Speaking Tour Shares the Adventure

Last June’s Finding Coral Expedition was a once in a lifetime experience to fly a submarine through ink-black waters, my headlights lighting up a deep sea world blooming with life that no one had ever seen before and will likely never see again. The one man subs we dived in gave me and the other members of the science team the mobility to explore seven dive sites where we found at least 16 different kinds of coral, ranging from small orange cup corals to red tree corals one meter high.

When we began the expedition, I don’t think any of us understood what kind of adventure we were going on. For me, one of the most profound moments of the trip was when I was sitting at 500 metres, gazing at a huge boulder teeming with vibrant marine life and I realized that, in my search for deep sea corals, I had discovered an entire ocean, rich with fish, anemones, shrimp, brittle stars, and so much more. I believe there was more life on that deep sea boulder than you would ever see on a boulder on land.

I wish that more people could fly a sub at 500 meters through a grove of Primnoa coral. If they could, then I think more people would be as amazed by the ocean as I am. And so I am packing my bags and heading out to share my Finding Coral experiences. Between November and April I will be visiting different parts of Canada, sharing the videos and stories of my journey to the bottom of the sea.

On this upcoming speaking tour, I want to help everyone understand that the ocean is an important part of their life, beyond a place to go boating or watch a beautiful sunset. Oceans are the heart and lungs of this planet, regulating the weather that supplies rain for our lakes and rivers  and providing the oxygen in every second breath we take. Oceans give us the food we eat and contribute to our nation’s economy. Whether you live in Sointula, B.C. or Winnipeg, the ocean touches your life everyday,

Living Oceans Society mounted the Finding Coral Expedition as part of its efforts to get the Canadian Government to protect B.C.’s deep sea corals from destructive fishing practices such as bottom trawling. As with forests on land, deep sea coral forests provide important habitat for many creatures. High definition video cameras on the subs recorded our dives, capturing the splendour of the coral forests as well as the trawl door ruts observed at several dive sites. The data gathered during the expedition is being made available to the government to help inform a new marine planning process for the ocean realm adjacent to the Great Bear Rainforest. It is an 88,000 km2 area that extends from Campbell River to Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii, and has been named by DFO the “Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area” ( PNCIMA pronounced “pin-SEE-ma”).

The planning process should provide the opportunity for First Nations, fishermen, environmental groups, scientists, DFO and others to work together to conserve the health of this spectacular region. Protecting deep sea coral forests and other important, fragile ecosystems must be part of the PNCIMA process as we build the vision for a sustainable future in coastal B.C.

~ Jennifer Lash