The federal government wants to know what you think about Marine Protected Areas.
The Government of Canada is taking the next step toward fulfilling its international commitment to protect five per cent of Canada’s marine and coastal areas by 2017, and up to 10 percent by 2020, by establishing a new series of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
With the goal of identifying potential new MPAs in the Bay of Fundy, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Maritimes Region is inviting New Brunswickers to an open house in Sackville on Thursday, June 1. This is your opportunity to weigh in on the government’s MPA identification process and the Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in the Bay of Fundy.
Unable to make it? No worries! Feedback can also be given using an online survey.
The Conservation Council’s Fundy Baykeeper and CPAWS NB will also be attending the public forum and will be available to answer any and all of your questions.
Drop in anytime between 4-7 p.m. and help us develop a long-term plan for MPAs!
- WHEN: Thursday, June 1, 4-7 p.m.
- WHERE: Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Center, 182 Main St., Sackville, N.B.
What is a Marine Protected Area? A brief primer for you
Marine Protected Area refers to any piece of ocean that is safeguarded in some way for the protection of the plants, animals, and sustainable activities taking place within it. These areas can be big or small, and can include the open ocean, coastal areas, or even bodies of brackish water (areas where salt water and fresh water mix). Marine Protected Areas vary widely in purpose — each one is unique and requires its own set of management guidelines, and can have varying levels of restrictions on what can and can not take place within it.
Some people confuse marine reserves, where extraction of any resource is prohibited, as the only type of protected area. In fact, many Marine Protected Areas are multiple-use areas, where a variety of activities are allowed. As it happens, New Brunswick is home to a great example of a Marine Protected Area established in a way that works for the people who make their living off the water and the wildlife and plants that live there.
Countries across the globe have used MPAs to protect crucial ocean habitats, from the world’s largest MPA at the Ross Sea in Antartica, to the Surtsey MPA in Iceland (one of several in that country), to the Musquash Estuary MPA right here in New Brunswick.
Fishers and fisheries associations worked with the Fundy Baykeeper (along with other environmental partners, government agencies, and stakeholders such as tourism operators) to establish the first and, to date, only MPA in the Bay of Fundy in 2006. The Musquash Estuary MPA allows several types of fisheries within it, including lobster and herring, while the upper reaches of the MPA have a higher level of protection and can only be used for recreational activities such as swimming and kayaking.
The protection of marine areas provides a number of benefits to Canadians, including:
- contributing to a healthy environment through conserving and protecting marine species;
- contributing to economic well being by supporting sustainable industries, local economies and coastal communities; and
- contributing to Canadian culture through the preservation of spiritual or cultural areas like archaeological sites, shipwrecks, or areas traditionally used by Aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities.
Marine Protected Areas are not a one-size-fits-all solution to ocean management, but if used correctly, can be a starting point in sustaining healthy marine ecosystems around the world.
For more information on Marine Protected Areas:
- Marine Protected Area Planning: Public Open Houses, here.
- Learn more about our work to establish the Musquash MPA, here.
- Download Fisheries and Oceans Canada complete document: Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas identified in the Bay of Fundy.
- Read more information on Marine Protected Areas and their regulations, here.