Ancient glass sponge reef discovered off B.C. coast

A rare new glass sponge reef as old as the dinosaurshas been discovered near Prince Rupert, off B.C.'s northwest coast, CBC News has learned.

The reef in Chatham Soundis twelve kilometres long, making it one of the largest in the world, second only to the prehistoric reefsin nearbyHecate Strait.

Rare ecological find - by LNG company

The rare ecological find was made by Spectra Energy, during anenvironmental assessmentforan underwater LNG pipeline route.

Crews with the Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission Project wereconducting deep sea geophysical surveys when they spotted "ghost likeimages" rising 30 metres from the seabed.

"The discovery of a large glass sponge reef is a really significant discovery," Sabine Jessen, National Director of theOceans Program with theCanadian Parks and WildernessSociety, told Daybreak North host Carolina de Ryk.

The rare reefs, found only in the Pacific Northwest, are composed of bothliving sponges and fossilizedskeletons, made of fragile silica orglass.

'As fragile as prawn crackers'

"Anything that touches them can break them," said Jessen, notingthe reefsareas fragile as prawn crackers or meringue.

Although in some places the reefs have grown to the height of an eight story building,Jessen says they're easily damagedby fish nets, bottom trawling, andany industrialactivity that stirs up sediment and blocks the spongefilters.

"Our concern would be if there's any proposal to build a pipeline near the reefs," she said.

But according to documents filed forSpectra'sproposed LNG project, the newly discovered reef is in not in danger.

Pipeline route to avoidreef

A technical data report submitted by Westcoast Connector Gas Transmission acknowledges the reef's importance as "rare and sensitive deeper seabed habitat."

The LNG project's environmental filings state, "The proposed pipeline route avoids thesesponge reef areas....No interactions during pipeline operation are anticipated."

'Like discovering dinosaurs on land'

Scientists once believed the rare reefs haddied off 40 million years ago. One researchercalled the discovery of the first reefs off the B.C. coast in 1987 " like discovering a herd of dinosaurs on land."

The globally significant reefs also play an important biological role by filtering water, extracting bacteria, and supporting sea life, including prawns and rockfish.

The only glass sponge reefs in the world are in Alaska and inB.C.'s Hecate Strait, Georgia Strait, Howe Soundand nowin Chatham Sound.

With files from Daybreak North