Marine Habitat: Deeper Waters

No part of the Strait of Georgia is "open" in an oceanic sense, but there are plenty of streches that seem open enough if you're in a small boat and the wind is blowing!

Nutrients from rivers and deep-water upwellings keep these areas biologically rich, stimulating blooms of plankton that feed massive schools of small, forage fish.

These herring, sandlance and others are then consumed by the bigger wildlife like salmon, seabirds, seals, whales and dolphins.

The waters in the parts of the Strait reach depths of over 350 meters (1150 feet), often dropping into darkness near steep shorelines.

Recreational divers can safely descend to only about 40 meters (130 feet), so there are a host of poorly understood creatures that make the dim waters below their home. Ratfish and sixgill sharks are just two examples of creatures that live in the deeper waters of the Strait.

Learn more:

• BC's Reefs among Science's Great Finds - sponge reefs