For generations, səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) has carried the responsibility to protect səlilwət (Burrard Inlet). Through the various projects that our Treaty, Lands and Resources (TLR) Department maintains, this natural right is still carried out today.
In the summer of 2023, our Lands, Water and Environment (LWE) team began to investigate ghost gear (abandoned crab traps, anchors, tires, etc.) in various tidal zones on Tsleil-Waututh Nation territory.
LWE started with speaking with Tsleil-Waututh community members to learn where people either lost gear or know of locations where gear was lost or abandoned. This provided enough detail to inform three days of remote operated vehicle surveys at various depths.
Once we developed a general map of where ghost gear was found, we spent five days on the water with two boats and divers in the water collecting as much ghost gear as possible. SeaChange Marine Conservation Society alongside the kind donations from Bin There Disposal Services and Eagle Disposal Inc. supported this work.
Total amounts of debris removed from our waters included:
- 20+ crab traps
- 9 tires
- 1 12’x9’ net with weight and floats
- endless feet of rope, wire, and other cordage
Although this project was small in scale, combined with the multitude of projects TWN is leading, we are achieving our goal of protecting, cleaning, and preserving TWN’s grandmother inlet.
To learn more about TLR’s efforts, please visit the Treaty, Lands and Resources Department page.
