Exploring the World Below: A Dive in Halkett Bay Provincial Marine Park By Lora McAuley, Subsea Society of Howe Sound – October 27, 2018 It was like a mini-vacation, diving above a city of clouds. Upon submersion, I felt the cool relief of Howe Sound washing away the heat of an unusually warm autumn sun. Megan, Glen…
Category: Articles
Brigade Reef Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) Project
Howe Sound Rockfish Seek Protection Rockfish Conservation Area status vital for Brigade Reef. By Bridget John – November 28, 2018 170 years old, is the age some rockfish species live to, including the dwindling populations in our backyard, the Howe Sound/Atl’kitsem. The Underwater Council for British Columbia (UCBC), is requesting the DFO to move the Brigade Reef…
Salt Spring Island Ales Mussel Stout Release Party
The Release Party was a huge success! A big thank you to the team at Salt Spring Island Ales who made all of this possible and the community on Salt Spring that came together for the event. Check out your local store to get your own bottle of SSIA Chocolate Mussel Stout! Proceeds go towards…
Exciting News From DFO for MLSS and Howe Sound
DFO Ecosystems Approach Officer, Aleria Ladwig, made an important announcement on Friday (September 21, 2017) to fisheries stakeholders for which MLSS has been waiting with great anticipation!! DFO has determined that the 13 glass sponge reefs discovered in Howe Sound by MLSS and partners between 1996 and 2015 are sufficiently biologically significant to warrant a…
Guardian of the Reef
The Marine Life Sanctuary Society recognizes the value of the placement of this underwater sculpture to promote the preservation of our vital Marine Environment and supports Salt Spring Island sculptor Simon Morris in his efforts to place his sculpture “The Guardian of the Reef” in a location in Howe Sound. http://www.guardianofthereef.com
Glass Sponge Temperature Monitoring Updates
May 7, 2017 MLSS divers, Glen Dennison and Viviana Lee, recovered and replaced the temperature logger installed for long-term monitoring on the artificial reef, HMCS Annapolis, in Halkett Bay. The logger is mounted on the ship at a depth of 23 m (75 ft) with this period of data extending from August 6, 2016 to…
A View Underwater on Aquatica’s Stingray Submersible
For years, I have been meticulously mapping and filming glass sponge bioherms from the surface of Howe Sound using a drop camera designed and built by Glen Dennison, MLSS Director. Days were spent to create a high resolution bathymetric map for the site of interest. Then hours to drift across the surface with Glen’s drop…
An Evening for Howe Sound Gala
On March 4th, Marine Life Sanctuaries Society held an Evening for Howe Sound Gala at the beautiful Lions Bay home of Ruth Simons. The evening was a great success and we raised $ 11,500 towards the protection of marine life of Howe Sound! Supporters from all over the Lower Mainland and Sea-to-Sky region attended to…
PADI Bioherm Sponge Diver Distinctive Specialty
Exciting news!! Be one of the first divers to become certified for the Bioherm Sponge Speciality Program! There is limited space in the upcoming launch of the program. In partnership with MLSS and UCBC (Underwater Council of British Columbia), Ocean Quest Dive Centre is now offering this Specialty Program as an introduction to diving sensitive…
MLSS Assists Aquatica with Stingray 500 ‘Manned’ Test Certification
Glen Dennison, MLSS Director, and Kelsey Dennison on the Skyliner, assisted the Aquatica Submarine team with their final Stingray certification as a ‘manned’ submersible. Aquatica was also filming for a Discovery Channel news story. The Stingray 500 was taken to a depth of 255 ft near Passage Island in Howe Sound. Glen was very impressed…
Fisheries and Oceans Research Expedition to Howe Sound Glass Sponge Bioherms
On October 2, 2016, Sheila Byers, MLSS President, had a ride down memory lane with the opportunity to join the Fisheries and Oceans scientists on the Coast Guard vessel Neocaligus in Howe Sound. One of the main goals of the expedition was for the scientists to collect ROV video and images from 12 new glass…
MLSS Temperature Probe on HMCS Annapolis Retrieved
MLSS Director Glen Dennison and Vancouver Aquarium marine biologist Laura Borden recovered and redeployed the temperature logger that had been installed on the HMCS Annapolis artificial reef in Halkett Bay. The ship was deployed by the Artificial Reef Society of BC in 2015. The logger was in good condition and was reset back into the exact…
Marine Life Sanctuaries Society 