DEP Studies Shipwreck Habitat In Lake Erie

On August 12, staff from the Department of Environmental Protection went aboard the Regional Science Consortium boat to study the S. K. Martin shipwreck site in Lake Erie.

Each year, DEP staff visit several shipwreck sites in Lake Erie to document ecological habitats and historical artifacts. DEP deploys a remote operated vehicle to depths of up to 60 feet to observe the shipwrecks’ present condition and to record the presence of any species using the sites as habitat, including invasive gobies and mussels.

This annual initiative is managed by DEP's Coastal Resources Management Program and funded by a Section 309 Enhancement Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The S.K. Martin was first launched in 1883 as a passenger ship. It was converted to a bulk freighter in 1888 and was sunk when it sailed through a northwest gale while fully loaded with coal.
(Reprinted from the August 20 DEP News.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)