Versatile
future an
issue of
access

Mixed use supported

PUBLIC ACCESS is the priority for residents and
business people with an interest in development plans
for the Versatile shipbuilding site.

By lan Noble
News Reporter

Most said a portion of the former industrial area must make
way for a mixed use of retail, heritage, and public space.

The combination, they said, would attract North Shore resi-
dents and tourists alike, bringing new business and vitality toa
waterfront that is heavily industrial.

Lower Lonsdale merchant Vivian Kranenburg said she
would like to see something developed along the lines of the
‘West Vancouver sea walk.

“Tt would be nice for people who want to get down {o the water to get
access to it,” she said.

The sentiment was echoed by The Lonsdale Citizens’ Association chair-
man Jim Ramsay, who called public access the number one priority in rework-
ing the area.

“One of the problems i in North Vancouver City i is we have very little access
to the waterfront.” :

-. Ramsay, who wants to see a Granville Island-type development, added
he’s pleased the city is entertaining a study of the area “because it is such an
important comporient of Lower Lonsdale development. It’s a great opportuni-

The study Ramsay talks about is in ‘the proposal Stage at city hall. The pro-
posal ‘calls for a $200,000 study of an 8,28-hectare (20.7-acre) area of
Versatile’s former 16.88-hectare (42,2-acte) property, which is located along

the waterfront to ‘the’ east of Lonsdale Avenue. °
In ‘addition to. retail space, Lower Lonsdale Business Association director

ue Chris: Anderson said‘ he. would like to see a'‘public wharf on site. “We need

_ more things to doi in Lower Lonsdale, ‘more types of non-expensive activities

Sunday, March 24, 1996 — North Shore News —

Anderson supports the retention of heritage structures in the area. He noted
the St. Roch, which was the first ship to sail the Northwest Passage in both
directions, was built on the site, but is now housed in Kitsilano in Vancouver.

“That's North Van history. I think we should be the ones capitalizing on the
tourist industry around us,” he said.

North Vancouver museum director Robin Inglis would agree. He wants to
move the museum from its low-traffic Presentation House Jecation to the cop-
per shop on the Versatile site.

“Our hope is that the heritage character of the site be retained as much as _

possible,” he said. “The building itself represents something pretty important
in North Vancouver's history.” he said.

Inglis added museum staff could inform the public of the site’s history and
be involved in providing interpretive walks and plaques.

Bob Pollock, coordinator of the Lower Lonsdale Seniors’ Association, said
seniors need an area to meet, and a portion of a building on the Versatile site
would be ideal. “There is a real need in Lower Lonsdale for seniors to have a
place of their own,” he said.

The site could ulso be revitalized with retail space, condominium accom-

for the public.”

~Expe rt says
‘too many fish.

| produced. -

“A UBC professor says that too
many fish released from. big
hatcheries such. as Capilano
River ‘hatchery may explain ©
‘why there are fewer fish in the
ocean.

By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter °

“We have some disturbing evi-

dence that we may be exceeding the

. current capacity of the ocean to

absorb so many fish.” said Carl
Walters.

; Walters is a professor and researcher at the”

"Fisheries Centre and Zoology Department at

“All we know is that as they put out more and
more, the, survival rate of the fish in the ocean
have been falling,” said Walters.

Walters was a featured speaker at a March 12
West Vancouver Chamber cf Commerce break-
fast meeting.

The UBC professor acknowledges that there
area couple of theories explaining why salmon
stocks, especially chinook, are low on the south
coast.

They include:

@ the ocean has changed (water temperature
increases) :and- these changes coincidentally
occurred as the larger hatchery programs began
releasing large numbers of fish;

@ big hatchery releases of small fish in the Geean
have created extra competition among the fish
above and beyond their usual ocean survival chal-
lenges.

“According to that (the latter) argument, the
big hatcheries may be partly responsible for the
decline of a Jot of the wild populations which is a
scary possibility,” said Walters.

modation, live-work studios, and art galleries.

‘NEWS photo Tey Poters

CAPILANO RIVER hatchery salmon crowd a pen near the facili-
ty located in tha 4500-block of Capilano Road.

Ted Perry, acting-director of the Department
of Fisheries and Oceans’ (DFO) Salmonid
Enhancement Program, said Walters knows that
the big hatcheries have not been putting out more
and more fish a year. .

“For example coho which is one of fis favorite
topics... the hatchery releases of coho into the
Strait of Georgia peaked around the mid 1980s
and have substantially dropped since that time.”
said Perry.

Perry is responsible for all DFO hatcheries
programs in B.C. and Yukon including the
Capilano River Hatchery.

Perry agrees that the ocean survival of hatch-
ery and wild fish has declined in recent years.

“People like myself believe strongly that sur-
vival in the ocean is very much linked to oceano-
graphic conditions.” said Perry.

“tn fact, Cart and others have documented
changes in the ocean conditions.” said Perry.

Perry said the water temperature in Georgia
Suait has been higher than normal since the
1970s.

He said the temperature fluctuation is consid-
ered a cyclical event.

But said Walters.” Ht is impossible for the peo-

ple that run these facilities (big
hatcheries) to ever conceive that
they could be part of the problem.”

Walters and Perry agree that chi-

nook: salmon stocks on the south.

coust are al an alarmingly low level.

Walters said chinook salmon
have been over-fished by commer-
cial and sports fishermen.

But Perry said the numbers of
chinook allowed to be caught has
gone down “tremendously” in
recent years and the fish numbers
are still declining.

i: “And Carl knows this, There

~ have been new regulations on coho.
sport and commercial fishing. There
were new regulations last year on
‘chinook fishing. If things don't
improve, they (the restrictions) will
continue or be more severe.” said
Perry.

Walters said the big-hatchery
theary can be tested by comparing survival rates
after large releases with survival rates after the
smaller hatchery releases.

The Capilano River hatchery releases about |.
1 million coho, steelhead and chinook salmon a
yeas.

Perry said that Walters’ big hatchery theory is
theoretically possible, but decades ago, B.C. used
to have a lot more adult fish in the ocean.

“That means that there was probably a lot
more young fish going to the ocean to produce
those (adult) fish, So there was a capacity there,”
said Perry.

He believes the oceanographic changes have
reduced the ability of young fish to muke it to
adulthood.

Wakters said chinvoks have been over-fished
in the south coast and are now estinuited to exist
in the Georgia Strait in numbers (0% of what
they were atin the mid 1970s.

Walters said that the relatively smal) money is
well spent on small community hatcheries such
as the Seymour River hatchery.

The Seyinour hatchery annually releases
about 500,000 coho, chinook, chum and steel-
bead sultion as well as cutthreat trout.

7

LOOKING BACK

THE HISTORY of shipbuilding
on’ the Versatile ‘site stretches
back more than 90 years, to
1903,

That’s when the first. record:
ed mention of shipbuilding on
the Versatile site -was noted in
the minutes of an Aug. 4 meet-
ing. At the time, Alfred Wallace
asked council to open up

3

OWNERSHIP OF the Versatile Shipyards site Is split between Vancouver Port Corporation (vec ‘and, Shieldings
Inc. The VPC parcel includes a southern strip of the property and consists mostiy of water:
exchange between the two parties involves VPC giving up the western portion of its waterfront. property (areas
marked A) in n exchange for an inland parcel located on the east side of the property. (rnarked Bh

proposed fand

Esplanade east. from Lonsdale.

for 540 feet to allow access to
his new shipyard site. .
In 1906, the North Vancouver
yard had been established. But
five years later, a fire destroyed
the yard.
Rebuilding commenced soon

after. In 1914, with the Fisst-|’

World War breaking. out,
Wallace Yard began machining
high-explosive shells.

“Bur in 1917, with’ German:.

the -|

/

submarines sinking Allied ships, ‘

the Wallace Yard launched

B.C:'s first steel ocean freighter.’

In’ 1928, the St.-Roch, ;the
first ship “to circumnavigate
North America, was launched.

- With the outbreak of the
Second World War, shipbuilding
picked up and the yard rei iched
its greatest productivity. ‘

In the carly 1970s, Wallace
sold the shipyard, which kept
busy building and refitting ships
for B.C. Ferries. The compiuny,
after a few name changes. was
renamed Versatile-Pacific.

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