Sponge Reef Areas of the Pacific Region

Sponge reefs are constructed by hexactinellid (glass) sponges of the Order Hexactinosida. The sponges trap fine sediments, and over centuries of sponge growth and sediment trapping, form large bioherms or reef mounds. Glass sponge reefs are unique habitats found along the Pacific coast of Canada and the United States and they have significant historic, ecological, and economic value. They link benthic and pelagic environments by playing important roles in filtration and carbon and nitrogen processing, and acting as silica sinks. They also form habitat for diverse communities of invertebrates and fish, including those of economic importance. Thus, accurate and up-to-date information on the location and spatial extent of sponge reefs is important to the management and conservation of many of Canada’s Pacific marine species. We generated a map of known sponge reefs, derived from two source shape files: 1) Sponge_Reef_West_Coast, mapped by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), 2) Howesound_Nine_reef_polygons and 3) HoweSound_Five_reef_polygons, which were mapped by DFO and NRCan. The resultant polygon shapefile is published on the GIS hub as a file geodatabase feature class.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field	Value
Last Updated	April 17, 2026, 19:53 (UTC)
Created	April 17, 2026, 19:53 (UTC)
contact_email	DFO.PACScienceMSEAData-DonneesEASMSciencePAC.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
contact_person	{"en": "Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Pacific Science/Ecosystem Science Division/Marine Spatial Ecology and Analysis Section", "fr": "Gouvernement du Canada; Pêches et Océans Canada; Science Pacificque/Division des sciences des écosystèmes/Section d’écologie et d’analyse spatiale marine"}
criticality_level	[]
data_dictionary	EPSG:4326,https://epsg.io,9.8.4
geographic_scope	[]
open_canada_collection	fgp
open_canada_date_modified	2025-09-08 00:00:00
open_canada_date_published	2020-05-12 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords	{"en": ["British Columbia", "Howe Sound", "Strait of Georgia", "Hecate Strait", "Queen Charlotte Sound", "Georgia Basin", "Queen Charlotte Basin", "Holocene", "BC", "Sponge reefs", "Reefs", "Sensitive benthic areas", "Benthos", "Marine geology", "Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas", "EBSA", "Aquatic wildlife", "Biogenic habitat", "Protected areas", "Aphrocallistes vastus", "Farrea occa", "Heterochone calyx", "Conservation", "Aquatic wildlife", "Aquatic ecosystems", "Ocean floor", "Oceans", "Habitats"], "fr": ["Colombie-Britannique", "Baie Howe", "Détroit de Géorgie", "Détroit d'Hecate", "Détroit de la Reine-Charlotte", "Bassin de Géorgie", "Bassin de la Reine-Charlotte", "Holocène", "C-B", "Récifs d’éponges", "Récifs", "Zones benthiques vulnérables", "Benthos", "Géologie marine", "Zones d’importance écologique et biologique", "ZIEB", "Faune aquatique", "Habitat biogénique", "Aires protégées", "Aphrocallistes vastus", "Farrea occa", "Heterochone calyx", "Conservation", "Faune aquatique", "Écosystème aquatique", "Fond marin", "Océan", "Habitat"]}
open_canada_subject	["nature_and_environment"]
sensitivity_level	unrestricted
title_fr	Zones de récifs d’éponges de la région du Pacifique
update_frequency	as_needed