In 2007 and 2009 we were lucky to have time with the CCGS Vector and JP Tully during which we surveyed in great detail, and sampled and measured sponges at three glass sponge reefs in the Strait of Georgia. Our survey used the remote operated vehicle, ROPOS, whose pilots and technicians can maneuver it delicately over the seafloor without hitting the sponges. ROPOS power and technology allow us to relocate tiny instruments in the pitch black at 200m depth year after year; pick up sponges that are as delicate as a crystal wine glass; cover vast areas of terrain imaging in high definition as we fly, and generate interactive maps immediately after we have been to sites.

Jackson Chu master-minded the surveys and used GIS to analyze every tiny patch of reef that we visited. His meticulous work is documented in a publication just out in the Marine Ecology Progress Series (October 2010).

For video of the reefs, visit Jackson's website