Derelict Boats

The North Coast Journal has a story on something I hadn't much thought about, even after reading about the sinking of the Dennis Gayle earlier this year: There's a number of boats in Humboldt Bay in poor condition and their sinking can cause problems.

Label me skeptical, though. I can't help but wonder if the supposed environmental problems are overblown and more the result of hysterical environmentalist thought than a serous threat to the bay? Yep, there's fuel and oil in some of them, but think back to WW2 and the sites of naval battles where big ships were sunk. Doesn't seem like those sites were forever tainted.

I realize our small and shallow bay isn't quite the same thing as a very vast and deep Pacific Ocean but, when you think about it, even the larger ships that have dumped a lot of oil in the bay haven't seemed to have much in the way of lasting effects.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be concerned about derelict boats in the bay. I'm just saying we need not be hysterical about them.