Jeff Lee implies that the opposition is a small group and that this is a not-in-my-backyard issue. Wrong. The largest property owner in the area, the United Church, has run a children's summer camp on the west side of Halkett Bay for generations and is opposed, as are the Georgia Strait Alliance, the Islands Trust and more than 600 residents and users of Howe Sound
“By and large, I think we can safely say that intentionally sunken ships don’t really provide much in the way of habitat value,” said Sarah Christie at the California Coastal Commission. “The fundamental question for decision-makers is whether we want to view our ocean floor as a depository for scrap metal … or preserve it in its natural condition.”Read more: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/13/diving-lessons-sinking-yukon/
A point of contention among scientists, though, is whether reefs are beneficial for the environment. Some studies say reefs can provide spots for fish nurseries and lead to increased populations, while other studies show artificial reefs merely draw fish from a large region to a focal point for fisherman to pluck them out of the water -- like fish in a barrel, only underwater -- exacerbating overfishing.read more here:
Felicia Coleman, a fisheries ecologist at Florida State University, says that it is arrogant to assume that we know enough to artificially recreate a complicated ecosystem.Read more:
She notes that in places like Alabama - a state with a 38-mile coastline - so many artificial structures have been sunk that the marine community has completely changed. While some claim to be trading an unproductive community for a more productive one, Dr. Coleman asks, "Productive to whom?"
Rejecting dive industry green-wash that scuttling a warship in Halkett Bay Provincial Park is a "marine ecological enhancement initiative", federal officials said the 113-metre-long vessel would "cover and destroy" 1,470 square metres of special seabed.The article goes on to note that artificial reef creation is growing worldwide.
At a recent dive industry trade show run by DEMA, a California-based scuba marketing group funded by member contributions from retail dive stores, dive boat operators and resorts, "wrecks to reefs" promoters boasted that scuttling ships as scuba diving attractions is an economic initiative that represents the most effective way to increase dive tourism and grow the dive industry.http://www.cdnn.info/news/industry/i100422.html
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“The project would result in significant harmful alteration, disruption, and destruction of fish habitat – without suitable justification or appropriate compensation. The project has the potential to adversely affect species of concern, including rockfish species and SARA-listed humpback whale and Stellar sea lion.”Read more:
