Gibsons Harbour Marine Debris Cleanup

The Nicholas Sonntag Marine Education Centre (NSMEC) and Freedom Diving Systems Ltd. (FDS) in conjunction with the Gibsons Landing Harbour Authority (GLHA) are planning a 3-day marine debris clean-up event with the objective to remove marine debris from within the Gibsons Landing harbour facility and adjacent eelgrass beds and beaches while bringing awareness into the community of the ongoing issues associated with marine debris in our oceans. The event will run from Friday May 5th to Sunday May 7th, 2023.

Join us to volunteer with this incredible project. We will have various different opportunities to volunteer throughout the weekend. See below for volunteer times and duties.

Saturday 6th May

11am – 1pm     Marine debris sorting at GLHA.
11am – 1pm     Information/education table volunteer at GLHA.
1pm – 3pm       Marine debris sorting at GLHA.
1pm – 3pm       Information/education table volunteer at GLHA.
1pm – 3pm       Beach clean up from GLHA towards Armours Beach.

Sunday 7th May

11am – 1pm     Marine debris sorting at GLHA
11am – 1pm     Information/education table volunteer at GLHA.
1pm – 3pm       Marine debris sorting at GLHA
1pm – 3pm       Information/education table volunteer at GLHA.

The clean up event hopes to motivate the local community to be aware of the importance of keeping garbage out of our oceans and will bring together the public and local contractors to firsthand witness what trash can be found below the surface, thought to be out of sight and out of mind.

Gibsons based companies and marine contractors will focus their professional services into cleaning up areas of the local harbour and surrounding eelgrass beds for the betterment of the local marine ecology. This will include occupational divers provided by FDS, small vessel support provided by Gibsons Marine Transport, garbage disposal services coordinated by Coast Bin Rentals Ltd. and educational outreach and community engagement lead by the staff and volunteers of the NSMEC. The NSMEC and Town of Gibsons developed a project to continue monitoring the state of local eelgrass beds through the Healthy Harbour Project which has been running since 2019. The Healthy Harbour Project supports the efforts to remove marine debris from the local environment.

FDS spearheaded the collaboration of the event to coincide simultaneously with the NSMEC’s mission and offered to contribute portions of their services at reduced rates to facilitate a cleanup event that could span an entire weekend. With the funding support of the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s Community Salmon Program; the Healthy Harbour Project, a partnership with the Town of Gibsons, and the Rotary Club of Gibsons pledging their support to contribute funding towards the costs incurred by operations, the collaboration of these community stakeholders has enabled the event to take shape. Networking the community has brought together the support of other keen and interested entities including Sunshine Coast Regional District, RCMSAR 14 and the Ocean Legacy Foundation.

This support and involvement will help provide the event with safety and awareness, facilities where debris can be responsibly recycled and disposed of. This event helps also draw awareness to a new marine debris recycling facility available to the general public coordinated and established by work between the Sunshine Coast Regional District and the Ocean Legacy Foundation.