A ban on industrial activities such as waste disposal, trawling the sea floor for fishing and natural resource extraction, are some of the conversation standards put in place by Canada for marine protected areas that cover more than 14% of its oceans.
The regulations which are part of Canada’s goal to conserve 25% of its oceans by 2025 is coming a day after the federal government and First Nations announced progress on establishing what will be the country’s largest Marine Protected Area (MPA) located 150 km (90 miles) off the west coast of British Columbia.
Canada is bordered by three oceans – the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic – and has the longest coastline in the world.
Federal ocean and fisheries minister Joyce Murray said Canada is also exploring other marine areas for future protection, including parts of James Bay in the far north of Ontario and Quebec, and Arctic areas in the territory of Nunavut.
“Oceans are as crucial to our survival as the air we breathe and if we truly want to protect the planet, we must protect the oceans,” Murray was quoted as saying.
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The new proposed MPA off the west coast of Vancouver Island moved forward this week after Canada and local First Nations signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperatively manage the area.
The area is home to 46 towering underwater mountains and all of Canada’s known hydrothermal vents, rare deep-sea hot spots that support unique marine species and covers 133,019 square km (51,360 square miles), roughly half the size of New Zealand.
Measures to prevent certain fishing activities were put in place when Canada and First Nations started working on protecting the area in 2017 and designating it as an MPA would expand protection to the unique seafloor features.
“These underexplored ecosystems, three kilometres beneath the ocean surface, are likely home to marine life found nowhere else in the world,” said Kate MacMillan, Ocean Conservation Manager for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
Story was adapted from Reuters.
