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Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017
Westerly News
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Nails on float spark DFO investigation
Spikes allegedly used to keep sea lions at bay ANDREW BAILEY andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
Nails seen sticking out of a float frequented by sea lions near Ucluelet’s public boat launch at the end of Seaplane Base Road have been removed and an investigation has been launched to determine what they were doing there, according to DFO Marine Mammal Coordinator Paul Cottrell. Photographs of the privately owned float taken last week by Wayne Barnes of Tofino Photography show large nails roughly evenly spaced along the perimeter of the float, spike-side up and roughly eight centimetres high. Cottrell told the Westerly News that DFO is working with the Ucluelet RCMP to determine if the nails were installed on the float to injure sea lions that tried to climb onto it. “If it was done intentionally to disturb sea lions, or injure them, that’s not cool,” he said. “Obviously, injuring animals is cruel and inhumane and, if it was done on purpose, then that’s something that’s not acceptable under the Marine Mammal Regulations and other regulations…It’s something that we take very seriously, so we’re definitely looking into it.” Local marine mammal researcher Wendy Szaniszlo said placing nails on a float to keep sea lions away would be both dangerous and ineffective. Continued on A2
KIRSTEN ROBINSON - PHOTO
NECROPSY REVEALS INJURY: An 11.8-metre-long male humpback whale carcass was recently discovered near Muscle Beach and a necropsy performed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada on Friday revealed the animal had a broken jaw that may have been caused by an interaction with a vessel. DFO plans to leave the carcass where it is so it can contribute to the local food-web. Read about it on page 3.
Community rallies after Food Bank theft ANDREW BAILEY andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
The West Coast was shaken last week as news broke that thieves had hit the Food Bank on the Edge. “There was a lot of stuff taken. We figure it was somewhere between $700 and $800 worth of food,” Food Bank volunteer Kaytee Devlin told the Westerly News. “How can you steal from people that are trying to help other people?”
Devlin discovered the theft when she was dropping off donations at the Food Bank on Oct. 8 and noticed items had been moved and some were missing. When she checked the front door and noticed it was unlocked, she immediately called the Ucluelet RCMP. She said the front door did not look like it had been forced open in anyway, but the thieves managed to break a new lock that had been installed over the summer. She believes there were at least two thieves involved and suggested they were likely inside for some time based on the amount and variety of items stolen. Continued on A3
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