Flora The waters surrounding the islands host
kelp beds. Kelp beds are found throughout the surrounding waters of all the islands. Cox Island is the closest island to Vancouver Island. This island has trees, bushes, and a very limited amount of grass areas.
Fauna The Scott Islands provide critical breeding and nesting habitat for 40% of British Columbia's
seabirds. Bird species of note include
tufted puffin,
short-tailed albatross,
black-footed albatross,
Cassin's auklet,
rhinoceros auklet,
common murre,
marbled murrelet,
ancient murrelet,
pink-footed shearwater,
sooty shearwater, and
bald eagle. Resident mammal species include
sea otter,
northern sea lion,
orca,
humpback whale, and
grey whale. Bird species of note include tufted puffin, short-tailed albatross, black-footed albatross, Cassin's auklet, rhinoceros auklet, common murre, marbled murrelet, ancient murrelet, pink-footed shearwater, sooty shearwater, and bald eagle.
Species at risk Under Canada's
Species at Risk Act (SARA), 25 species that inhabit the mNWA (marine National Wildlife Area) are listed as being at risk, including eight species of migratory birds, eight marine mammals, two reptiles, and seven fish.
Marine mammals Sea otters, which are SARA's Special Concern species, are regaining their numbers and range. The population is not yet evidently secure, despite the fact that their numbers are growing again, and their range is spreading down the coast. One of only two regions in the
Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA) where sea otters have established a resident population is the marine area surrounding the Scott Islands. The management strategy for sea otters developed by DFO (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) mentions that they are "especially vulnerable to oil accidents due to their vulnerability to oil and proximity to major oil tanker routes". Several species of endangered marine mammals are also known to inhabit the seas near the mNWA (marine National Wildlife Area). Such as the
blue whale (SARA Endangered), the northern resident and Bigg's/transient ecotypes of
killer whales (both SARA Threatened), the
fin whale (Threatened), the grey whale (no status, under investigation), and the
humpback whale (listed as Special Concern). Of them, the Scott Islands mNWA (marine National Wildlife Area) has been designated as the fin whale's key habitat.
Birds The waters of the Scott Islands are also known to be used by a variety of endangered marine birds. These include the
black-footed albatross (Special Concern), the
marbled murrelet (Threatened), the
short-tailed albatross (Threatened), the
pink-footed shearwater (Threatened), and the ancient murrelet (Special Concern).
Threats Predatory and invasive species One of the biggest hazards to nesting seabirds and a factor in the extinction of island bird species is the introduction of
invasive and predatory species. The extirpation of
Cassin's auklets and
rhinoceros auklets is thought to have already taken place in the Scott Islands, where mink and raccoons were introduced to Lanz and Cox islands for the purpose of fur trapping in the 1930s. Periodically, fishermen have even abandoned domestic cats on the islands. The bird colonies on the Triangle, Sartine, and Beresford Islands are susceptible to the introduction of predators. In particular, rats that jump from ships or are dumped on the islands by broken-down boats or lost cargo pose a threat. The potential invasion of rats on these islands could have catastrophic effects on bird breeding populations.
Oil discharges and spills Two of the major threats faced by commercial vessels within the Scott Islands mNWA are oily discharges and spills. These can take the shape of small-scale oil spills, large-scale oil spills, and unauthorized or illegal discharges of oily mixes. Aerial observation of oil discharges in the EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) on the Pacific coast found 101 discharges between 2008 and 2010, and northwest Vancouver Island was identified as a habitat vital to marine birds and perhaps at higher risk of oiling. Three of the 471 oiling incidents—or roughly 33 per year—that were discovered along BC's coast between 1997 and 2010 (according to another study) occurred close to the mNWA (marine National Wildlife Area). Due to their higher frequency and greater geographic impact, it is thought that small-scale oil discharges (less than 1,000 litres) may have a bigger ecological impact per volume released than massive spills. The majority of these discharges, which are sometimes referred to as "chronic" oil pollution, are connected to bilge water, routine operating discharges, unlawful tank cleaning, and propeller shaft bearings. The waters near the Scott Islands are one of two areas on the BC coast with the highest potential risk from oil exposure due to the confluence of high bird density and high probability of small-scale oil discharges.
Greywater Greywater, defined as the drainage from sinks, washers, bathtubs, showers, or dishwashers, can have pollution levels that are on par with raw sewage. It can transmit dangerous bacteria and diseases, endanger human health, contain a wide range of pollutants, increase the amount of nutrients in the nearby water, leading to eutrophication and oxygen-depleted dead zones. 116 Cruise ship traffic frequently sails between Beresford Island and the Lanz and Cox Islands through the Scott Islands. Greywater output on the BC coast was expected to be 1.54 billion litres per year in 2017, with vessels used for tourism, like as cruise ships and yachts, producing 1.37 billion litres of that total.
Shipping The shelf break is an area where cold, nutrient-rich water rises from the seafloor, supporting food webs that attract whales and seabirds. The shelf break is an area of intense shipping traffic, especially for large bulk carriers, cargo ships, tankers and passenger vessels, which pose several threats including noise, physical disturbance, risk of spills and potential for collisions. • The Scott Islands. Vessels transiting through or between the islands may cause visual disturbance and noise pollution, and potentially impact seabirds that are offshore. Vessels transiting the area may also impact the feeding ranges of sea otters and
Steller sea lions. • The Scott Channel runs between the southernmost Scott Islands and the north coast of Vancouver Island. It is an important area for seabirds, sea otters and Steller sea lions, and also receives a high volume of vessel traffic in the form of bulk carriers, container ships and passenger's vessels, much of which services communities in northwest Vancouver Island. • The northeast corner of the Scott Islands marine NWA is an area of moderate to high densities of seabird populations and also an area of moderate to high density of vessel traffic, including large passenger vessels, smaller container ships, bulk carriers, and some tanker traffic. • Deepwater offshore foraging areas, where large concentrations of sea birds congregate to forage. == Tourist attractions ==