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C S A S S C C S Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Secrétariat canadien de consultation scientifique Research Document 2006/059 Document de recherche 2006/059 Not to be cited without Ne pas citer sans permission of the authors * autorisation des auteurs * The intentional scuttling of surplus Sabordage intentionnel de navires en and derelict vessels: Some effects on surplus et épaves : quelques effets marine biota and their habitats in sur le biote marin et sur les habitats British Columbia waters, 2002 dans les eaux de la Colombie- Britannique, 2002 B.D. Smiley Department of Fisheries and Oceans Marine Environment and Habitat Science Division Institute of Oceans Sciences 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, B.C. V8L 4B2 Canada * This series documents the scientific basis for the * La présente série documente les bases evaluation of fisheries resources in Canada. As scientifiques des évaluations des ressources such, it addresses the issues of the day in the time halieutiques du Canada. Elle traite des frames required and the documents it contains are problèmes courants selon les échéanciers dictés. not intended as definitive statements on the Les documents qu’elle contient ne doivent pas subjects addressed but rather as progress reports être considérés comme des énoncés définitifs on ongoing investigations. sur les sujets traités, mais plutôt comme des rapports d’étape sur les études en cours. Research documents are produced in the official Les documents de recherche sont publiés dans language in which they are provided to the la langue officielle utilisée dans le manuscrit Secretariat. envoyé au Secrétariat. This document is available on the Internet at: Ce document est disponible sur l’Internet à: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas/ ISSN 1499-3848 (Printed / Imprimé) © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2006 © Sa majesté la Reine, Chef du Canada, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Abstract/Resumé ...........................................................................................................................iv 2.0 Introduction and objectives............................................................................................................1 3.0 Regulatory approach in British Columbia .....................................................................................3 3.1 Canadian Environmental Protection Act and Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.......3 3.2 Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA).............................................................................4 3.3 Fisheries Act............................................................................................................................5 4.0 Sources of information...................................................................................................................5 5.0 Past and future of ship reef development.......................................................................................6 5.1 In British Columbia .................................................................................................................6 5.2 Elsewhere in Canada and other countries..............................................................................22 6.0 Effects on marine fish, sea mammals and their habitats ..............................................................24 6.1 Noise and explosions.............................................................................................................25 6.2 Benthic smothering................................................................................................................27 6.3 Altered currents and bottom scouring ...................................................................................28 6.4 Fish aggregation and species diversity ..................................................................................34 6.4.1 International evidence...................................................................................................35 6.4.2 British Columbia evidence ............................................................................................38 6.4.2.1 Porteau Cove artificial reef complex.........................................................................38 6.4.2.2 Mackenzie artificial reef ............................................................................................42 6.4.2.3 Columbia artificial reef..............................................................................................42 6.4.2.4 Chaudiere artificial reef.............................................................................................42 6.4.2.5 Church artificial reef .................................................................................................48 6.4.2.6 Saskatchewan artificial reef.......................................................................................53 6.4.2.7 Cape Breton artificial reef .........................................................................................56 6.4.2.8 Other BC artificial reefs ............................................................................................56 6.5 Reef production and predation ..............................................................................................61 7.0 Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................................................64 8.0 Acknowledgements......................................................................................................................68 9.0 References....................................................................................................................................69 10.0 Appendices...................................................................................................................................78 i LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Locations of marine artificial reefs constructed from derelict and surplus vessels in British Columbia, 1980 to 2001...............................................................................................................12 Figure 2. Locations of the Granthal, Centennial III, Nakaya and other artificial reefs in Porteau Cove complex, Porteau Cove Provincial Park, BC. ..............................................................................13 Figure 3. Location of the Mackenzie artificial reef off Rum and Gooch Islands, and the Church artificial reef off Portland Island, near Sidney, BC......................................................................14 Figure 4. Location of Columbia artificial reef off Maud Island near Campbell River, BC. .................15 Figure 5. Location of the Chaudiere artificial reef off Kunechin Point near Sechelt, BC....................16 Figure 6. Location of the Saskatchewan artificial reef off Snake Island near Nanaimo, BC................17 Figure 7. Approximate locations of the Yuang Ye and "Rust Bucket" artificial reefs in Underwood Cove near Port Alberni, BC. ........................................................................................................18 Figure 8. Bathymetric changes due to scouring, sand ripples and waves around scuttled ships along Taiwan Coast................................................................................................................................31 Figure 9. Sidescan sonar mosaic of the HCMS Saguenay, a decommissioned ISL class destroyer, reefed in Lunenburg Marine Park, Nova Scotia ..........................................................................32 Figure 10. Multibeam bathymetric images of the Saskatchewan artificial reef located off Snake Island near Nanaimo, BC........................................................................................................................33 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Locations of intentionally-scuttled vessels in British Columbia 8 Table 2. Sizes and footprints of intentionally-scuttled vessels in British Columbia...............................9 Table 3. Ocean disposal database: Vessel permit and disposal activity information report ………….11 Table 4. Conspicuous marine biota observed by divers on and adjacent to the Porteau Artificial Reef complex, Howe Sound, BC..........................................................................................................41 Table 5. Relative abundance of conspicuous marine biota observed by divers on the Mackenzie artificial reef near Rum and Gooch Islands, Haro Strait, BC, 7 April 2001...............................45 Table 6. Conspicuous marine biota observed by divers on the Columbia artificial reef, near Maude Island in Campbell River area, BC. 29 August 1998 ....................................................................46 Table 7. Trends in abundance of conspicuous marine biota observed by divers on the Chaudiere artificial reef in Sechlet Inlet, BC. 1992 to 2000 .........................................................................47 Table 8. Relative abundance of conspicuous marine biota observed by divers on the Church artificial reef near Rum and Gooch Islands, Haro Strait, BC, 26 March 1994...........................................50 Table 9. Comparison of marine biota densities on the Church artificial reef, 26 March 1994.............54 Table 10. Relative abundance of conspicuous marine biota observed by divers on the Church artificial reef, 23 February 2002.................................................................................................................55 Table 11. Conspicuous marine biota observed by divers on the Saskatchewan