Southern Gulf Islands Marine Protected Area

Federal Level Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act Proposed Sites in BC Southern Gulf Islands National Park

National Marine Conservation Areas Act

National Marine Conservation Areas (NMCA) Provides for Marine Protected Areas (MPA)

NMCA Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS)-

Proposal for Bill C-10 Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act, October 2000.

Provide Canadians with special places to connect with the rich and diverse environments on our shores, and ensure lasting benefits to our coastal communities and the ecological integrity and healthy proliferation of the valuable marine environments.

Each marine conservation area shall be divided into zones, which must include at least one zone that fosters and encourages ecologically sustainable use of marine resources and at least one zone that fully protects special features or sensitive elements of ecosystems, and may include other types of zones (NMCA Act 2002, c. 18 - 4.4).

MPA Marine Protected Areas (MPA) would protect all or a portion of the

elements within a particular marine environment prohibiting: ocean dumping, dredging, exploration for, or development of, non-renewable resources.

Existing marine areas under some form of legislaion comprise only 2% of BC's marine environment.

In 1994, the federal and provincial government created a committee to develop a Marine Protected Area Strategy for BC

Canada is committed to the completion of a system of marine protected areas on the Pacific coast by 2010.

In 1998, a draft MPA strategy for the Pacific Coast was released. In June 2002, the National Marine Conservation Area Act was

passed, providing Parks Canada with the legislation to establish MPAs.

Gwaii Haanas and Southern Strait of Georgia are poised to be BC's first national marine conservation areas.

In 2000, Race Rocks was announced to be Canada's first Marine Protected Area under the Oceans Act but the Endeavour Hot Vents were established as the country's first Oceans Act MPA.

Proposed MPA Sites1. Southern Gulf Islands

2. Gwaii Haanas

3. Scott Islands

4. Queen Charlotte Strait

5. Hakai

6. Gabriola

7. Race Rocks

8. Bowie Seamounts

9. Endeavour Hot Vents

Oceans Act MPA Criteria: (1) High biodiversiy (2) Fish and habitat (3) Threatened (4) Unique habitat

S. Gulf Islands: (1) Nutrients upflow (2)Rockfish,lingcod (3) Killer whales (4) Sponges, sea

anenomes

Southern Gulf Islands

Map

Size of No-Take Zones (MPA)

Small areas - few kilometers wide, for small animals (Roberts and Haukins 2000)

Large areas - tens of kilometers wide, for larger animals and bird colonies (Mosquera et al. 2000)

Buffer zones - to protect core not-take zone (NTZ) centers

MPA Connections Distance - No take zones should be 10 to

50 km apart to maximize biodiversity protection

Currents - link no take zones Upstream - need to be protected to

conserve downstream areas Arrange - to maximize links between no

take zones

SquareSquare = No Take Zone

(NTZ)

LineLine = links (connection

between zones)

MPA LINKS

As the number of no take zones increase, the

conections double and triple

between these protected areas

The overall protected area

increases in size because of the

substantial increase of links

between sites

Representational Areas - types of MPAs

Percentage 20-50% of each

ecosystem type should be protected for long-term viability

Ecosystem Identification

Topography / ocean features

Exposure High and low tidal

exposed areas consist of different species

Biodiversity Protection Summary

Small - few kilometers for non-moving species

Large - 10-20 kilometers for mobile animals

20% - of each habitat type Research - a survey over time to

identify best design for maximum biodiversity

People Benefit First Nations

Culture preservation The establishment of MPAs in British

Columbia will be without prejudice to First Nations treaty processes and the Constitutional rights of First Nation governments.

Public Participation and Education

Economic benefits Fisheries Ecotourism

Stake-holders Study on local involvement in Mediterranean

(Badalamenti, 2000)

Success is proportional to the involvement of the local community

Kelp bed ecology

Fisheries

Adult Recruitment Species Recovery Life Stage Protection Genetic Reservoirs Insurance Against Uncertainty

AdjacentAdjacent FishingFishing AreasAreas

Florida Florida (Taylor et al. 2000)(Taylor et al. 2000) Tagged fish left MPA to enter fishing groundsTagged fish left MPA to enter fishing grounds Several world records set near MPASeveral world records set near MPA

Caribbean Caribbean (Taylor et al. 2000)(Taylor et al. 2000)

Greater abundance, size, and biomass near MPAGreater abundance, size, and biomass near MPA

California California (Thompson 1997)(Thompson 1997) Median catch close to MPA significantly greater than median catch far Median catch close to MPA significantly greater than median catch far

from MPAfrom MPA

Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Mexico (Jones 1998)(Jones 1998) No increase in yield, but compliance by fishers only 65%No increase in yield, but compliance by fishers only 65%

MPAs in BC Whytecliff Park:

Above average lingcod spawning in MPA Large coppers, quillbacks, and lingcod in MPA

Porteau Cove: Greater lingcod spawning than in controls

Southern Gulf Island Fisheries

Migration route for salmon Bottom fishery for halibut Shellfish Crabs and prawns Rockfish

Conclusions NMCA in Southern Gulf Islands will

benefit: Biodiversity Culture Ecotourism Fisheries