Project Yukon

Project Overview

Probably the most ambitious project ever undertaken by the San Diego Oceans Foundation was the acquisition, preparation, and sinking of the decommissioned Canadian warship HMCS YUKON. Working in cooperation with the Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia, SDOF brought the YUKON to San Diego from Canada, stripped it of toxic and hazardous materials, and placed it on bottom to serve as an artificial reef offshore from Mission Beach.

The volunteer effort to prepare the ship for sinking cannot be overstated. Without the persistent hard work of numerous members of the San Diego diving community and others, this Herculean task could never have been completed. Our goal was to make the ship safe for divers by removing entanglement hazards and creating numerous openings for easy egress and to make it safe for the environment as well. The point, after all, was to enhance the habitat - not pollute it!

Scientific Analysis

In 2000, the San Diego Oceans Foundation (SDOF) scuttled the Canadian Destroyer Escort Yukon off of the San Diego coastline, turning the ship into an artificial reef. Since its transformation into a reef, the Yukon has become the site of 10,800 dives each year, including 6,000 by out-of-town divers. An analysis of preliminary data indicates that the expenditures may be as high as $4.5 million to the local economy.

In order to quantify the direct economic benefits to San Diego of this new marine habitat, SDOF initiated two studies on the economic effects of divers visiting Yukon: 1. An expenditure survey to determine the project's market contributions and local economic impact; 2. An analysis of data regarding the origin of divers visiting the Yukon and other reefs in Southern California.

While the environmental benefits of similar manmade habitats are well known in Gulf Coast states, the Yukon is the first such project on the West Coast. The SDOF therefore also commissioned a report on the Yukon's environmental effects. The findings of the reports indicate that the Yukon has contributed significant benefits to the local economy and can be expected to continue to be a positive attraction for both sea life and humans. Specific findings of the reports, released to the public in a comprehensive DVD, include the following:

Economic Highlights

An analysis of preliminary data indicate that expenditures may be as high as $4.5 million to local economy, and have supported 225 full-time jobs and more than $700,000 in wages and salaries.
Local economy benefits from more than ten times the initial investment every year ($4.5 million compared to $435,000).
With more than half of its divers from out of town, the Yukon benefits not only the diving industry, but also businesses relying on tourism as well as city and county governments through tax revenues.

Environmental Highlights

Fish populations have increased significantly since reef first formed.
The Yukon has benefited certain fish species by functioning as a breeding ground and nursery for blackfish as well as sheephead and boccacio, two species whose populations have been seriously depleted by over fishing.
The reef is more favorable for vermillion rockfish and boccacio than a nearby natural habitat in La Jolla
The Yukon may also have a beneficial effect as a new "stepping stone" for mobile species in "Wreck Alley," a network of artificial reefs between natural habitats north and south of the reef.
Marine life on and around the Yukon has and continues to increase in species richness and diver

Yukon Resources (pdf)

Historical Overview of Project Yukon

Map the Yukon: A Warship Becomes An Artificial Reef

Ecological Assessment of the HMCS Yukon Artificial Reef off San Diego, Ca (USA)

Towards A Better Understanding of the Economic Value of Ships to Reef Scuba Diving in Southern California.

Creating Underwater Value: The Economic Value of Artificial Reefs For Recreational Diving.

Yukon Environmental Impact Report

Artificial Reef Monitoring Project Volunteer Manual

Side Scan Survey of the Yukon Off Mission Bay

Disposal Options for Ships

Roadmap to Reefing: A Step by Step Guide

Bring a Warship to a Dive Site near You

Artificial Reef Conference Proceedings, San Diego 2000

Assessing the Ecological Risks of Creating Artificial Reefs from ex-Warships