Predator Netting Campaign

Anti-predator netting is a fine mesh, black plastic netting, used to cover clam beds in the intertidal zone on sandy or gravelly shores. Shellfish growers have tenures where clam beds occur naturally and have converted these areas to produce non-native, Manila clams. The intertidal areas where clams and other invertebrates live attract foraging birds of many species. The netting is applied to prevent these birds from accessing their natural food, now grown for commercial purposes. Anti-predator netting is poorly maintained by many growers and has become a chronic hazard to marine wildlife and an expensive clean up problem for local communities and governments.

Long-term risks to migratory birds, overwintering in areas where a large percentage of clams are covered with netting, are becoming clearer. According to a twenty-year study of coastal water bird trends in BC, sea ducks, like Surf Scoters, which are reliant on clams and have longer migratory routes, are showing the greatest population declines in the Strait of Georgia. The K’omoks Important Bird Area, which surrounds Denman and Hornby Islands, has globally important populations of Surf Scoters, as well as important populations of Long-tailed Ducks and White Winged Scoters. It is likely that the loss of food, due to anti-predator netting covering the clam beds, is contributing to these population declines.

The intertidal zone, where a lot of shellfish growing activity takes place, and where all the netting is spread, normally provides creatures with a rich food foraging habitat, a refuge, a spawning ground, a place to mate, and sometimes a temporary home for newly hatched young. When large areas of the intertidal are modified, planted with a single species of clam and covered with netting, the habitat is degraded and simplified. Cumulative impacts on the complexity of the local ecosystem and on populations of intertidal fish, crabs, shrimp and more, due to this loss of habitat, can be predicted, though no long-term studies have been done. Furthermore, plastic netting breaks down in the marine environment, causing micro and nano plastics to accumulate in the ecosystem. These are taken up by shellfish, especially high-volume filter feeders like commercial oysters, grown close to the netting. These toxic particles add to the stresses experienced by organisms already dealing with higher ocean temperatures and the resulting higher density of bacteria.

Netting is seldom properly maintained by growers and often comes loose, tragically entangling creatures like seals, birds, sealions, fish and crabs. Loose netting gets embedded in local saltmarshes, caught in creek estuaries or covered in sand, smothering the clams trapped under the mesh. This derelict netting becomes a chronic hazard. Such careless practices are not compliant with Fisheries and Oceans’ Conditions of Licence; however, inconsistent enforcement has failed to change growers’ behaviour. People walking the beach are also harmed when the rebar pins, which secure the nets to the substrate, corrode and break off. Often, a spikey point is left protruding from the sand, which can impale someone’s foot. Summer is especially hazardous, when low tides encourage families to walk on beaches where netting is exposed and the protruding rusty spikes are almost invisible.

We hired divers to make underwater videos so everyone could see what happens when nets are abandoned and mismanaged. Please share these videos and our webpage to help raise awareness of the risks posed by anti-predator netting. Stay connected to support our campaign to remove nets from intertidal zones.

Things are already going in the right direction! Through our persistent advocating and the increased value given to restoring salmon populations, Fisheries and Oceans will now require shellfish growers to remove most of their netting from salmonid-bearing estuaries starting 2027. This will free up prime foraging areas for sea ducks and help salmon safely transit to the ocean. However, there are still broad expanses of the intertidal habitat covered in netting, and we will keep pressing for its removal. There is more to be done, for the sake of all the creatures whose world has been invaded by this hazardous gear.

We are collaborating with Baynes Sound Oyster Co. on a small research study to see whether clams can be successfully grown without using anti-predator netting. We are optimistic that the results of this study will help move the industry towards less netting-intensive clam-growing practices.

Our community’s annual beach cleanup crew works to remove abandoned netting from the marine environment, and we can always use more volunteers! Our volunteers also monitor local beaches for derelict netting and hazardous rebar spikes. ADIMS can help residents submit complaints to DFO or other agencies to push for enforcement action. Email adimsinfo@gmail.com and ask to be added to our volunteer list and our events email list to learn more about upcoming campaign actions!