LOUISE LOIK
Editor
While you are no longer allowed to fish or drop
anchor over fragile glass sponges, the law only
applies if the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
has officially acknowledged the location of the
sponges. Undocumented by the DFO, glass sponge
reefs like the one identified by divers off Dorman
Point, Bowen Island, remain at risk.
Bowen Island has stepped forward as “the first
local jurisdiction to publicly state that this is important,”
says Adam Taylor. Recreational diver and
marine life advocate Adam Taylor feels strongly
about the need to protect this rare life form and took
the matter to Council asking for a letter to DFO to
support protection of all glass sponge reefs; -- including
those outside of the local jurisdiction. Council
has agreed with Taylor and will also request that
Fisheries opens consultation with stakeholders.
Bowen’s OCP shows alignment with this initiative
as OCP details the protection of marine habitats and
of vulnerable marine species and sensitive aquatic
zones. Islands Trust Council has passed a resolution
to recommend that the DFO ”implement fishery
closures, in addition to those already announced.”
Islands Trust would like “all glass sponge reefs in the
marine waters of the Trust Area” to get protection.
While DFO has not formally identified all glass
sponge reefs around BC, local area divers like Taylor
are hoping that Bowen will take action to help protect
the reef off within Bowen’s jurisdiction off
Dorman Point.
“We used to fish locally, but there’s no fish left,“
says Taylor. Protected areas allow for the generation
of an undisturbed habitat where fish can flourish,
and then expand their numbers beyond the
protected zone. The glass sponge reef is rockfish
habitat. Rockfish are a long-lived species and there
is a ban on fishing rockfish,
Quillback and yelloweye
rockfish which live in
the reefs are few and far
between. “My grandfather
used to pull up 18” adult
rockfish, “ says Taylor, “now
I only see sub-adults. “
The Marine Life
Sanctuaries Society, in
association with a number
of other organizations are
seeking “to conserve the
health, composition and
function of cold-water coral
and sponge species, communities
and habitats in
support of a healthy ecosystem.”
Bowen Island will also
be looking putting up some
educational signage at
Dorman Point, as well as
sending a letter to inform BC Hydro of the
location of the reef to prevent any future
transmission cables to be dropped in that
location. Islands Trust is also on board to
protect all the glass sponge reefs.
Groups from the Sunshine Coast to
Vancouver hope that fishing, crabbing,
prawn trapping, and anchoring in the fragile
areas will stop.
