Police at Waterfront Station in Vancouver arrive at the entrance to the SeaBus terminal following the discovery of a suspicious package at the North Shore terminal. Police at Waterfront Station in Vancouver arrive at the entrance to the SeaBus terminal following the discovery of a suspicious package at the North Shore terminal. (CBC)

Concerns about a suspicious object found in the Lonsdale Quay area of North Vancouver on Thursday proved unfounded after police detonated the package and discovered it had contained a fishing rod.

The discovery led to a police lockdown of the area and a halt to SeaBus movement to and from Vancouver during the evening rush hour.

The Lonsdale Quay shopping centre was closed and office buildings in a several-block radius were evacuated.

Police detonated the cylindrical package shortly before 5 p.m. PT.

Police said they had no choice but treat the situation seriously.

"We have to err on the side of caution," said RCMP Constable Michael McLaughlin. "Our job is to keep you safe and that is why we did what we did today."

SeaBus service resumed about 6:30 p.m.

Metro Vancouver's transit authority, Translink, had put buses into service to take commuters between Vancouver and the North Shore while the SeaBus service across Burrard Inlet was suspended.