Seafood News - Industry Events - Seafood Market

Powell River Peak    1/04/2005 16:26:29

Laura Walz

A beach located on the east side of Okeover Inlet is reserved for shellfish aquaculture in the Malaspina Okeover Coastal Plan, according to the people who applied for tenure on it.

Dan Johnston, who made an application for tenure to Land and Water BC (LWBC) along with Joanne Wells, made a presentation at the March 24 Powell River Regional District board meeting. He pointed out the Malaspina Okeover Coastal Plan clearly states the site is a shellfish aquaculture map reserve. "The plan recognizes that," he said. "What it was prior to the plan doesn't matter. The plan is what we are working to now."

Johnston and Wells applied to LWBC for a 10-year licence of occupation for an oyster beach culture and holding operation on 1.2 hectares of Crown land in an area known as Larson's Landing.

A number of individuals and representatives of organizations made presentations at the March 15 regional district planning committee opposing the application. Marjorie Harding, representing Area C Commercial Clam Harvesters Advisory Committee, told directors her group was opposed to the application because the beach is used by clam harvesters.

Johnston pointed to sections of the plan where that portion of the beach is identified as a map reserve for shellfish aquaculture.

Johnston also said the plan guidelines were discretionary. "We shouldn't be taking portions of the plan and changing them after the fact," he said.

Johnston informed LWBC he was willing to reduce the north boundary of the proposed tenure by 67 metres, or 200 feet, to create an access corridor, he added.

Linda Syms, the former president of the Active Malaspina Mariculture Association (AMMA) and the association's representative on an advisory committee for Malaspina Okeover Coastal Plan, said the purpose of the plan was to identify areas suitable for activity to increase the likelihood of the success of an application. "I do not believe it was intended to be used as a tool to shut down aquaculture on technicalities," she said. "In my opinion Dan Johnston and Joanne Wells did their homework and they managed to find a place that met the criteria of the plan perfectly, a unit that was open for aquaculture and a beach that was designated as reserve for shellfish aquaculture."

Allan Sharp, the upland owner, pointed out, as he had at the planning committee meeting, that Fisheries and Oceans Canada prohibits shellfish harvesting within a 125 metres of a permanently moored vessel. He has moored a vessel there since 1993. "I strongly oppose this lease on the basis of that and other reasons," he said. "I feel that my riparian rights will be infringed upon by Mr. Johnston and Ms. Wells' application."

Board chairman Colin Palmer pointed out the regional board motion simply says there is a guideline in the plan that states new tenures should not interfere with wild commercial and recreational clam harvesting.

"I think the information you presented tonight should be sent to LWBC," he told Johnston. "They are going to make the decision."

As well, Palmer said he would have no objection to forwarding all the information that has been received by the regional district to LWBC, including the information presented by Johnston. It was up to LWBC to sort it out, Palmer said. "We have no control over land zoning. We have no control over tenures. But we did sign on to a plan that has a guideline and the guideline simply says that. That's all we're going to tell LWBC. I'm not involved in judging whether you get that tenure or not."

Directors passed a motion to recommend that LWBC deny the application as it is incompatible with a Malaspina Okeover Coastal Plan management guideline that "new tenures should minimize interference with wild commercial and recreational clam harvesting" and to forward to LWBC all the information collected at the public planning committee meetings.