Week 2

Neal Tyson

Pictures to be added soon

Following the success of the Port Orford Red Fish Rock Marine Reserve BBQ with a side of SCIENCE (that’s a mouthful), we were in high spirits going into the next outreach event. The next BBQ with a side of science was to be held at the Garibaldi port. We were there to again talk about and answer questions surrounding the local reserve, in this case the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve. However, before heading out we were warned that we might not have the same warm reception as the previous event.

Some background info:

The implementation of the marine reserve started in 2011 with the initial talks of where they might be established. As with any talk about closing off areas for economic use, there was some tension right off the back. Many of the coastal communities rely on fishing as a primary source of income and very few were happy to hear talk about a marine reserve. Port Orford was different as they believed this change may be for the best and after community discussions established their reserve in their second best fishing grounds. Garibaldi was different. The Cape Falcon marine reserve was the hottest contested marine reserve (that was established, others did not make it). In order for the reserves to be accepted and established a majority of the population had to vote for it, many of the commercial and recreational fishermen believed that the voting had been rigged against them by environmentalists and those “from the valley” (people from inland where the majority of the political power and population are from). That being said, not all fishermen were against the reserve. Most fishermen are environmentalists at heart and care very much for the sea, however being told what to do and limiting their options for income when money is already tight is always hard. After long discussions the reserve was established off of Cape Falcon in 2016. It was the last marine reserve established and done 4 years after Red Fish Rocks.

Oddly enough the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve was not a traditional fishing ground and very rarely did anyone fish there. The fight became more a symbol of people not in the industry telling fishermen what to do rather than an effort to establish a functional reserve.

Knowing this, we figured that the BBQ would probably not bring in many people and if we did, we would probably get some heated questions. With out enthusiasm still high we were ready to forward those heated questions onto our superiors! In all seriousness we wanted those heated questions, we wanted fishermen to bring their questions so that we may explain any misconceptions that they may have about the reserve. We were also welcoming the general public and encouraging everyone to come and get involved with the reserves research program. We had just finished our hook and line, scuba and long line surveys in the Spring but we were letting everyone know we were coming back in the Fall.

We set up at the cross roads before the docks and began grilling up. We expected to start seeing people at around 1, an hour after we started at 12. But by 11 we already had 15 people asking about our programs, we hadn’t even started serving food yet! We expected less than 15 and in total we had over 100 people show up with just under half being commercial, recreational and charter fishermen! Conversation about the reserve was flowing faster than the food. We had to make 2 trips to the local store to pick up more hamburgers. We had more sign ups for the reserve e newsletter than any out reach events. The word kept spreading as fast as their interest. They were curious to see how they could get involved and if we had seen any differences yet. I’ve never handed out more Marine Reserve Stickers and swag in my entire life, highlight reel moment for sure. The hardest part was trying to stay neutral and not spread how positively we felt about the reserve (as a government agency we cannot formally promote how we feel about the reserve). But, hey its good practice!

It was a huge success and the biggest turn out we had ever had (granted we’ve been here for 2 weeks and only been to 2 events, BUT STILL). In all it was an amazing experience and I’m super stoked to have been a part of it.