It costs $280 now because that's how much it costs to operate the ferry and the rescues, it's not like anyone is making a cushy profit on this. We have our municipal, provincial, and federal governments to thank for causing this increase in operating costs.
The way I look at this, if someone offered to pay me $280 to NOT use the spit island or SWS rescue / ferry services this year, my answer would be – "screw off", I wouldn't even contemplate it. I'm not going to waste my time, or inconvenience myself, or put myself at risk for that kind of money.
As Ryan said, advocacy is very important too, and it's much more authoritative when it's coming from a healthy, well funded organization that people care enough to support.