The Three Reefs Atlas (The 3 Reefs) – The 3 Reefs Project
At the northern reaches of the Salish Sea, three unique marine reef ecosystems push into the rich mix of oceanic waters, where the flood tides rounding Vancouver Island meet.
The 3 Reefs boast a wealth of biodiversity; the marine food chains here spanning the spectrum from– from diatom to coastal wolf!
These spectacular rocky reef systems on the southern tips of Hernando Island, Cortes Island and Marina Island are the rebounded remains of 30 - 40 million year old ice age sediments originally depressed below sea level during the last glacial maximum. Sand and mud eroded away into the Strait of Georgia Basin, leaving behind boulders, cobbles and pebbles strewn over wave-cut terraces exposed only on the lowest tides of the year; true intertidal wilderness!
Our field observations are being compiled to prove that these reef systems are unique in coastal British Columbia, which is the prerequisite to qualifying them for marine protected area status.
