Enjoy being among the wildlife as you paddle, but be aware of your impact. Some shore birds, like oyster catchers, nest near the water and are easily frightened away. Know your birds or take a bird book with you. Don t paddle too close to cormorant colonies, especially during nesting season, when your approach can scare off parents and expose their young to danger. The same goes for seal haulouts.
Seals seem particularly sensitive to kayakers and can be spooked by our approach.
Use your binoculars and stay at least 100 meters away. These are usually marked by shellfish lease signs. Due to this abundance of wildlife and sheltered conditions, paddlers have been dipping their paddles into these waters for close to 10,000 years. Many shell middens can be seen throughout the islands, evidence of thousands of years of use, and First Nations communities still exist in a number of traditional areas. Contact with Europeans and early settlement led to cultural conflict and tragedy for these peoples.