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Finding Coral Expedition Day 10 Deep Sea Coral
Canada’s West Coast sits alongside one of the richest collections of marine life in the Pacific Ocean, if not the world.
Living Oceans Society, Canada’s largest organization focusing exclusively on marine conservation issues, has embarked on an exciting new deep sea expedition called Finding Coral , which kicked off on June 8 World Oceans Day.
Jacques Cousteau himself called the waters off the coast of British Columbia The Emerald Sea, ranking its marine life as second only to the Red Sea in beauty and diversity.
Magnificent coral gardens stretching up from the ocean floor are said to exist at great depths off Canada’s West Coast, but no one knows how widespread these undersea gardens have become.
Dive Down Deep
Join the Finding Coral science team, as they dive up to 500 meters underwater to collect evidence of the coral gardens. View unique footage from the depths of the Hecate Strait, where most of the coral hotspots are located.
During the expedition the specialized subs will dive in pairs twice a day. You can follow their progress here as they discover the rainforests of the deep here or on their website.
DISPATCHES FROM THE FIELD: Day 10
Video courtesy of Living Oceans
…Why Now?
"Bottom Trawling is the subsea equivalent of collecting the entire farm, when the goal is to bring in a bushel of apples." Dr. Sylvia Earle
Jennifer Lash, Executive Director of Living Oceans Society which holds the Oceans Fund at Tides Canada, says coral gardens are being threatened by an increase in bottom trawlers that drag weighted nets along the sea floor, scraping it bare as they scoop up everything in their path.
Video courtesy of Oceana
"Right now there’s no protection of coral in BC, and they’re a vital supply habitat to thousands of species. For example, we know in Alaska they’re important for rock crabs and shrimps, and if we remove their habitat we destroy these species."
Living Oceans Society plans to use the results of their research to increase protection for marine habitats off the BC coast. You can support this research by donating to Living Oceans Society via their Oceans Fund at Tides Canada.
