A network of
marine protected areas will be designed along with areas designated for other specific uses that contribute to the rebuilding of the ocean's health while minimizing economic impacts on fishermen. New management objectives will be developed to ensure there are healthy habitats and clean waters for all the species that call this place home. This will also give us fisheries that sustain native and non native communities, now and for generations to come. Only 1.98 percent (8963.58 km2) of Canada’s Pacific waters are currently protected in federal and provincial
marine protected areas (MPAs). In Canada, marine protection can be established under any number of federal legislation including: •
Oceans Act •
Fisheries Act •
National Parks Act •
National Marine Conservation Areas Act •
Canadian Wildlife Act In British Columbia, marine protection can be established under the
Park Act and the
Ecological Reserves Act . These are the different types of marine protection found within PNCIMA.
Sponge reef fishery closures Sponge reefs are highly sensitive to disturbance and the ones in PNCIMA were thought to be extinct until their discovery in 1987. Fisheries closures are for the
groundfish and
shrimp trawl. In June 2010, the
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans announced the government's intention to pursue marine protection measures for the glass sponge reefs of
Hecate Strait and
Queen Charlotte Sound.
Rockfish conservation areas Rockfish conservation areas [http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/maps-cartes/rca-acs/index-eng.htm are intended to protect
rockfish so fishing activities within these areas is restricted. There are 192 rockfish conservation areas in British Columbia, and 79 of those are within PNCIMA.
British Columbia parks and ecological reserves Dr. Michael Bigg Ecological Reserve Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and NMCA Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area (proposed) The
Scott Islands are rocky, windy, and remote. Five islands make up the Scott Islands archipelago. Lanz and Cox Islands are closest to Vancouver Island shores and were designated as a Class “A”
Provincial Park in 1995. The outer three islands of Sartine, Beresford, and Triangle (Anne Vallée) became provincial ecological reserves in 1971. These five uninhabited islands, off the northern tip of Vancouver Island are home to some of the most important bird colonies in British Columbia with over two million seabirds nesting there annually. Ninety percent of Canada’s hardy
tufted puffins breed here where it is often impossible to land a boat and winds have been known to reach hurricane strength. The water surrounding these islands has been proposed as a
marine wildlife area to protect the feeding grounds of this globally significant migratory bird area. == History ==