One year after a series of controlled detonations sank the former HMCS Annapolis to the sea floor in Halkett Bay Provincial Marine Park on Gambier Island, scientists are excited about the diverse and growing community of marine life taking up residence on the artificial reef.
The catalogue of organisms now making a home on the convoluted structure of the Annapolis includes tubeworms, sea stars, anemones, mussels, prawns, rockfish, pollock, schools of perch and more.
“I’m not surprised at what we’re seeing, but I’m very excited about it,” said Donna Gibbs, research diver and taxonomist in the Vancouver Aquarium’s Howe Sound Research Program. “There are 10 major groups that I track and there are nine of them on the ship already. The only group missing is sponges so it’ll be interesting to see when they show up.”
The Annapolis Biodiversity Index Study (ABIS) was established in partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, the Squamish Nation, the Marine Life Sanctuaries Society and BC Parks. A dedicated team of academics and citizen scientists is collecting data to help document marine species recruitment on the ship.
While Gibbs is maintaining the study’s marine life taxon, she said the research wouldn’t be possible without assistance from volunteer divers.
“Citizen science divers have been a tremendous help to the ABIS project by providing video footage for us to interpret when we can’t be there.”
The 366-foot (110-metre) helicopter-carrying destroyer escort was sunk a year ago by the Artificial Reef Society of BC (ARSBC) to become the first of its kind in the Greater Vancouver region. As well as an underwater dive site, the ship was expected to provide habitat for schooling fish and invertebrates.
“We planned for a major wreck site located within an easy boat ride from Horseshoe Bay so the wreck can be studied readily for changes in marine habitat,” said Howie Robins, president of the society.
Robins said the reef’s popularity with local divers and with marine life is exceeding all expectations. “The Annapolis has become a major eco-adventure destination for all diver skill levels, and we’re delighted that scores of divers are enjoying this new installation within a provincial marine park. The Annapolis is now a living laboratory for research adding to the richness and recovery of Howe Sound.”
