Terms of Reference

Re-evaluation of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in the Beaufort Sea

Regional Peer Review – Central and Arctic Region

November 20-22, 2012
Winnipeg, MB

Chairperson: Joclyn Paulic

Context

The identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in the Canadian Arctic is an important step towards a more comprehensive management approach for the marine environment. Properly identified, knowledge-based EBSAs will address a variety of Federal Government commitments (e.g., Arctic Council, Marine Protected Areas Network) and will also provide guidance for a number of regional planning initiatives (e.g., Marine Protected Areas). The Beaufort Sea Large Ocean Management Area (LOMA) Ecosystem Overview and Assessment Report was published in 2008 (Cobb et al. 2008) and contained the results of a series of workshops to identify EBSAs in the Beaufort Sea based on a 2005 literature review. Many of the EBSAs identified were considered data deficient. Since then, new information from government and academic research has been published and the process that Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) uses to identify EBSAs has evolved. DFO Science has been asked by DFO Ocean’s program (under the request of the Beaufort Sea Partnership, Ecosystem Working Group) to re-evaluate current EBSAs in the Beaufort Sea LOMA.

Objectives

The objectives of this meeting are to re-evaluate the current EBSAs in the Beaufort Sea LOMA following DFO (2004) based on new information and if necessary revise the list of EBSAs. Additional meeting objectives are to:

1. review current EBSA boundaries and modify if necessary,
2. review the geospatial layers used to identify and define each EBSA, and
3. formulate the corresponding conservation objective(s) for each EBSA.

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Proceedings
• Research Document

Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Ecosystems and Oceans Science, and Ecosystems and Fisheries Management sectors)
• Environment Canada
• Fisheries Joint Management Committee
• Academia
• Other invited experts

References

Cobb, D., H. Fast, M.H. Papst, D. Rosenberg, R. Rutherford and J.E. Sareault (Editors). 2008. Beaufort Sea Large Ocean Management Area: Ecosystem Overview and Assessment Report. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2780: ii-ix + 188 p.

DFO. 2004. Identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas. DFO. Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Ecosystem Status Rep. 2004/006.