Last weekend, while racers in the Test of Metal huffed and puffed up Nine Mile, the action on the water was just as intense.
The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club were out in force, training B.C.'s elite sailors in Laser sailing dinghies. The Spit was a blaze of bright neon colours as kiteboarders zipped around a race course. Amid all the action, a Canadian navy submarine paid a visit to the sound and it was business as usual at the Squamish Terminals and the town's log sorts. Topping the weekend off, residents reported sightings of orca whales.
Howe Sound is a happening place. It's busy; very busy. And as pressure mounts to build residential and industrial developments along its shoreline, the waterway is only going to get busier.
Many are already eyeing the sound's active future. The District of Squamish is looking into the ins and- outs of the many bodies that govern jurisdiction of the waterway. Staff are completing the first phase of a Marine Management Plan.
Then there's the Future of Howe Sound Society, a group that's calling for a comprehensive management plan of the entire sound.
It's an intricate issue. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has a variety of different management plans, from protected areas to watershed plans. But when asked if it has a full-blown management plan for any saltwater body in B.C., DFO spokesperson Dan Bate said it's a grey area. The closest project to fit the bill is likely the Fraser Basin Council's Lower Fraser Collaborative Initiative.
It's obvious that any such plan for the sound would be a massive undertaking. It would also cost a sea load of cash. But Howe Sound is unique. It's close to the Lower Mainland, is bordered by the highway and railway, has seen a resurgence of marine life and is blessed with thermal winds.
These factors bring different pressures to bear on the waterway - more so than with other, similar-sized bodies of water. Because of this, it might be time that the federal and provincial government look into creating some kind of outline to guide its future.
The sound flows into the lives of people throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor and the Lower Mainland. Under a comprehensive plan, there's the potential to bring industrial dollars and jobs to the area, wow tourists with its beauty and wildlife and bring athletes from around the world to its waters.
Whatever we do, we don't want to kill a good thing. The people who work, play and admire the sound have already poured time and money into it. Let's build upon those foundations and see what the tide washes in.
