Glass Sponge Reefs

WHEREAS reef-forming glass sponges were thought to have gone extinct during the age of dinosaurs millions of years ago, but recent discoveries show that reefs of these living rare glass sponges exist in nine places along the coast of BC; AND WHEREAS these are the only known glass sponge reefs in the world and 50 of the reefs in Hecate Strait have been destroyed by trawling activities, with research indicating that those sections of the reefs may never regenerate; AND WHEREAS the federal government closed the reefs to bottom trawling in 2002 by implementing fishing closures, but these closures must be renewed annually and do not provide permanent legislated protection: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities urge the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans implement permanent legislated protection to protect the glass sponge reefs along the coast of BC.