Close X
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
ADVT 
National

Government Protection For B.C.'s Glass Sponge Reefs Not Enough: Group

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 26 Jun, 2015 11:59 AM
    VICTORIA — Scientists say the discovery of glass sponge reefs once believed to be extinct in northern British Columbia's Hecate Strait is like finding a herd of dinosaurs roaming on land.
     
    The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has moved today to protect the undersea treasures, but a conservation group that has been seeking their protection for more than 15 years says the change doesn't go far enough.
     
    Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society director Sabine Jessen says permitting bottom trawlers and other fishing activities near the prehistoric reefs threatens the existence of the sponges.
     
    She says some of the reefs are as tall as eight-storey buildings but they can crumble like dried meringue if touched and fishing activities stir sea floor sediment that chokes the sponges.
     
    The fisheries department proposing draft marine protected area regulations for the area where the glass sponge reefs are located but it will still allow fishing while scientists study the potential harms caused.
     
    Jessen says Canadians have the next 30 days to let DFO know the reefs need full protection to ensure their survival.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Four Years Behind Bars For Community Support Worker Michael Hume Who Sexually Assaulted B.C. Youth

    Four Years Behind Bars For Community Support Worker Michael Hume Who Sexually Assaulted B.C. Youth
    KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A community support worker who stripped a young man and shaved his body hair after he passed out should serve four years in prison, a Crown lawyer has argued.

    Four Years Behind Bars For Community Support Worker Michael Hume Who Sexually Assaulted B.C. Youth

    Two Small Planes Collide Mid-air In Alberta; Police Say Two Dead

    Two Small Planes Collide Mid-air In Alberta; Police Say Two Dead
    FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Two people are dead after two small planes collided mid-air in northeastern Alberta. Mounties say the collision happened Sunday night east of Fort McMurray.

    Two Small Planes Collide Mid-air In Alberta; Police Say Two Dead

    Vancouver's Grouse Grind Offers Easy Access To Challenge, Adventure, Community

    VANCOUVER — "This is the place you really want to run through," advises my soft-spoken hiking partner, stepping up our already brisk pace on a rare stretch of nearly flat ground. "You save about 20 seconds, which can be a lot."

    Vancouver's Grouse Grind Offers Easy Access To Challenge, Adventure, Community

    Housing Affordability Continues To Decline In Toronto And Vancouver

    Housing Affordability Continues To Decline In Toronto And Vancouver
    RBC says mortgage rate cuts improved the affordability of homes in many Canadian housing markets where prices didn't accelerate too rapidly.

    Housing Affordability Continues To Decline In Toronto And Vancouver

    Ontario Man Convicted Of Killing His Wife In 1970 Acquitted After 45 Years

    Ontario Man Convicted Of Killing His Wife In 1970 Acquitted After 45 Years
    TORONTO — An Ontario man convicted of killing his wife in 1970 has won his 45-year battle to clear his name.

    Ontario Man Convicted Of Killing His Wife In 1970 Acquitted After 45 Years

    Senator Don Meredith Hires Lawyer Amid Allegations Of A Relationship With A Girl Aged 16

    Senator Don Meredith Hires Lawyer Amid Allegations Of A Relationship With A Girl Aged 16
    Ottawa law firm Conway Baxter Wilson LLP issued a two sentence statement on Sunday saying Sen. Don Meredith has retained Ottawa lawyer Colin Baxter and that he intends to respect the Senate's internal procedures.

    Senator Don Meredith Hires Lawyer Amid Allegations Of A Relationship With A Girl Aged 16