Trawlers banned off Queen Charlottes to protect rare sponges

Associated Press ^ | 7-10-02

[Oldeconomybuyer]

VICTORIA, British Columbia (AP) -- Trawl fishing will be banned in areas off the Queen Charlotte Islands inhabited by rare colonies of glass-like sponges to protect the living fossils from further damage, officials say.

"Soon the sponge reefs will be closed to groundfish trawling," said Allan Macdonald of the Canadian Fisheries Department.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The Endangered American Sponge

[Aleksandar Vojvoda]

Mark another victory for sponge Bob!

[John H K]

And the fish, actually. A lot of bottom trawling gear basically paves the ocean floor flat, removing the very structure that attracts the fish and protects young fish, that attract the trawlers in the first place. We've had a place called the "Coral Beds" (not actually coral) in Delaware Bay paved flat and ruined as a fishing area by Conch trawlers.

[Sinner6]

The do realize the spoges dissappered off the fossil record 5 times. That means at 5 different times in history the sponges almost went extinct. All before humans were around.

[Maceman]

We have to protect the sponges. If there were no sponges, sea level would rise catastrophically.

[2Trievers]

FYI for the K-man. &;-)

[Free the USA]

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