With a total of $30 thousand to do the job, the process of removing "problem vessels" from Mannion Bay is now underway. Half of that money is coming out of the Municipal budget, but the other half has been acquired through funding from Transport Canada. Bowen Island's chief bylaw officer, Bonny Brokenshire, calls this funding a 'profound success' representative of the collaboration and persistence of community groups and the Municipality, but more money will be needed to complete the process.
The Municipality's efforts to clean up Mannion Bay have been supported by both the Bowen Island Fish and Wildlife Club as well as the Friends of Mannion Bay.
Tim Pardee, the president of the Fish and Wildlife Club says that the Bay acts as a protective habitat for mature salmon fry heading making their way from the Bowen hatchery to the open ocean. It is also a place where the salmon linger before returning to Bowen's streams and rivers.
Brokenshire adds that debris from old boats and docks can land in eelgrass and alter that environment which is so important to young forage fish such as Herring and Smelts.
Bruce Russell with the group Friends of Mannion Bay says that people living aboard boats in the Bay make it hard for locals to enjoy the beach.
"I've heard it called 'Poo Bay,'" says Russell. "Some of these boats haven't moved for 20 years, what do you think the people living on them do with their sewage?"
Russell also complains that the abandoned boats, docks and debris on the beach leave a poor impression for tourists.
"I've seen touring boats come into Mannion Bay to check it out and leave immediately without stopping in the Cove to check out any of the local businesses," he says.
The first item on the Mannion Bay clean-up agenda is the removal of floating docks. Brokenshire estimates that there are five of these, and the cost of removing them might add up to $5000, all of which will be covered by the Municipality.
Next will be the removal of mooring buoys and the boats that are attached to them. Brokenshire estimates that there are between 20 and 30 of these, and at least half of those have boats attached.
"We'll have to tow them and them store them for a certain period of time giving the owners an opportunity to claim the boats before they are taken to a salvage operation," says Brokenshire.
The estimated cost of this process, for a 25 foot boat, she says, is $3000. The removal of all the mooring buoys needs to be completed by March, 2014.
The Friends of Mannion Bay has offered to solicit private donations to cover any extra costs of this process, as well as to put and floating boom around Sandy Beach to protect it from debris. If these donations are made through the Municipality, they will be tax-deductible.
Brokenshire says that in the long-term, the Municipality wants to develop a management plan for Mannion Bay and this might include an amendment to the Land Use Bylaw.
