The project, which runs until Wednesday, is a collaboration between local non-profit organization False Creek Friends, scientists from the Hakai Institute’s coastal research center and the city of Vancouver. The blitz is part of a push to see False Creek recognized as an urban marine park or protected environmental area — as well as somewhere people can swim safely — starting with a biological inventory to identify as many species as possible at the inlet for six days. “We’re collecting water here in False Creek to help us catalog the biodiversity we have in this waterway,” said Matt Whalen, the principal investigator of the BioBlitz project working with the Hakai Institute. Whalen says the team takes water samples and passes them through a fine mesh filter to then analyze the DNA of plants and animals left behind. Researchers are also looking at what types of bacteria are present in the waterway, which is heavily polluted by sewage overflows, runoff and boat waste. In the past, parts of False Creek have recorded water pollution levels that are four times what is considered safe for humans to swim in. Researchers from Hakai and collaborators from several other universities will conduct shoreline and tidal surveys on foot, study plankton and soft sediments, launch diving expeditions, study water samples under the microscope, and gather information submitted by the public into an app called iNaturalist. Matt Whalen explains how his team, made up of marine researchers from the Hakai Institute and the Universities of British Columbia, collect water samples from False Creek and analyze them for DNA and bacteria. (Yasmin Gandham/CBC) Tim Bray, co-founder of False Creek Friends, says most people in Vancouver feel that False Creek is not suitable for swimming, but hopefully that can change. Plans are already underway to clean up the water, and Bray says the new research will give a clearer picture of what needs to be done. “If we want to improve False Creek, the first essential step is to do the science so we know what the problems are,” Bray said. “We’re going to get a snapshot of what’s living here. What’s healthy and what’s toxic so we can direct our investments and efforts in the right direction.” WATCHES | Sharks and crabs fight over food in False Creek
Spiny dogfish sharks feast in False Creek
Professor Joe Valencic, a volunteer with the False Creek Friends Society, dropped some bait near the Granville Street Bridge on Wednesday, August 31 and captured some of the local species fighting over a free meal with an underwater camera. Footage courtesy of False Creek Friends Society. The vision of False Creek Friends is to restore the marine environment with guidance from the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Watuth nations. They want to ensure that indigenous knowledge and management are part of any future development plans in the necessary tri-nation territory. “It could become a park, it could become a conservation area,” Bray said. Tim Bray, co-founder of False Creek Friends, says his group wants to clean up the waterway enough for people to go swimming there. But first, a team of scientists will analyze all the species that live in it and see how polluted it really is. (Yasmin Gandham/CBC)
Look forward
In a statement to CBC, Vancouver sustainability specialist Rachel Telling said the city is providing research space to scientists participating in the bio blitz and will use the data to adapt the city’s shoreline and park, healthy water plan and other environmental designs. Telling said the city asked local residents to weigh in on what they would like to see done in the area, and one of the main goals of the project is to “start a broader conversation about how to revitalize and preserve False Creek in the future. “ The Sea2City challenge, which recently completed its community engagement phase, asked Vancouverites to submit design ideas for the inlet and development ideas that account for climate change and sea level rise. The city says final results will be shared sometime in October, and the False Creek Inlet overhaul will likely take place in “several years.”
