Progress towards creation of marine protected area off Vancouver Island
At the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver this week, Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Joyce Murray and representatives of four First Nations announced progress on the proposed Tang.ɢwan — ḥačxwiqak — Tsig̱is Marine Protected Area (MPA), a large ecologically unique ocean area located about 150 kilometres off the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Covering 133,019 square kilometres, the proposed MPA is home to extraordinary seafloor features, including more than 46 underwater mountains, known as seamounts, and all known hydrothermal vents in Canada. These deep-sea biological “hotspots” are globally rare and support deep-water species unique to this area.
Canada and the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, the Council of the Haida Nation, Pacheedaht First Nation, and Quatsino First Nation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperatively manage the proposed new MPA – a historic step in a multi-year process to protect this important space.
This ocean area was first identified for protection in May 2017, and measures to prevent certain fishing activities were subsequently put in place. Designating the proposed MPA under Canada’s Oceans Act would strengthen marine protection for the area by using zoning to refine fisheries-management measures and expand prohibitions to include activities that pose a risk to the protection of the unique seafloor features, including oil and gas activities, deep sea mining and other activities subject to the MPA protection standard.
Draft regulations for the MPA will be published in Canada Gazette Part 1, on February 18, opening a public comment period of 30 days.
The new name for the proposed MPA consists of a Haida word meaning “deep ocean” (Tang.ɢwan), a Nuu-chah-nulth and Pacheedaht word meaning “deepest part of the ocean” (ḥačxwiqak) and a Quatsino word referring to a “monster of the deep” (Tsig̱is).
The Tang.ɢwan — ḥačxwiqak — Tsig̱is MPA would replace the existing marine refuge when designated and would contribute an additional 0.88% to Canada’s marine conservation target of conserving 25% of its marine and coastal areas by 2025, making it the largest MPA designated under the Oceans Act to date.
