Reefs and Rockfish Protection

The MLSS, Marine Life Sanctuaries Society, is focused on protecting unique marine reefs and underwater environments.

Larval Settlement Project and Volunteer Divers 2020 by Sheila Byers

Larvae of the cloud sponge, Aphrocallistes vastus, the key reef-building species in Howe Sound (partnered with the fingered goblet sponge, Heterochone calyx), are known to disperse and mix genetically across the sponge reefs in the Salish Sea. But where are these larvae? Not only are the larvae microscopic and difficult to see or find, little…

Sharks in Vancouver Harbour

Sharks in Vancouver Harbour By Glen Dennison Infrequently, divers in Howe Sound were reporting encounters with the Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus). Several of our dive team members had seen one. So, the question kept coming up, were these transient sharks transiting from Puget Sound? We understood that studies from the Seattle Aquarium had found…

The Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative (BRI)

The Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative (BRI), lead by Ruth Simons, is one step closer to shedding parts of the region’s industrial past in exchange for an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to economic growth. On October 18, Metro Vancouver’s Climate Action Committee voted unanimously to back the Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative. Read more …. https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/howe-sound-unesco-biosphere-initiative-one-step-closer-to-reality/ar-AAJ2fyG…

Ground-truthing Glass Sponge Reefs from the CCGS Vector

On May 27, 2019 an early morning ride on BC Ferries from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale quickly found me on the Sunshine Coast heading for nearby Hopkins Landing. A Coast Guard zodiac with the Chief Research Scientist from DFO Habitat Ecology Program, Dr Anya Dunham, was at the dock waiting for several of us to…