People for lifting the moratorium on offshore drilling emphasis the jobs for British Columbia (BC) and revenue for the province citing hibernia as a precedent However, the government of Newfoundland got a bad deal from the petroleum producers collecting royalties only on net revenue, despite costing the federal and provincial government billions in grants, loan guarantees, and tax breaks. After Hibernia’s development  phase most of the jobs were gone for good the Hibernia deal was made

prior to free trade; making BC’s ability to make any comparable deal to employ local people almost nil. Furthermore, the exploration and production phases are not likely to yield many jobs per million dollars spent most jobs Newfoundlanders got only lasted during the construction phase. “Chevron estimated employment for a three year exploration program peaking at 202 employees with a maximum of 81 local hires (Marshall 8)”. More than 81 jobs would be a risk in the crab fisheries alone, by both surveying and drilling.  Despite problems in recent years BC’s commercial fisheries employee up to 15,000 and pays millions of dollars in wages to fish processors in coastal communities (oil-free coast alliance).  Furthermore, if petroleum producers build portable platforms there may be no assurance the platforms would be built in BC. In fact, if the new ferries are any indication the current provincial government are not likely insist they are made in BC.

            A big reason the moratorium should not be lifted is the daily pollution that

occurs during all phases: exploratory, development, and production. Different types

of drilling muds are used depending on the type of rock to be drilled. Exploratory

drilling can release lead, and mercury, bentonite, biocides and other harmful substances.

Produced water is released during production drilling, and is harmful to fish residing in, or migrating through the area because it is contaminated usually with oil, and trace metals.  Therefore exploration in the Queen Charlotte Basin (QCB) would be detrimental to BC’s salmon fishers since all salmon pass through the basin except some coho stocks.  BC’s fisheries is best known for pacific salmon. Contaminates from oil platforms stunt growth in fish and are detrimental to their reproduction. (oil-free coast alliance).  People can unwittingly eat fish contaminated by produced water, just like they eat lobster unaware that by nature lobster is contaminated; it is like the cockroach of the ocean.  Since exploratory and extraction drilling contaminate fish nearby there is high risk that some tainted fish will end up in the human food chain.

            There is some risk of oil spills during the development, and production phase of all offshore drilling.  By lifting the moratorium of the west coast the federal government would place sea mammals, and birds, in jeopardy of ingesting oil, or being coated by oil or both.  Sea mammals would get covered in oil every time they surface for breathing.  Worse still, birds and marine mammals can ingest crude oil by directly or by eating contaminated food.  Just being covered in the black slick can has proven fatal to birds at an increasing rate since the early twentieth century when oil was first shipped around the world.  (burger 1600). The amount of oil spilled and therefore impact on mammals, fish, and sea fairing fowls has grown at an alarming rate over the years, and decades especially during time of war. 

                        With the war effort, there were a number of spills on the east coast of

                        North America, and 5,000 ducks were killed in on incident alone in 1942.

In 1948, about 10,000 ducks died in the winter from oil in the Detroit river.(burger 160)

If the Canadian government lifts the moratorium they will be risking wildlife to more disasters like these.  The western boundary of the QCB is on a fault; it’s estimated that over 200 million barrels of oil is in this area. An offshore rig need not be on the fault line to be at risk since an earthquake can have an impact miles from the epic centre. Victoria residents, for example, have felt earth quakes in which the epic centres where in Puget Sound, Washington.  Needless to say allowing a rig anywhere on the QCB will be a permanent risk of oil spills that would make the exxon valdez spill look minor in camparison.

            Commercial, recreational and sport fisheries create many direct and indirect jobs in British Columbia’s north coastal and island communities.  Even, during years the price of fish is low, it is an industry worth over $100 million including millions of dollars in wages.  An oil spill could kill thousands of fish quickly just like they can kill thousands of birds.  Many more can be contaminated be swimming through oiled streams and ingesting it.  In addition to salmon fishing crab fisheries is major contributor to the economy especial in Queen Charlotte Islands (QCI).  Crab fishers hire crew on the their vessels land crew for maintenance, and bookkeeping, and spend over a million on gear, bait, licences, monitoring fees, insurance and so on. In all crab fisheries brings 22 million dollars to the QCI and north coast economy.  After exposing crab from the east coast to seismic surveying biologist for the DFO found changes to the cellular structure of the crabs’ hepatopancreas (organ that is both the liver and pancreas in one), and emorrhaging (internal bleeding) of the ovaries.  Furthermore embryo development from crabs the endured seismic exposure appeared to be stunted and the larvae was smaller.  (DFO 3).  This is the threats crabs in the QCB face if the government open the door to exploration in the area. The government of BC should be caution about pressing Ottawa to allow offshore drilling because to protect fisher’s lively hood. “There were many direct fishing losses for at least four years following the Exxon Valdez oil spill (Burger 191)”. Worse yet, seismic surveying seems to affect not just crabs, but all fish. Before any exploratory or extraction drilling extensive seismic surveying would take place over large areas. The BC government’s own scientific report should raise their alarm bells on the what little is known about the seismic surveying on fish and through that the effects on fisheries.

Adult fish respond by swimming away from seismic noise.  A fish may react to a seismic array more than 30 km away, and intense avoidance

behavour can be expected within 1-5 km.  This type of noise may affect

…even the mortality of adult fish( Gallagher, Strong, Muggeridge 28 ).

            Commercial fisheries is not the only industry that would be threaten by lifting the

moratorium;  an oil spill, and surveying can be detrimental to the another major industry in BC:  tourism. Wilderness tourism such as whale watching is a major part of this industry contributing a billion dollars to the province’s GNP an employing 15,000. There are many whale watching business in 11 communities on Vancouver island. Noise from both surveying, and drilling has been observed to affect whale migration patterns in other parts of the globe.  This can be more than just a minor inconvenience; once again the governments own report should raise alarm bells.

This effect can have serious consequences: for example, in March 2000, shortly after the US Navy conducted exercises in the Bahamas, 17 whales

from four different species beached themselves over a four-day period.  seven of  the whales died; and a number of them were found to have haemorrhages of  varying degree in their hearing organs. (Gallagher, Muggeridge, Strong, 28)

A decision in Ottawa could and response in the provincial legislature could open the window to exploration and eventual oil platforms on the Tofino Basin.  In addition to whale watching and commercial fishing thousands of spin off jobs would be threaten.  Restaurants, gift shops, and hotels have been opened on the island to accommodate whale watchers and recreational fishers.  However, a government hungry for it’s share of the oil revenue or whose party has received a substantial sum of money from the oil company may tend to look the other way and omit such finding from the public.

              Not only would lifting the moratorium jeopardize more jobs than it would create for the long term, but oil is not a sustainable resource; once it’s gone so are the jobs Fish stocks however can recover especially with the help of conservation workers fertilizing roe, then releasing young fish into streams.  Drilling off the coast is a bigger risk to the environment, wildlife, and the coastal economy than it’s worth.

Works Cited

Burger, Joanna. Oil Spills.   New Brunswick, New Jersey Rutgers University Press 1997

Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Gallagher, Patricia; Muggeridge Derek; Strong, David. British Columbia Offshore Hydrocarbon Development.  Scientific Review Panel 2002

Marshall, Dale Should BC lift the offshore oil moratorium.

            Canadian Centre for Policy Altenatives year unknown

Oil Free Coast Alliance. www.oilfreecoast.org