The Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges (CFMETR) is a maritime test facility located on the east side of Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...

, at Nanoose Bay.

The ranges operated by CFMETR are located over an area of the Strait of Georgia

Strait of Georgia

The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...

—known as Area "Whiskey Golf"—that is several hundred metres deep, several dozen kilometres long and several kilometres wide over a seabed composed of soft mud and free of underwater obstacles. The facility employs a 3-dimensional sonar tracking system for monitoring the performance and position of objects in these waters for real-time tracking.

Equipment tested at the facility consists of a variety of devices, including sonobuoy

Sonobuoy

A sonobuoy is a relatively small expendable sonar system that is dropped/ejected from aircraft or ships conducting anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic research....

s, sonar

Sonar

Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...

 systems (ship and aircraft), torpedo

Torpedo

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

es and the repair and overhaul of the dipping sonar used on Canada's Sea King helicopter fleet. No explosives are used.

This facility is unique in the Canadian Forces as it staffed by active military personnel from the Royal Canadian Navy

Canadian Forces Maritime Command

The Royal Canadian Navy , is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Forces. Operating 33 warships and several auxiliary vessels, the Royal Canadian Navy consists of 8,500 Regular Force and 5,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by...

 (RCN) and DND

Department of National Defence (Canada)

The Department of National Defence , frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for all matters concerning the defence of Canada...

 civilian employees, as well as a small number of U.S. Navy civilian employees from Naval Base Kitsap

Naval Base Kitsap

Naval Base Kitsap is a U.S. Navy base located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state. It was created in 2004 by merging the former Naval Station Bremerton with Naval Submarine Base Bangor...

. The facility is operationally controlled as a field unit of NDHQ

Department of National Defence Headquarters (Canada)

The Major-General George R. Pearkes Building is the principal location of Canada's National Defence Headquarters and is located in Ottawa, Ontario....

. There is a joint funding agreement between the Canadian and United States Governments.

During the so-called Salmon War of 1997, then-BC Premier Glen Clark

Glen Clark

Glen David Clark is a politician in British Columbia, Canada who served as the 31st Premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999.-Early life and education:...

threatened to close the base, which brought quick rebuttal from Ottawa: national Defence is not a responsibility of the provincial government.