Ling cod guarding egg mass on Annapolis
JUNE 2021
ANNAPOLIS BIODIVERSITY INDEX STUDY (ABIS) REPORT
It has been just over six years since the Annapolis began its life as an artificial reef, and the ship has been busy doing just what it was designed to do. It has attracted divers from around the world and provide habitat for an ever growing variety of local marine life. Project ABIS (Annapolis Biodiversity Index Study) was an effort to monitor, and quantifiably record, the gradual recruitment of marine life to the Annapolis. It was the end result of consultations with Environment Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, BC Parks, the Vancouver Aquarium, Ocean Wise, and Squamish Nations, and was put into play shortly after sinking.
ANNAPOLIS BIODIVERSITY INDEX STUDY (ABIS) REPORT
It has been just over six years since the Annapolis began its life as an artificial reef, and the ship has been busy doing just what it was designed to do. It has attracted divers from around the world and provide habitat for an ever growing variety of local marine life. Project ABIS (Annapolis Biodiversity Index Study) was an effort to monitor, and quantifiably record, the gradual recruitment of marine life to the Annapolis. It was the end result of consultations with Environment Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, BC Parks, the Vancouver Aquarium, Ocean Wise, and Squamish Nations, and was put into play shortly after sinking.
The ABIS Project originally started with a call out to divers to record their marine life findings and observations with either video or still photography, and report those findings to Donna Gibbs, taxonomist and Data Specialist at the Vancouver Aquarium. The results were very encouraging but sporadic; so, starting in the summer of 2016, with help from a BC Parks grant, we were able to put together a dedicated team of citizen scientist divers that could be sent out to the Annapolis on a consistent basis to collect data on marine life
Donna has diligently put together a growing taxon of species that inhabit the Annapolis that now totals over 170 species of marine flora and fauna, and even though the sponsored ABIS project has come to an official end we know that the ship will continue to evolve. New species will continue to gather on Annapolis and populations of present marine life will grow and we still encourage any diver who wishes to contribute their video or still photo observations to forward them to: dpemberton@artificialreefsocietybc.ca
Today all marine phyla found in BC waters are represented on Annapolis. The Annapolis project was originally dedicated as an attempt to provide additional habitat in hopes to increase the numbers rockfish and ling cod which have suffered serious declines in Howe Sound over the past several decades. Over the past five years we have recorded four species of rockfish on Annapolis as well as juveniles. In the last year we also recorded two successful lingcod egg masses on the ship, a very promising sign. Lingcod and rockfish numbers remain depressed throughout Howe Sound but Annapolis offers a level of validation of the project and all the hard work that went into it.
Donna has diligently put together a growing taxon of species that inhabit the Annapolis that now totals over 170 species of marine flora and fauna, and even though the sponsored ABIS project has come to an official end we know that the ship will continue to evolve. New species will continue to gather on Annapolis and populations of present marine life will grow and we still encourage any diver who wishes to contribute their video or still photo observations to forward them to: dpemberton@artificialreefsocietybc.ca
Today all marine phyla found in BC waters are represented on Annapolis. The Annapolis project was originally dedicated as an attempt to provide additional habitat in hopes to increase the numbers rockfish and ling cod which have suffered serious declines in Howe Sound over the past several decades. Over the past five years we have recorded four species of rockfish on Annapolis as well as juveniles. In the last year we also recorded two successful lingcod egg masses on the ship, a very promising sign. Lingcod and rockfish numbers remain depressed throughout Howe Sound but Annapolis offers a level of validation of the project and all the hard work that went into it.
We would like to thank all divers for their submissions over the past five years and look forward to further discoveries that lay in wait.
Dive smart, dive safe.
– Doug Pemberton
Biological Monitoring Programs
Dive smart, dive safe.
– Doug Pemberton
Biological Monitoring Programs
ABIS Report: Former HMCS Annapolis Artificial Reef Harbours Many Species
In 2015 the Annapolis, a decommissioned naval ship, was sunk in Ch’á7elsm/Halkett Bay, on the south-east of Chá7elkwnech/Gambier Island to create an artificial reef. Due to historical log boom storage in this area, habitat potential was reduced compared to other nearby sites. The sinking of the Annapolis was thus designed to provide usable habitat to increase species abundance and diversity in the area, and is monitored by the Artificial Reef Society of BC (ARSBC) through their citizen science program, the Annapolis Biodiversity Index Study (ABIS). By early 2016, nearly 50 different marine species had made the Annapolis home.
Click here for the 2020 ABIS report
In 2015 the Annapolis, a decommissioned naval ship, was sunk in Ch’á7elsm/Halkett Bay, on the south-east of Chá7elkwnech/Gambier Island to create an artificial reef. Due to historical log boom storage in this area, habitat potential was reduced compared to other nearby sites. The sinking of the Annapolis was thus designed to provide usable habitat to increase species abundance and diversity in the area, and is monitored by the Artificial Reef Society of BC (ARSBC) through their citizen science program, the Annapolis Biodiversity Index Study (ABIS). By early 2016, nearly 50 different marine species had made the Annapolis home.
Click here for the 2020 ABIS report
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RECENT PICTURES FROM ANNAPOLIS
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Annapolis Reference Photos
Attention divers! Thanks to all who have uploaded images to the Vancouver Aquarium in support of the ABIS project. To help people describe where their images are taken, here are some labelled pictures of the ship for you to use. You may also find them useful in planning future dives to Annapolis. 
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PICTURES FROM SUMMER 2017
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