deepdiverbc
Contributor
The study I referred to that identified the asbestos concerns within friable insulation was done after the sinking of all the other ships in our area. It's a learning experience. The study also pointed that after 3 years PCB levels in the surrounding marine life of ships in the USA that were not properly cleaned out was below allowable levels, so any mistakes that were made were short lived. The positive impacts of artificial reefs far out way any of the alarmist concerns made by opponents of sinking these vessels and future ships will now have a blue print to follow to ensure that they are cleaned out properly prior to sinking. I see nothing but a positive future for the creation of more artificial reefs. I also stress the importance of these sites as protected areas. I did a fair amount of fishing as a kid and have learned that rock fish are easily wiped out and fishing closures do not do enough since they do not stop poaching. If you want to see an abundance of large mature rockfish near an area of large population like Vancouver you won't find them on a "natural wall" but you will find them in artificial reefs and other popular dive sites because the divers help protect these areas. The only other exception is areas of high current that are too difficult to fish. So while the opponents of these projects may have done some good in the past to help raise concerns about proper cleaning practices, I feel their time has ended and they need to focus on something else.