There is a Milky Way that is neither a galaxy of stars nor a chocolate bar, but a nautical phenomenon, also known as the Milky Way, which turns a swath of Salish Sea into a milky turquoise spectacle.
It is an annual marvel that surrounds B.C.’s roe herring fishery when millions of spring herring spawn in coastal waters off Vancouver Island.
In March, a quota just exceeding 6,000 tons of good, quality fish were landed in a relatively small area between Comox and French Creek.
Again this year, the Ladner-based Delta Lifeboat, owned and operated by the Canadian Lifeboat Institution (CLI), played an important role in patrolling the herring fleet, staying on-scene throughout the fishery, ready to assist in any emergency. Delta Lifeboat worked alongside Industry, Worksafe BC and Fish Safe BC, to help ensure every fisher returned home safely.
During the lifeboat’s nine-day deployment, its all-volunteer-crew was tasked by the Coast Guard to alert the fishing vessel Nordic Queen observed dragging anchor at 4 a.m. in high winds and in danger of running aground. Its crew was awakened and the vessel escorted to a safer anchorage.
Another was a stand-by call while the Christav cleared a net fouled while weighing anchor.
The Delta Lifeboat was again on-site when a gillnetter was seen listing badly, possibly when its load shifted, while the crew fought to move cargo, rectify the problem and avert a possible capsize.
While the beginning of the seine fishery was fraught with bad weather and winds up to 40 knots, the later gillnet fishery off Qualicum Beach was blessed with calm sunny days and starlight nights ‘beneath the astral Milky Way’.
The Delta Lifeboat returned to Ladner Harbour March 15 with gratitude for a second consecutive year in which there were no injuries or fatalities during what can be a dangerous fishery.
