Marine protected Areas

• Bowie Seamount MPA
• Endeavour Hydrothermal Vent MPA
• Race Rocks AOI
• Hecate Strait/Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Area of Interest

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are geographically defined areas in the marine environment dedicated and managed for the long-term conservation of nature. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) designates marine protected areas under the Oceans Act in order to protect and conserve:

• Commercial and non-commercial fishery resources, including marine mammals, and their habitats;
• Endangered or threatened marine species, and their habitats;
• Marine areas of high biodiversity or biological productivity; and
• Unique habitats;
• Any other marine resource or habitat as is necessary to fulfill the Minister’s mandate (of Scientific Research).

Canada's Oceans Act provides a framework for establishing and managing MPAs, and the process is guided by a set of principles to ensure effectiveness and consistency.

Benefits of MPAs

MPAs and MPA networks provide many benefits for Canadians, from environmental to social and cultural contributions.

Contribute to a healthy marine environment:

• MPAs and MPA networks can help conserve and protect marine species and populations, the diversity of ecosystems that marine organisms depend on, and special places such as underwater canyons and hydrothermal vents.
• MPA networks can also help to protect important ecological links between one area and another, contributing to improved species resilience and adaptation to future pressures.

Support economic goals of society:

• Resilient and healthy ecosystems help to support sustainable industries, local economies and coastal communities.
• In time, protected areas can be a source of both young fish to disperse to other areas, and a source of larger and more abundant fish for unprotected areas near MPAs.
• A MPA network strategy clarifies our direction for marine conservation, so ocean users will have a clearer vision of their potential access and restrictions to marine resources.

Contribute to Canadian culture:

• MPAs can be developed to conserve and protect marine areas with spiritual or cultural heritage value such as archaeological sites, shipwrecks, and areas traditionally used by Aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities.
•  Recreation, tourism and education activities that are consistent with the objectives of a protected area may be permitted, improving public awareness, understanding and appreciation of Canada’s marine heritage.