MLWS Student & UBC Ocean Leaders Share Ship Dumping Reports on the Eve of Boating Season

Vessel raw sewage discharge in aquatic ecosystems is detrimental for the ecosystem and subsequently, the economic output of the region. Without proper legislation, infrastructure and protection, the Great Bear Sea is likely to decline due to marine vessel waste dumping.

Jeff Sha, MLWS ’21 & UBC Ocean Leaders

UBC Ocean Leaders, a fellowship of UBC graduate students with MLWS student Jeff Sha, have written two reports on the threats and solutions are outlined from vessel pollution. The first report explores existing vessel discharge policies and regulation internationally, in two bordering US states, Washington and Alaska, and in BC, to understand the current regulatory framework in the Pacific Northwest. The second report explores the Great Bear Sea as a “toilet bowl for marine vessels,” quantifying waste and the ecological, social, cultural, and economic risks of marine dumping.

Read the full press release via Stand.earth, a nonprofit environmental organization.