Dive Brief
RARE HURON POTTERY FOUND IN LAURENTIANS LAKE
By Jeffrey Gallant D
ivers Jean-Louis Courteau and Jacques Lech were exploring a Laurentians
lake for an old
truck that broke through the ice nearly a century ago when they came across something just a tad older. In fact, their find in November was likely a once-in-a- lifetime discovery. What they saw on the gravel lake bottom in just 33 feet (10m) appeared to be a rusted old pot but closer inspection revealed an intact piece of original pottery. Though they gave the object little attention at the time, they photographed it and brought it along for later inspection. Little did they know they were the first humans to lay eyes on the clay pot in nearly half a millennia. Only during the boat ride back to
shore did the divers start to realize the magnitude of their find. Once in the open air, the handmade vessel appeared unlike anything they had ever seen. Unnoticed by them in the lake’s dark green waters were intricate motifs etched on the outer surface of the pot. Other distinctive characteristics included a single, spout- like feature on its rim, which was marked all around with linear impressions. The first archaeologists to examine the artefact say it appears to be of Huron
(Wendat) design and likely predates European contact. Such vessels were used mainly for preparing and cooking corn soups, to store food and to carry water and other goods. Further study will permit researchers to better determine its origin and age, since Huron lands were far west of the discovery site until about 1609
Top: artefact as discovered on lake bottom.
Above: Courteau examines
etched motifs
when a number of Wendat traveled east to negotiate an alliance with the French. The rare artefact is now in the hands of
government authorities for appropriate care and later exhibition of the unique piece of First Nations history. An artist, Courteau
fashioned a clay replica as a memento of the astounding discovery. Virulent Disease Attacks Sea Stars A healthy sunfl ower star
In late August diver Jonathan Martin was disturbed to fi nd dead and dying sunfl ower stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) in Howe Sound, near Vancouver, BC. Their emaciated bodies were dropping rays and becoming riddled with lesions through which their internal organs grotesquely protruded. Many dead stars had been reduced to puddles of white goo. From its research out-station in Howe
Sound, a dive team from the Vancouver Aquarium quickly responded, examining
14 Magazine Diseased specimens are emaciated
several sites of abnormally dense populations of these stars and found nearly 100 percent mortality. Through September, more dramatic still images and video came in from other areas of Howe Sound, Vancouver Harbour, Indian Arm, and elsewhere in the Strait of Georgia, where huge numbers of sunfl ower stars lay stacked in rotting heaps on the bottom. Tens of thousands died within a matter of a few weeks of what has been dubbed ‘the sea star wasting syndrome’.
By Neil McDaniel
Mat bacteria consumes remains
So far the epicentre seems to be Howe Sound, although reports of diseased and dying stars of several diff erent species (including giant pink, mottled, ochre/purple and sun stars) have been recorded from Alaska to California. Interestingly, sea stars are also dying on the Atlantic coast of North America, although the same disease may not be involved. Investigations continue. No smoking gun has been identifi ed. More info:
www.seastarwasting.org www.themarinedetective.com
Photos: Neil McDaniel -
www.SeaStarsofthePacifi
cNorthwest.info
Photos: Nicole Théorêt. Inset: Jacques A. Lech
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