sunkmail
Contributor
Hi Everyone,
The Underwater Council of BC (UCBC) is gearing up to expand its mooring buoy program! As the voice of recreational divers in BC, the UCBC values Input from Local, and visiting, divers, to help drive the direction of projects.
HERE is a link to a brief survey on one of the current projects. The council is looking for a consensus from the dive community.
This survey is highly important, it is to determine the BC Dive Community's thoughts regarding the possible placement of a UCBC mooring buoy at:
The UCBC already has several mooring buoys placed at various boat access dive sites around Howe Sound.
For more information on the UCBC mooring buoy program, please visit:
If the survey link, above, doesn't work, please copy and paste this address into your browser: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJKVK8K
A little more info on Bioherms:
Please help - Your opinion is important!!
---------- Post added April 17th, 2014 at 04:26 AM ----------
I forgot to mention -
The survey is only 10 Questions!
The Underwater Council of BC (UCBC) is gearing up to expand its mooring buoy program! As the voice of recreational divers in BC, the UCBC values Input from Local, and visiting, divers, to help drive the direction of projects.
HERE is a link to a brief survey on one of the current projects. The council is looking for a consensus from the dive community.
This survey is highly important, it is to determine the BC Dive Community's thoughts regarding the possible placement of a UCBC mooring buoy at:
The Halkett Point Deep Reef / Bioherm dive site.
Location: lat and long, N49° 26.7921, W123° 18.7458 (Google map of approximate location)
Depth: 75 - 115 feet
Depth: 75 - 115 feet
The UCBC already has several mooring buoys placed at various boat access dive sites around Howe Sound.
For more information on the UCBC mooring buoy program, please visit:
If the survey link, above, doesn't work, please copy and paste this address into your browser: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJKVK8K
A little more info on Bioherms:
Glass sponge bioherms (a habitat for rockfish and possible nursery areas for rockfish) are reefs made up entirely of sponge. As sponge dies, new sponge slowly grows on top of it, creating pinnacles hundreds of feet high. Several bioherms have been discovered in Howe Sound that are within recreational diving limits. One such location, currently nicknamed "Sponge Bob" receives regular visits from divers and is consequently taking heavy damage. This is a difficult dive requiring a direct descent to 90 feet and potentially strong current.
Howe Sound is the only known site in the world where humans can air dive on and study the biology of sponge bioherms, hence protection for these unique habitats is highly desirable. Harvesting data and presenting facts about the sponge bioherms would be beneficial to reach this goal of more public awareness and then full protection for the bioherms.
Weighted drop lines that divers use to descend/ascend and poor buoyancy skills are the primary causes damage to the bioherm. As glass sponge grows at a rate of only 2-7cm per year, the damage done on a single dive can easily destroy decades of growth.
Howe Sound is the only known site in the world where humans can air dive on and study the biology of sponge bioherms, hence protection for these unique habitats is highly desirable. Harvesting data and presenting facts about the sponge bioherms would be beneficial to reach this goal of more public awareness and then full protection for the bioherms.
Weighted drop lines that divers use to descend/ascend and poor buoyancy skills are the primary causes damage to the bioherm. As glass sponge grows at a rate of only 2-7cm per year, the damage done on a single dive can easily destroy decades of growth.
Please help - Your opinion is important!!
---------- Post added April 17th, 2014 at 04:26 AM ----------
I forgot to mention -
The survey is only 10 Questions!
