Before the Dead the Boat Disposal Society was created, John and Wesley Roe's family and friends founded The Veins of Life Watershed Society in 1995, to restore and clean up the Gorge Waterway Watershed, from the top of the Colquitz and Craigflower Creek, Upper and Inner Victoria Harbour to Victoria Harbour Ogden Point.

In 2017 after several years of Cadboro Bay Residents Association, Eric Dahli tried to dispose of numerous abandoned vessels and debris polluting their shores. We formed the Dead Boets Society to legally seize and dispose of 17 boats and a lot of marine debris.

Later in 2017/18, Our Canadian Federal Transport Canada created the Abandoned Boats Program, The Dead Boats Disposal Society was created in preparation for application to this fund.

Veins of Life Watershed Society has been working with the Ralmax Group of Companies since its beginning, this program was a natural fit as Ralmax Group of Companies is in Partnership with The Songhees and Esquimalt Nation with a company called the Salish Sea Industrial Services, a perfect fit they have all equipment, expertise and toys for Big Girls and Boys for removal of lots Dead Boats and marine debris from British Columbia shoreline.

Research, Education, Inventory, Removal, Assessment, Remediation, Disposal of Dead Boats and Marine Debris, from our shores in British Columbia, Canada. The goal is to establish a healthy and sustainable environment in which watersheds support fish and wildlife.

Dead Boats Begone

Find, locate, and document, using imagery and database. Assessment both environment and debris, file all permitting and legal documents, obtain permissions if needed on private properties and leases, oversite and document appropriate environment removal, and work with the Salish Sea on-site plan, removal, cleanup and disposal.

Donate. Working in the marine environment is an expensive process and everything helps. Our biggest need is information, where are these Dead Boats and Marine Debris? we call out to fellow boaters, kayak and canoe groups, community groups, and First Nations, to report to us - see Report an Issue page

No, we document, assess and take it all, Ghost Gear, tires batteries, foam old rotten docks, barges, tons and tons of plastics, kitchen sinks old float homes, and even the occasional Grand Piano, when we got started in Gorge Waterway in 1995, removed thousands of shopping carts and stacks and stacks of bicycles, tossed of bridges, bottles, bottles and more bottles, cars, construction equipment, dozens of engine blocks.

We even have the occasional safe (empty of course), the list goes on and on we take it all if human-made we removed it.

We are a non-profit, majority of our work is volunteer, hundreds of hours spent lobbing, grant writing, maintaining social media and finding Dead Boats & Marine Debris, when we partner up with Salish Sea Industrial Services we take a fee for service, some are paid out to staff, rent, phone and internet, boat, vehicle & liability insurance lawyers and accountants but the majority goes back to equipment, maintenance and training.

Most donations come in the form of money and time from family members.