Science Response 2018/002

Assessment of Canadian Pacific Cold Seeps against Criteria for Determining Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas

Context

Cold seeps are benthic marine habitats where reduced chemicals (e.g. hydrogen sulphide and methane) emanate from the seafloor, supplied by subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs. Microbes metabolize these chemical compounds and form the base of chemosynthetic communities that are not directly dependent on sunlight and photosynthesis. Cold seeps are often characterized by high biological productivity and endemism, and – like hydrothermal vents – are considered biological oases in the normally food-poor deep sea. In this context, seeps (with vents) were addressed in the United Nations World Ocean Assessment I (Le Bris et al. 2016).

Canada has committed to identifying Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in its national waters through commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity (Convention on Biological Diversity 2008). Through the Canada-BC Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network Strategy (Canada 2014), the federal government has also committed to integrating EBSAs into its Marine Protected Area (MPA) networks. Since 2004, eight criteria for assessing candidate EBSAs have been identified: Uniqueness or rarity; Special importance for life history stages of species; Aggregation; Vulnerability, fragility, sensitivity, or slow recovery; Naturalness; Importance for threatened, endangered, or declining species and/or habitats; Biological productivity; and Biological diversity (Ban et al. 2016; DFO 2004, 2011). Similarly, at the international level, steps have been taken to protect marine biodiversity at vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs, including cold seeps), which have similar criteria as EBSAs but also include Structural Complexity (Ardron et al. 2014; United Nations General Assembly 2011).

Although EBSAs have been identified in all four Pacific bioregions (Northern Shelf Ecoregion, Southern Shelf Ecoregion, and Strait of Georgia, (DFO 2013) and Offshore Pacific (Ban et al. 2016), these efforts have not included cold seeps, which are considered likely to host unique and productive communities. In the Pacific Region, several cold seeps have been explored via submersibles, and many gas plumes, indicating potential seep locations, have been identified in the water column. However, these sites have not been inventoried systematically or evaluated against the criteria defining EBSAs. As such, they remain unprotected and vulnerable to impacts.

DFO Ecosystems Management Branch, Oceans group, has requested that Science Branch provide an assessment of cold seeps against the EBSA and VME criteria. This science response and the advice arising from it will be used to inform ongoing marine conservation target objectives as well as future conservation efforts in Pacific Region.

This Science Response Report results from the Science Response Process of May 15, 2017 on the Assessment of Cold Seeps against Criteria for Determining Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas.

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