TWO NEW MARINE PROTECTED AREAS PROPOSED FOR NOVA SCOTIA

Published on Mar 22 2018

(Photo: Alisha Postma; divebuddies4life.com)

Today is an exciting day for marine conservation! Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has just announced two “Areas of Interest” (AOIs) for future marine protected areas off the coast of Nova Scotia. The AOIs include the waters surrounding a unique archipelago of coastal islands, the Eastern Shore Islands and a diverse offshore area, the Fundian Channel-Browns Bank. Now that these sites have been declared as AOIs, they are now officially on the path to (hopefully) become a MPA under the Oceans Act. This is great news and something that CPAWS-NS welcomes. These AOIs are part of the larger, more comprehensive MPA network plan that the government is currently undertaking, and should be releasing fairly soon. In order to protect the diversity of marine life and habitats here in Nova Scotia, and to fulfill Canada’s commitment to protect at least 10% of the ocean by 2020, the announcement of these two AOIs is an important step. DFO also proposes to establish a fisheries closure as well, just east of Sable Island.

With the announcement of the Eastern Shore Islands AOI, Nova Scotia is on the path to establishing its very first coastal MPA. Up until now, this has been a very large gap for Canada’s Ocean Playground. The Eastern Shore Islands are a spectacular archipelago of islands that boasts a variety of marine life and habitats. A substantial amount of work has been done in recent years to protect the islands of the archipelago. With today’s announcement, consideration is now being given toward offering better protection to the coastal waters here as well. The health of this region is not only important for marine life, but for the many communities that dot the shoreline. These communities are deeply connected and dependent on the ocean for livelihood and recreation. If done properly, the establishment of an MPA here could be a win-win for the ocean and local community, particularly if the designation help prevents open-pen fin fish farms from being established here, which are a major threat to the environment and the inshore fishery.

Moving westward, and further offshore, the Fundian Channel-Browns Bank AOI is home to a diverse array of wildlife and habitat, including aggregations of deep-water corals. Up until recently, when Nova Scotia started to protect areas of deep-water coral significance, such as The Gully MPA, there was a common belief that corals were only found in warm, tropical waters. Of course, that is not the case. In addition to being area of significance for corals, the Fundian Channel acts as important habitat for fish, many of which, such as the Atlantic cod, are depleted. As such, it is critical that this area remains off limits to oil and gas activities.

I will be writing a more detailed blog post in the near future that will dive further into these two sites and what makes them so unique, as well as what the next steps for these AOIs are. Today, I just wanted to give you a heads up on the latest MPA happenings here, in Nova Scotia. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next blog post!

Best fishes,

Meghan