration, though with the Conservatives currently in power this is now more likely to happen.

An oil spill in the area, which would be very difficult to clean due to the rough seas of the Pacific and close proximity of the deposits to shore, would be disastrous for the environment. Incidentally, the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska put a stop to a reconsideration of the moratorium during the late 1980s. The difficulty of cleaning up a coastal oil spill is vividly demonstrated by the fact that, according to US government scientists, there are thousands of gallons of oil still remaining from the spill and polluting the area. In any case, the drilling and tanker traffic alone would cause much environmental disruption. Even the seismic tests used to find drilling sites can be problematic, affecting the whales that feed in those ares. According to the Western Canada Wilderness Committee the oil industry, in addition to burning oil to run its operations, uses chemicals that add contaminants to the food chain and can cause a reduction of the fish population.

While the provincial government claims huge reserves of untapped oil, according to both the David Suzuki Foundation and former federal environment minister David Anderson and other critics the potential is exaggerated. The same could be said of the economic benefits expected by the B.C. government, which cites success of the Hibernia offshore oil platform on Canada's north-east. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives the Hibernia project is not the success story it is said to have been. It required much government funding, necessary to make any large scale oil project viable, and it is uncertain if the amount will be fully recouped. The resulting economic boom that was projected for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia has not occured. While it is true that several thousand jobs were created, they were for the most part temporary. These days it is common practice to use floating oil platforms, which would be built by international companies outside of Canada. According to the David Suzuki Foundation at most a few hundred local jobs would be created. With the increasing price of oil and gas the economic benefits would be less uncertain than in the case of Hibernia, but the final outcome is difficult to predict, especially if the probable negative impact on the fisheries and tourism industry is taken into account. As a marine conservation specialist at the David Suzuki Foundation suggests, an alternative way to produce energy, without many of these harmful side-effects, would be to harness the wind, and additionally utilize the wind turbines to create artificial reefs for marine life.

Are the uncertain benefits from oil harvesting worth the risk to the environment, possibly denying future generations the full enjoyment of the immense beauty of the B.C. coast?

To view photography of some of the underwater life found in Vancouver's coastal waters, or a map of the region, see the Vancouver's Wild Tides feature in the August 2006 issue of National Geographic.

References:

The boom that was not: Economic lessons for BC from the Hibernia offshore oil project, CCPA.

Oil as much curse as blessing for B.C., critics say, Capital News Online vol. 16 no. 5, 2005.

18 years on, Exxon Valdez oil still pours into Alaskan, feb. 2 2007.