Dead Boats Disposal Society
The Dead Boats Disposal Society is a non-profit society dedicated to the removal and disposal of abandoned boats and marine debris from shorelines in British Columbia, Canada. The Victoria-based Society has hauled 124 boats out of the water since 2017, most from bays and inlets in the Capital Regional District from Sooke to the Gulf Islands. By February 2020, the group had removed 89,300 metric tonnes of marine debris.
Issue
The problem of derelict boats is widespread along the British Columbia coast since, before July 2019 when the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act came into effect, it was not illegal to abandon a boat along Canada's coastline. With the Act, the government of Canada gained enforcement powers to impose penalties on individuals of up to $50,000, and to remove problem vessels if they are a hazard to safety or a threat to the marine environment.However, after four years, only two fines had been levied.
Also, the Saanich Inlet Protection Society says "It seems the only time they act is after the boats have sunk."
A boat may be an environmental and navigation hazard for years before it sinks, and John Roe of the DBDS notes that delaying action increases the cost of removal. While local municipalities are left to deal with derelict boats that come ashore, the problem is complicated from a jurisdictional standpoint because the seabed is a provincial responsibility, activities on the surface are under the purview of the Coast Guard, and the water in between is subject to Fisheries and Oceans Canada authority.