Let us introduce Mr. Stinky. You may have met him at one of our presentations or seen photos of him in our newsletters. Mr. Stinky is a glass sponge — a Finger Goblet sponge to be exact — and he becomes a celebrity wherever he goes.
Above: Mr. Stinky with Manfred Trummer
(Photo: Jodi Stark)
Originally from the Southern Strait of Georgia, Mr. Stinky was brought up from the sea floor by scientists from Natural Resources Canada on a research trip in October 2006. CPAWS-BC first met him in November 2006 when he joined our speaking tour to communities on the coast of British Columbia. It only took a few hours in an enclosed van before he had earned his name!
Mr. Stinky has travelled up and down the BC coast, from Vancouver to as far north as Prince Rupert and Queen Charlotte City. He met the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Loyola Hearn, as well as B.C. Minister of the Environment Barry Penner. He has attended conferences, visited with municipal governments, met MLAs at the legislature in Victoria, and many community members around the province.
As a glass sponge, Mr. Stinky is made entirely of silica (commonly known as glass) and, understandably, most people expect him to be clear. He is best described as cream-coloured and looks as if he has the same texture as a soft bath sponge. However, like glass, Mr. Stinky is
extremely brittle and fragile and we take immense care to ensure that he is not damaged. People who touch him notice that he leaves small spicules of silica on their hands.
As time goes on, his smell is thankfully becoming less pronounced. While it was once
noted that his smell was like "something rotting on the beach", someone recently commented that he now smells "like cereal" or "Horlicks", which is a definite improvement.
Mr. Stinky is a member of an animal species that has been on Earth since the age of the dinosaurs, forming immense glass sponge reefs. Until they were discovered on the B.C. coast in 1989, the glass sponge reefs were thought to have become extinct 40 million years ago. The glass sponge reefs in Hecate Strait are estimated to be 9,000 years old and form reefs up to 25 metres high — that's the same height as an eight-storey building! Mr. Stinky allows us to see, touch (and smell) an incredible marine animal that most of us will never have the opportunity to view in its natural environment.
We are frequently asked "What does he eat? How does he eat? How does he reproduce?" The scientists researching the glass sponge reefs currently don't have the answers to these questions, and won't be able to answer them if the glass sponge reefs are destroyed. We need to ensure that they receive permanent protection from destructive practices, in the form of Marine Protected Areas in Hecate Strait, the Sunshine Coast and the Southern Strait of Georgia. We need to make sure that Mr. Stinky and his friends are around for another 9,000 years.
Thank you to Kim Conway at Natural Resources Canada for letting us look after Mr. Stinky!
CPAWS - British Columbia Chapter