The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation has steered towards calmer waters in its efforts to restrict the use of Jet Skis and Sea-Doos near the city’s shores.
In a meeting Monday night, Board Chair Tom Digby unsuccessfully motioned that the board advocate for a ban on ‘motorized personal watercraft’ in Burrard Inlet, where he says there’s been a “notable increase in sightings of cetaceans and marine wildlife in recent years, including orca, humpback, and grey whales.”
On May 4, a man riding a personal watercraft collided with a whale near the Siwash Rock.
Video of the incident shows the whale suddenly cresting the water’s surface to breathe as the rider approaches at high speed, slamming into the animal’s back and flying off the vehicle.
The rider, who wishes to remain anonymous, apologized for the incident, swearing he didn’t know about any whale activity in the area. He was treated in hospital for his injuries. Meanwhile, people in the area have continued to report grey whale activity.
The Vancouver Police Department says its officers are assisting the federal Department of Fisheries in its investigation into the collision. The rider says he has cooperated with department officials.
Digby’s motion Monday said the incident intensified public awareness of the risks posed by the fast-moving vehicles. Citing other coastal cities and states with strict exclusion zones, he would have had the board adopt the policy position in favour of prohibition, advocate to senior governments, and have staff report on the board’s jurisdictional methods to discourage the launching or operation of personal watercraft from Park Board-operated facilities.
But Digby’s motion was voted down.
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Commissioner Laura Christensen questioned the move toward a ban, noting that Burrard Inlet is not solely under Vancouver’s jurisdiction.
“I find that the wording is a little too strong on ‘prohibition,’” said Christensen.
“I don’t have enough information to make that kind of [decision]… We don’t have a good understanding of how many whale strikes have happened. We don’t know the number of incidents. There’s a lot of questions that I think remain to be answered.”
Commissioner Brennan Bastyovanszky also questioned the direction of Digby’s motion, calling it a “chaotic mix of intentions.”
“It provides an unlimited number of opportunities for comment and discussion, which basically means that none of it will happen,” said Bastyovansky.
Digby said he was shocked by the pushback, given the publicity of the May 4 whale strike.
“This was in the New York Times. This is an issue that has gone all across the country and Canada and the U.S., and people wanna see action taken here,” said Digby.
Instead, the board opted for a motion by Bastyovansky to request other agencies to review their marine safety plans.
It includes advocating for swim safety buoys, expanded low-speed areas and public signs on whale protection.
With overlapping jurisdictions, Bastyovansky says the problem is complex and requires a complex solution.
“That’s why we’re asking for higher levels of government to coordinate amongst themselves.”