Terms of Reference

Evaluation of Existing Frameworks to identify Significant Benthic Areas in the Strait of Georgia and Southern Shelf Bioregions

Science Response – Pacific Region

July 2018
Nanaimo, British Columbia

Chairperson: Lisa Christensen

Context

Canada’s Oceans Act (1997) provides the legislative framework for an integrated ecosystem approach to management in Canada’s oceans, particularly in areas considered ecologically and biologically significant.  Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has developed guidance for the identification of ecologically and biologically significant areas (EBSAs; DFO 2004, DFO 2011, DFO 2013a, DFO 2016, DFO 2018), and has endorsed the scientific criteria used by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for identifying EBSAs (UNEP/CBD, 2008).

Seafloor or “benthic” ecosystems are essential components of Canada’s ocean environments. They are important areas of marine biodiversity; providing habitat to diverse species and plants, and supporting complex food chains.  To ensure healthy and productive marine benthic ecosystems, it is important that these areas be considered in fisheries management decision making.  Global efforts for the mitigation of fishing impacts on sensitive benthic marine ecosystems are reflected in the 2006 United Nations’ Sustainable Fisheries Resolution.

Canada has taken a number of steps to protect benthic ecosystems, primarily by restricting certain fishing practices and activities to eliminate, or limit as much as possible, the destruction of sensitive marine habitat and species.  DFO has developed the Policy to Manage the Impacts of Fishing on Sensitive Benthic Areas (SBA Policy; GOC 2009) in response to these demands, and to provide a more systematic, transparent, and consistent approach to addressing these issues in Canadian fisheries. The SBA Policy applies to all commercial, recreational, and Aboriginal marine fishing activities that are licensed and/or managed by DFO both within and outside Canada’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. While it is recognized that all benthic habitat, communities and species play a role in aquatic ecosystems, some benthic areas are considered more important from a biological and ecological perspective.  Thus, as a first step, assembly of existing data and information is needed to help determine the extent and location of important benthic ecosystems; where significance is determined through peer review guidance on the current knowledge of marine habitats and species (DFO 2013b, DFO 2017).

DFO Fisheries Management has requested advice from the DFO Science Branch to evaluate existing DFO frameworks used to identify Significant Benthic Areas (SiBAs) and to summarize the best available data that can be used to identify those areas in the Strait of Georgia (SOG) and Southern Shelf Bioregion (SSB). The assessment and advice arising from this Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Science Response Process (SRP) will be used to inform decisions regarding fisheries management and to lay the foundation for future work to establish Sensitive Benthic Areas (SBAs) as described by the SBA Policy. It is also expected to contribute to Canada's Marine Conservation Target to protect 10% of Canada's coast by 2020.

Objective

1. Evaluate existing frameworks to identify ecologically and biologically Significant Benthic Areas (SiBAs).  Provide rationale and supporting evidence as to which one (s) would be most appropriate for identifying future SiBAs.
2. Based on the outputs of the framework, present potential SiBAs identified in the SoG and SSB.
3. Using the best available information, present existing species and habitat data in the SoG and SSB, for use in the identification of SiBAs.
4. Assess data gaps, uncertainties and/or assumptions used to inform the current findings and recommendations; identify future science work, where applicable.

Expected Publications

• Science Response

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Ecosystems Management, Fisheries Management, Science)

References

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

DFO. 2011. Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas – Lessons Learned. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2011/049.

DFO. 2013a. Evaluation of proposed ecologically and biologically significant areas in marine waters of British Columbia. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2012/075.

DFO. 2013b. Ecological Risk Assessment Framework (ERAF) for coldwater corals and sponge dominated communities. Sustainable Fisheries Framework (SFF): Policy to manage the impacts of fishing on sensitive benthic areas.

DFO. 2016. Identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in the Offshore Pacific Bioregion. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2016/011.

DFO. 2017. Delineation of Significant Areas of Coldwater Corals and Sponge-Dominated Communities in Canada's Atlantic and Eastern Arctic Marine Waters and their Overlap with Fishing Activity. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2017/007.

Koen-Alonso, M., Favaro, C., Ollerhead, N., Benoît, H., Bourdages, H., Sainte-Marie, B., Treble, M., Hedges, K., Kenchington, E., Lirette, C., King, M., Coffen-Smout, S., and Murillo, J. 2018. Analysis of the overlap between fishing effort and Significant Benthic Areas in Canada's Atlantic and Eastern Arctic marine waters. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2018/015. xvii + 270 p

Government of Canada. 2009. Policy for Managing the Impact of Fishing on Sensitive Benthic Areas. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Ottawa.

UNEP/CBD. 2008. Decision adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its Ninth Meeting IX/20. Marine and coastal biodiversity COP/DEC/IX/20. 12p. (Accessed May 10, 2018).