Many shellfish operators have traditionally operated in a responsible and sustainable fashion in the coastal communities of British Columbia:

• Responsible operators manage their operations in order to eliminate debris at the source and remove debris from their tenure and adjacent areas on an on-going basis. For example, they stabilize styrofoam under rafts with plastic wraps or use other techniques such as drums for buoyancy. They also remove all their industrial material and waste from sites that they cease to lease for whatever reason.
• Responsible operators ensure that rafts and equipment are non-toxic (including treated wood), disposed of properly, and are durable in marine environments (Deal 2005:25), and they avoid raising shellfish in areas with toxins.
• Responsible operators minimize their impact on the environment and neighbors by limiting the number of rafts or longlines in any one operation or the size of beach leases, and monitoring the total impact on their immediate environments. (Deal 2005:25)
• Responsible operators do not place their operations in front of residential homes.
• Responsible operators do not interfere with free navigation in the waterways they occupy or make the coastline inaccessible or inhospitable to recreational boaters, swimmers, or pedestrians. (Deal 2005:25)
• Responsible operators do not use machinery, large-scale structures or cranes in residential or recreational areas.
• Responsible operators do not remove public shellfish harvesting areas from public use or place their operations directly in front of residential homes.
• Responsible operators do not locate operations so as to conflict with eco-tourism or pre-existing local area business that rely on coastal resources.
• Responsible operators support community plans, obey regional bylaws, adhere to federal and provincial laws and conditions of leases, and operate in accordance with community values.
• Responsible operators do not damage to beach environment and organisms by driving vehicles on beaches, or by using heavy equipment for harvesting or seeding techniques, or near bottom structures. (following guidelines established by the Suzuki Foundaiton--Deal 2005:22,26-7).
• Responsible operators do not use underwater anti-competitor nets around suspended strings, a HADD (Harmfull Alteration, Disruption or Destruction of fish habitat) under the Fisheries Act--Deal 2005:25).
• Responsible operators do not introduce exotic species that have potentials to become invasive or to drive local species to extinction.
• Responsible operators respect bird life and use as little anti-competitor netting as possible --see specific Suzuki recommendations (Deal 2005:30). They also reduce operations during migration periods in locations related to migratory bird activities (Deal 2005:28).
• Responsible operators avoid impacting sensitive marine ecozones, habitats and their vicinities, especially those with eelgrass, known salmon runs, and in tact populations of native fauna.
• Responsible operators avoid using any fencing on beaches.

There is no Code of Practice in place to prevent the disenfranchisement of small-scale coastal users within the province's populace, including small shellfish operators, existing residential communities, recreational users, eco-tourism and other coastal businesses, and visitors to B.C.

Reference:
Deal, Heather. 2005. Sustainable Shellfish. David Suzuki Foundation: Vancouver.