Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Spon

Once thought to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs some 40 million years ago, a team of Canadian scientists discovered living glass sponge reefs off the coast of British Columbia in 1987. The reefs act as an important seafloor ecosystem, providing habitat for several endangered species including rockfish, spot prawns and halibut. Unfortunately, these reefs, not unlike many reefs around the world, have experienced severe damage from bottom trawling. Thankfully, scientists at the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society worked for several years to establish a marine protected area (successfully established in 2017) to preserve these 9,000 year-old reefs so they aren't lost again – this time, for good.

Protected Species

Glass Sponge Reefs Halibut Rockfish Spot Prawns