Sustainable seas key to economic health of B.C.

Shipping industry leads way, says Robert Lewis-Manning.

Today is World Oceans Day, an occasion for us all to reflect upon the importance of our oceans’ health and the critical role they play in our collective prosperity.

At any given time, more than 50,000 commercial vessels are helping facilitate trade globally, trade that accounts for a staggering 80 per cent of global trade by volume and 70 per cent by value.

Ocean-enabled trade is particularly important for Canada, a country dependent on ships to move goods from across the country to international markets. Nationally, shipping generates $30 billion of economic activity and is responsible for moving more than $200 billion worth of goods to and from global markets.

The importance of this sector is even more pronounced in B.C., which is home to Canada’s largest port, the Port of Vancouver, and where ocean-oriented activity accounts for eight per cent of provincial jobs and seven per cent of B.C.’s GDP.

In short, if shipping is the lifeblood of our global economy, then oceans are the figurative arteries. This is why it so critical we understand the state of our oceans’ health, including both the challenges and opportunities.

While marine pollution has substantially decreased over the past 15 years, our oceans still face significant challenges. Greenhouse gas emissions are causing acidification at the fastest rate in 30 million years. Human activity is disrupting marine ecosystems and threatening thousands of aquatic species, including the iconic southern resident killer whales.

Unprecedented levels of plastics are entering oceans, with the volume only projected to increase.

And every year, thousands of invasive species hitch a ride on commercial vessels, travelling the globe with long-term implications for non-native maritime environments.

These issues, if left unchecked, not only threaten the health of our oceans but also the numerous industries — agriculture, manufacturing, natural resource, and tourism, just to name a few — that rely upon our oceans as a critical component of their supply chains.

The good news is that the marine transportation sector is taking proactive steps to further minimize its environmental footprint on our oceans and coastal communities — and British Columbia is leading the charge.

To this end, the Chamber of Shipping of B.C. has worked with local stakeholders across the public, private and non-profit sectors to find innovative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing our oceans, such as protecting endangered species, reducing emissions and minimizing the introduction of invasive species to local waters.

For instance, we participate in the Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program, an initiative led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority that enjoys the support of stakeholders across industry, government, First Nations individuals, environmental organizations and academia.

It’s a program aimed at better understanding and, ultimately, reducing the impact of shipping activities on at-risk whales across the southern coast of British Columbia.

To reduce emissions, many vessel operators visiting our local waters also participate in the EcoAction program, a local program under the port authority that offers financial incentives to ships that use alternative fuels, like LNG, and take other voluntary steps to reduce their emissions.

To lessen the introduction of invasive species and contaminants into local waters through ships’ ballast water, a process whereby vessels discharge foreign waters into local environments, Vancouver was the first port in North America to prohibit in-port ballast water exchange without prior mid-ocean exchange — a practice that has since become the basis of federal regulations. These initiatives demonstrate tremendous leadership by B.C.’s maritime industry, but there is still more work to be done, especially as the demand for shipping grows.

To manage this growing demand sustainably, we must continue to understand, acknowledge and address concerns about the impact of our industry on the maritime environment.

As with existing sustainability initiatives, we need to continue fostering collaboration among key groups, including local communities, First Nations, as well as industry and government, to align on an approach that will both protect our oceans and prosperity for generations for come.