Mystery of the Missing Feet
Missing feet mystery: partly solved
The first foot, found on Jedediah Island, belongs to a missing man with a history of depression. His name wasn't released by request of the family. The third and fifth feet – encased in size 11 Nikes – were found to be a pair, but police have not publicly linked them to a specific person. The seventh and latest sneakered foot recovered is from the same female as the fourth. But her identity is unknown to the public.
The seven missing feet belong to five people. These feet were found over a 15-month period, between August 2007 and November 2008. If you have any additional information about these cases that can help investigators, please contact the police.
Conservation concerns linger: flotsam and jetsam in the spotlight
The Mystery of the Missing Feet centres around ocean currents – vital to the planet. Currents help regulate the temperature of the sea and thus, the adjacent land. These currents keep marine ecosystems functioning by bringing food to stationary species and coaxing the migration of other creatures. They bring life; they also bring death. Along with sneakers, these currents carry shameful amounts of garbage that pollute the sea and kill ocean creatures.
In particular, the plastic debris littering the ocean is of grave concern. Large creatures like B.C.'s Steller sea lions become entangled with the litter. These sea lions may then die of starvation or infection. Plastic parts are also ingested by seabirds and turtles that mistake them for food. Eventually, it is ground up in the food web and becomes pervasive in the bodies of fish.
"Every piece of fish you have for dinner has a little plastic in it. We're literally eating our own garbage," says Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a well-known Seattle-based oceanographer and currents researcher. This plastic isn't good for humans. It mimics estrogen. That, according to Dr. Ebbesmeyer, means human males develop less testosterone; their sperm count goes down and the human race slowly becomes less able to reproduce.
Where does the garbage and plastic originate?
Debris that litters the beaches on the west coast of Vancouver Island can originate from as far away as Japan. But debris originating closer to home, such as that from Vancouver and Victoria, also gets deposited on this outer part of Vancouver Island because the Strait of Juan de Fuca leads it out to the Pacific and then north along the Island. This outer coast of Vancouver Island is one of the best beachcombing spots on the planet, according to Dr. Ebbesmeyer. But when it comes to litter that washes up on the shore, that is quite a horrible distinction. As most ocean litter in B.C. originates from local shores and waters, British Columbians are literally walking on their own trash when they wander a B.C. beach.
What can you do?
Clean up your neighbourhood beach and help keep plastics and other litter from washing back out to sea. It may sound simple and a drop-in-the-bucket approach, but it really can make a difference.
Please also organize large-scale beach clean-ups in your community. Instilling a protective approach to the ocean in young people, especially, can help start a generational change in attitude towards the fragility and importance of marine ecosystem health.
Volunteer and stewardship activities are an important way each of us can contribute to marine conservation. Find a local streamkeepers group in your community or join the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.