Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area

Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area (HS/QCS MPA) is a 2,410-square-kilometre marine protected area located in Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound off the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. The marine protected area was established in February 2017 with the goal of conserving the biological diversity, structural habitat, and ecosystem function of four glass sponge reefs. These reefs were the first discovered living specimens and are the largest glass sponge reefs in the world.

Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs
Example of a cloud sponge in Saanich Inlet
Location off the coast of British Columbia Location off the coast of British Columbia
Location	Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates	52°10′N 129°35′W
Area	2,410 km2 (930 sq mi)
Designation	Marine Protected Area
Designated	February 2017 (2017-02)
Governing body	Fisheries and Oceans Canada

History

Prior to their discovery in 1987, glass sponge reefs were believed to have been extinct worldwide since the end of the Jurassic period. The formation of glass sponge reefs requires a combination of unique geological conditions combined with the occurrence of the reef-forming species of Hexactinellid sponges.

In 2018, the marine protected area was added to UNESCO's tentative list of World Heritage Sites.

See also

• Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents Marine Protected Area
• SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Seamount Marine Protected Area

External links

• Underwater vehicle footage of the reefs, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2012
• Keenan C. Guillas; Amanda S. Kahn; Nathan Grant; Stephanie K. Archer; Anya Dunham; Sally P. Leys (23 October 2019). "Settlement of juvenile glass sponges and other invertebrate cryptofauna on the Hecate Strait glass sponge reefs" (PDF). Invertebrate Biology. 138 (4). doi:10.1111/IVB.12266. ISSN 1077-8306. Wikidata Q111384429.