OUR OCEAN DEPTHS
At the coast of B.C., the edge of the continent slides below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, and gently slopes down to about 200 meters. This area is called the continental shelf, where most marine species live and where scuba divers from all over the world love to explore.
Where there are fjords carved by glaciers along the coast, the shelf floor can be up to three times deeper. And at the edge of the shelf, the ocean floor drops off dramatically, to depths unknown.
Most ocean plant life lives in depths up to 40 metres, after that there isn't enough light for many species to survive, and deeper sea waters are mostly lifeless. The narrow strip of tidal flats along the coast actually supports the most abundant and diverse sea life. As the tide goes out, mussels, limpets, anemones, sea urchins, orange and purple sea stars, crabs and sculpins all make an appearance. Then, when the tide comes in, the vibrant marine community slides under the sea's surface again.
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OUR OCEAN ECONOMY
SHIPPING
Our ice-free, deepwater ports make B.C. a natural location for shipping. Vancouver's Burrard Inlet is our largest, most productive harbour.
Some impressive Port of Vancouver facts:
• Work at the Port of Vancouver generates 62,000 jobs across Canada and $3.5 billion in economic output each year.
• $29 million in cargo goes through the port annually.
• The port handles more than 70 million tonnes of cargo each year and facilitates trade with more than 90 nations.
• The port ranked number one in North America for total foreign exports in 1998.
• The port's management engages in many environmental protection initiatives and is responsible for one of the cleanest ports in the world.
CRUISING
From May to September, the Port of Vancouver is the
terminus for one of the world's top-notch cruises, the Alaska route. In 2001, 13 cruise lines took more than one million revenue passengers on 331 sailings from Vancouver to Alaska.
This industry contributes more than $508 million to the western Canadian economy annually. Vancouver's port has been cruising since the 1880s, when Canadian Pacific took passengers to the Orient.
FISHING
The Pacific Ocean supports much of B.C.'s economic
activity. All along our coast, there are more than 4,500 active fishing vessels, not including packers or floating processors. There are 190 processing plants, mostly located in the Lower Mainland, on Vancouver Island and in Prince Rupert –all ensuring that B.C. ships more seafood than any other province in Canada. In fact, B.C. accounts for 25 per cent of the total value of all seafood exports from Canada.
Commercial fishing, including river activity, generates $181 million a year in gross domestic product, while sport fishing brings in even more, $243 million a year in GDP, and supports about 6,000 jobs. Fish processing, both wild harvest and aquaculture, generates $113 million a year. in GDP.