Sunday, November 16, 2014

National Geographic Ocean Views piece on artificial reefs

(S)ome environmentalists, as well as federal and independent scientists, question whether an artificial reef program provides ecological benefits. Some view the creation of artificial reefs as a dumping ground for unwanted industrial trash and claim it to be an economic shortcut opportunity for recycling. Others note that although most artificial reefs offer potential habitat for certain kinds of marine life, these are not always environmentally harmonious homes. Artificial reefs can cause damage to natural habitats during their construction and can displace naturally occurring species and habitats. Also, because they tend to concentrate fish unnaturally, they can become more vulnerable to overfishing.

read more at http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/11/06/artificial-reefing-the-blue-solution-to-americas-aging-infrastructure/

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Group against sinking ship to create artificial reef off Sunshine Coast files petition in court

"In January, the federal government tested the ship for hazardous materials and an Environment Canada report found it contained toxins known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at almost eight times the legal limit. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act sets the acceptable limits as 50 parts per million. The report shows that in some areas of the ship, the PCBs were as high as 377 parts per million.
In response to the findings, the federal government in June paid contractor Jenkins Marine Ltd. $865,000 to remove PCBs from the Annapolis, but results of the ship's final inspection were not released to the public."


Group against sinking ship to create artificial reef off Sunshine Coast files petition in court:



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Friday, February 21, 2014