A full crew of fishermen wasn’t able to fish for at least three hours after getting stuck in the Steveston Channel on Tuesday afternoon.
The Queen’s Reach was on its way to collect its gear from Steveston Harbour before it was stopped short due to low tides and not enough depth in the channel.
Jaime Gusto, Steveston Harbour Authority general manager, told the News “being stuck in the mud is unacceptable” when there are 45 businesses depending on water access.
“This is a big deal,” she said, adding that it is an economic, safety and environmental issue.
According to Gusto, the channel was not deep enough because of the lack of funding for dredging. She described the situation as “so frustrating” as she has been lobbying for two years for the federal government to fork up its share of $2 million in funding.
The provincial government, the City of Richmond and Steveston Harbour Authority have each provided $2 million in support of the initiative.
“This is what we’ve been trying to tell the federal government for so long,” she said.
In the meantime, the Queen’s Reach will have to wait until at least this evening before it can reach freedom when the tide goes back up.
The Richmond News has reached out to the owner of the Queen’s Reach for comment.
