Increase buffers around Howe Sound’s glass reefs, says society

[Derby]

: Increase buffers around Howe Sound’s glass reefs, says society | Squamish Chief



https://www.squamishchief.com/news/...e-sound-s-glass-reefs-says-society-1.24008584

 

[Rico]

Ouch 6km buffers, no more prawning in the sound?

 

[Derby]

would this ban would be a all inclusive for all fishers?

 

[Rico]

Sounds like bottom contact only. Hard to say, the mention of MPA in hecate and buffer zones in howe sound, not being enough. Doesn't say or mention what they want for the sound. Kinda scary cuz I drag through the mud and sand around Bowen. If they demand the precautionary approach then anything could be possible.

 

[OldBlackDog]

And it begins.

 

[ChinookExerciser]

Its not just Howe Sound there would be nowhere left to fish in nanaimo if it was 6KM. This is just the start.

Assessing condition and ecological role of deep-water biogenic habitats: Glass sponge reefs in the Salish Sea

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141113618303544\



Fig. 1. Nineteen Salish Sea glass sponge reef complexes: AI – Anvil Island, AP – Active Pass, BI – Bowyer Island, BP – Brunswick Point, DI – Defence Islands, DP – Dorman Point, ED – East Defence Islands, FR – Fraser Ridge, GI – Gabriola Island, GR – Galiano Ridge, HB – Halibut Bank, HI – Hornby Island, HP – Halkett Point, KG – Kelvin Grove, LB – Lions Bay, LR – Lost Reef, Pa - Parksville, PI – Passage Island, Se - Sechelt. Survey transect locations are shown in online supplement S2.

 

[IronNoggin]

Email from CPAWS BC (not your friend btw...):

Will you help defend BC's Reefs?

VIEW AS A WEB PAGE
What we do
Take action

Donate

BC's Glass Sponge Reefs remain at Risk

Dear Matt,

Once thought long extinct, glass sponge reefs were found living on the ocean bottom off of the BC coast. These “living dinosaurs” are critical to the ecosystem providing habitat for bottom dwelling fish and cleaning bacteria from the water. This spring, we celebrated the establishment of Howe Sound's glass sponge reefs. However, new research suggests that our work to protect these treasured reefs is not done.



BC’s delicate glass sponge reefs are in danger from sediment clouds kicked up by trawling and other bottom contact fishing activities.



When these storms of sediment roll over glass sponge reefs, they are triggered to stop filter feeding and absorbing oxygen. A recent study discovered that sediment kicked up from trawl fishing as far away as 2.39 kilometres can cause glass sponges in the Hecate Strait to stop feeding. With the right tides and current, this disturbed sediment can travel as much as six kilometres and cause these sponges to choke, preventing them from feeding, and even starve to death.









New regulations are needed to increase the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Marine Glass Sponge Reefs Protected Area from the current one kilometre buffer zones to at least three kilometres and as much as six kilometres.
In a statement to North Shore News last week, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) expressed their commitment to meaningful conservation of Canada's marine environment including glass sponge reefs. Now, is the time to act.

We need your help to keep these treasures preserved for generations to come. We need immediate precautionary action to protect glass sponge reefs from looming threats while further assessments are conducted for the additional nine unprotected reefs in the area.



Will you take action now by telling Fisheries and Oceans Canada to expand the protective boundaries prohibiting bottom-contact fishing, industrial activity, and seabed mining around these precious glass sponge reefs?



Yours in conservation,

Carlo Acuña
Ocean Campaigner, CPAWS-BC

P.S. New blog post! Read more about BC's threatened glass sponge reefs and add your voice to call for their protection.

Getting it yet???

Nog

 

[cohochinook]

I have sent an email to the DFO contact on Glass Sponge Reefs to see if any changes are coming. I'll report back on what I hear.

 

[fish4all]

This has been in discussion for a few years. Another nail in the coffin for anyone that enjoys or works on the water. They want BC to be a park and import our food from China.

 

[cohochinook]

This has been in discussion for a few years. Another nail in the coffin for anyone that enjoys or works on the water. They want BC to be a park and import our food from China.

A number of new glass sponge Reef areas that didn't allow the downrigger fishing were brought in this year. Now they want more & bigger buffer areas from the story in the paper. I think you're right about the comment food from China

 

[searun]

Great, more imports from China, the single largest Carbon polluting nation on the planet....what do these park proponents figure is going to happen to Canada in a world dominated by parks where it is impossible to harvest food to feed the nation? I want to follow them around for a week and count up all the carbon they burn in their cars, the imported food from countries like China they eat, so we could confront them with the uncomfortable truth.

 

[cohochinook]

I finally heard back from DFO and here was the response:

"Thanks for your email and I hope all is well. Your timing is impeccable as an email to all relevant stakeholders and First Nations is forthcoming that will provide an update regarding the Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound Glass Sponge Reef Conservation Initiative. In the meantime, you are welcome to take a look at the initiative’s webpage, which was recently updated with new maps and an educational poster to help inform the public."

 

[SpringVelocity]

Save the kelp

 

[wildmanyeah]

hope they count these as MPA's