Open Collections

Lander, Mina; Qu, Nathan; Tonegawa, Risako; Leung, Sonia

Norovirus outbreaks linked to fecal contamination in shellfish harvesting sites in British Columbia present a significant threat to public health and the shellfish industry. Baynes Sound, in the Strait of Georgia (SoG), is one of the most prolific sites for shellfish aquaculture in BC and has been connected with several norovirus outbreaks over the last decade. Illegal sewage dumping from vessels has been presented as a potential contamination source. In partnership with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), this report analyzes the suitability of Transport Canada’s Enhanced Maritime Situational Awareness (EMSA) program data as a means to track vessel traffic to support norovirus outbreak investigations. EMSA, which includes data derived from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), is cross-referenced against Planet Labs satellite imagery and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) flyover photography. The cross-reference exercise highlighted inherent inaccuracies within EMSA’s AIS data, specifically a widespread undercounting of vessels across five years of data. Between EMSA and satellite imagery and EMSA and flyover photography, Spearman’s rs were 0.1277 and 0.3028, respectively. The findings illustrate the lack of effectiveness of EMSA for tracking vessel counts across the SoG. Experts and literature reviews suggest that vessel operators may turn off their AIS devices to hide illegal sewage dumping activities. The results lead to the following recommendations: 1) continuation of DFO flyover photography, 2) increasing enforcement of AIS usage around shellfish aquaculture, and 3) expanding the AIS program in Canada.

Text

University of British Columbia. ENVR_V 400

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0448670

Science, Faculty of; Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of

Undergraduate

DSpace