Research Document 2018/053

Reassessment of the Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in the Pacific Northern Shelf Bioregion

By Emily Rubidge, Jessica Nephin, Katie SP Gale and Janelle Curtis

Abstract

Canada is committed to maintaining biological diversity and productivity in the marine environment under the Oceans Act (1997). Identifying Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) is a key component of this commitment and Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have developed guidelines and criteria to identify these areas. EBSAs were identified in the Northern Shelf Bioregion (NSB) in 2006 using a two-phase expert-driven approach. In response to a science advice request from Oceans Sector, and following DFO Science’s recommendation that EBSAs should be re-evaluated and updated with new information every five years, we re-assess the original EBSAs with available empirical data to increase understanding of the underlying ecological support for the existing EBSAs. In addition, we present an approach for identifying productivity and diversity hotspots, two EBSA criteria not evaluated in the first process. In general, we found empirical evidence for at least one important species listed in the original EBSA justification for all EBSAs except for the Hecate Strait Front. Although the results of our empirical analysis showed that existing EBSAs do an adequate job of capturing at least a portion of areas important to the ecology of multiple species, the shape and configuration of the EBSA boundaries could likely be improved to better match the ecological features within. In addition to the EBSA reassessment, we present hotspot maps of 1) nearshore habitat diversity, 2) diversity (fish and invertebrates), and 3) biomass (using catch per unit effort of fish and invertebrates). We also provide updated maps for 1) important areas for primary productivity, and 2) Sponge Reef EBSAs. These new data layers can be used to update the EBSAs and be used to inform the MPA network planning process ongoing in the NSB.

Complete document (PDF, 14,859 KB)

Accessibility Notice

This document is available in PDF format. If the document is not accessible to you, please contact the Secretariat to obtain another appropriate format, such as regular print, large print, Braille or audio version.