Regional Oceans Plan - Scotian Shelf, Atlantic Coast, Bay of Fundy
Background and Program Description
Table of Contents
Marine Protected Area Planning and Management
Under the Oceans Act, DFO is responsible for designating and managing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and for leading the development of a national network of MPAs. In the Maritimes Region, the Gully MPA and Musquash Estuary MPA have been designated and the St. Anns Bank has been identified as an Area of Interest. Two Coral Conservation Areas and two Sponge Conservation Areas as well have also been established, along with a variety of other area-based conservation measures (Figure 8). With the protected areas described above in place, DFO is initiating a planning process to develop an MPA network plan for the Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy bioregion.
Marine Protected Area Network
Canada has made several international and domestic commitments to establishing networks of MPAs. Most recently, the 2010 meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) signatory countries established targets for marine protection. Domestic commitments have been made through the Oceans Act, Canada’s Federal Marine Protected Areas Strategy (Government of Canada 2005), and the federal Health of the Oceans (HOTO) Initiative, which led to the development of the National Framework for Canada’s Network of MPAs. The Framework is a shared federal, provincial and territorial policy document that provides strategic direction for the planning and implementation of the national network.
In addition to DFO’s Oceans Act MPAs, National Marine Conservation Areas (Parks Canada) and Marine Wildlife Areas (Environment Canada) may also contribute to a federal network of protected areas. Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, National Wildlife Areas and National Parks with a marine component, as well as cerain existing area- based conservation measures, such as fisheries closures, may also considered important contributors to this network.
For MPA planning, Canadian waters have been divided into 13 bioregions. The long-term intent is to have separate but linked networks in each bioregion. The Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy bioregion and its three planning areas for the Offshore Scotian Shelf, Atlantic Coast and Bay of Fundy, provide the basis for both conservation planning and broader oceans and coastal management efforts by DFO.
As the lead agency, DFO is working closely with its federal (Environment Canada and Parks Canada) and provincial (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) partners to advance MPA network planning. The major steps in the planning process are as follows:
- Identify and involve interested parties (government agencies, Aboriginal groups and stakeholders)
- Compile available information
- Set network objectives
- Identify areas of high conservation value
- Consider social, economic and cultural values
- Create a network action plan
- Undertake site-specific planning and implementation
- Monitor, manage and report
This initiative will build on past regional conservation planning activities, including efforts to engage stakeholders, compile data, and identify EBSAs and other important conservation priorities. Considering this past work, significant progress has been made on the first three steps over the last decade.
DFO is initiating the multi-year MPA network planning process through targeted engagement with all relevant government agencies, Aboriginal groups and stakeholders, as well as with the public. Technical work is underway to develop conservation objectives, compile data, and explore potential MPA network design scenarios will continue throughout the planning process. A major milestone is to produce an action plan that specifies the priority areas for protection within the bioregion. This will serve as the basis for selecting any new MPAs in the bioregion and will be adapted over time as new information becomes available.
Using EBSAs in MPA Network Development
The analysis required to design a network of MPAs requires careful consideration of the full range of ecosystems, discrete areas of high ecological importance, current and past human use, economic and cultural significance, and the various user groups and interested parties involved. To this end, data is being compiled and analyzed by DFO to develop a clear and common understanding of these elements. This information will be vetted as appropriate through relevant government departments and with stakeholders.
Among the key sources of information to be used in MPA network planning are sites identified as Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs). These are areas that have been identified by DFO as playing a particularly significant role in certain ecosystems or communities based on the five criteria of: uniqueness, aggregation, fitness consequences, resilience and naturalness. Multiple EBSAs have been identified throughout the three bioregional planning areas, including sites that may be required for important life history stages such as spawning, rearing, feeding, and migration. Further work and analysis will be undertaken under the Regional Oceans Plan to better delineate EBSAs, assess threats, and identify appropriate management actions. Not all EBSAs will be protected within the network of MPAs. For those sites where MPA designation is not the best management option, other instruments and measures may be pursued if there is a need for additional protection. These measures might include the development of marine environmental quality (MEQ) guidelines, sector-specific standard operating procedures, the development and application of best management practices, other area-based conservation measures, such as area closures or gear restrictions, as well as other voluntary or regulatory approaches.
Management of Marine Protected Areas and Conservation Areas
As the lead federal authority for Oceans Act MPAs, DFO has overall responsibility for ensuring that conservation measures are respected and enforced in these sites. MPA management involves a number of activities, including developing, implementing and updating management plans, developing ecological monitoring plans and undertaking scientific monitoring and research, managing human activities pursuant to existing legislation and activity plans, developing further policies and guidelines where needed, preparing education and outreach material, coordinating effective and timely enforcement and compliance, and performance reporting.
Oceans Act MPAs
There are two Oceans Act MPAs and one Area of Interest in the Maritimes Region as described below.
The Gully Marine Protected Area
Located off Nova Scotia near Sable Island, the Gully contains a rich diversity of marine habitats and species, including deep-sea corals and an endangered population of northern bottlenose whales. It is also the largest submarine canyon in the western Atlantic Ocean. The Gully MPA was designated in 2004 and encompasses an area of 2,364 km². The Gully Advisory Committee, which is comprised of a range of government agencies and stakeholders, meets regularly to provide guidance on management issues.
For more information on the Gully MPA, visit The Gully MPA.
The Gully MPA: Integrated Management in Practice
The day-to-day management of the Gully MPA requires on-going implementation of integrated management practices, including coordination and collaboration both within government and with external interests. Collaboration and partnering arrangements have allowed MPA managers to access and leverage a range of statutory control mechanisms, voluntary measures and pre-existing data collection and surveillance programs. For example, fisheries management tools are applied to protect the MPA against fisheries-related impacts. These tools include licence conditions that restrict fish harvesting in the site, and surveillance and compliance monitoring mechanisms (e.g., satellite-based vessel monitoring, logbooks, aerial surveillance patrols and observer reports) to ensure fisheries restrictions are obeyed. Nearby oil and gas exploration and developmental activities are managed in co-operation with the petroleum regulator and industry representatives. Ballast water exchange management and monitoring is addressed in collaboration with Transport Canada, and marine pollution is monitored via satellite and aerial surveillance patrols through a Transport Canada - Environment Canada partnership. Other federal agencies that play a role in protecting the MPA include the Canadian Coast Guard, which provides support through its emergency response and vessel traffic surveillance programs, and the Department of National Defence, which performs aerial and vessel-based surveillance patrols when transiting near the MPA. As well, scientific partnerships with universities and enhanced effects monitoring by industry have contributed significantly to our understanding of the MPA ecosystem and its threats.
Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area
Musquash Estuary MPA is located in the Bay of Fundy approximately 20 km southwest of Saint John, New Brunswick. The MPA, designated in 2006 and covering an area of 7.4 km², encompasses a productive estuary and salt marsh habitats which provide habitat for many species of fish, invertebrates and marine plants. DFO also administers an additional 4.0 km² of intertidal lands and waters in the estuary as part of the MPA, known as the Administered Intertidal Area (AIA).Footnote 1 The estuary is one of only a few that remains in the Bay of Fundy that has not been significantly impacted by human development. The Musquash Advisory Committee, which includes a broad range of interests, meets regularly to review and offer direction on management issues.
For more information on the Musquash Estuary MPA, visit Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area (MPA).
St. Anns Bank Area of Interest
Located off Eastern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the St. Anns Bank Area of Interest (AOI) is in the process of designation as an Oceans Act MPA. The AOI, is an ecologically significant area that encompasses important habitat for several commercial and non-commercial species, including species at risk (e.g. Atlantic wolffish, Atlantic cod), unique habitats, and an area of high fish diversity. An ecological risk assessment was developed for the AOI to establish the relative risk of interactions between the conservation priorities for the future MPA and several human activities. The risk assessment combined the consequence of an event (i.e., predicted impact of an interaction) with the likelihood of its occurrence. The findings of the risk assessment contributed to decision making on activities that will be allowed under the future MPA regulations and also informed the design of the boundary and limited fishing zones. Upon designation, St. Anns Bank will be managed in accordance with site management plan provisions and with the involvement of a multi-stakeholder advisory committee.
For more information on St. Anns Bank MPA, visit St. Anns Bank Marine Protected Area (MPA)
Coral and Sponge Conservation Areas
In addition to these MPAs, there are two areas that have dense concentrations of one or more deep-sea coral species and are managed as Coral Conservation Areas (CCA). The first Sponge Conservation Areas (SCA) in the Maritimes Region has also been recently established for a rare type of glass sponge off Nova Scotia. The purpose of these areas is similar to that of MPAs in that ecological features are being protected through restrictions on human activities. However, these areas have been established as fisheries closures under the Fisheries Act instead of the Oceans Act in order to deal directly with fisheries impacts. Brief descriptions of the coral and sponge conservation measures are provided below:
Northeast Channel CCA
This area, located off the southwest coast of Nova Scotia, was established in June 2002 through the Fisheries Act to protect high densities of bubblegum (Paragorgia arborea) and seacorn (Primnoa resedaeformis) coral. The CCA is 424 km², 90% of which is closed to all bottom fishing.
Lophelia CCA
This area, located southeast of Cape Breton, was established through the Fisheries Act in September 2003 and covers an area of 15 km². The CCA protects one of the only known colonies of Lophelia pertusa in eastern Canada and is completely closed to all bottom fisheries. There is also a restriction by the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board on oil and gas exploration in the area.
Vazella pourtalesi SCA
The large aggregations of sponges on the eastern Scotian Shelf represent globally unique and fragile sponge grounds. In an effort to help conserve and protect these areas, they have received protection under the Sensitive Benthic Areas Policy of DFO’s Sustainable Fisheries Framework. The total closure amounts to 259 km² and include two separate boxes to cover known distributions of the sponges. It prohibits any type of fishing gear that contacts the sea floor including drags, traps and bottom-set trawls.
Ongoing priorities for the coral and sponge conservation measures are to implement monitoring plans, coordinate and monitor scientific research, conduct full fisheries reviews, examine boundary issues, and to implement the protections measures through relevant Integrated Fisheries Management Plans and fishing license conditions.
Figure 8: Marine Protected Areas and other key conservation areas in the Maritimes Region
Components of the Driving Forces, Pressure, State, Impacts and Response (DPSIR) Model used in State of the Ocean Reports: Figure 8 illustrates the relationships between driving forces, pressures, state, impacts and responses as considered within the State of the Ocean Report Series.
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