OTTAWA – To mark World Oceans Day, the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced two Areas of Interest for potential designation as Marine Protected Areas under the Oceans Act. On behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment, Minister Shea also announced three new National Wildlife Areas.
At an event at the Museum of Nature, Minister Shea announced the Hecate Strait/Queen Charlotte Sound glass sponge reefs as an Area of Interest within the Pacific North Coast, and an area of rich biodiversity within the Laurentian Channel as an Area of Interest off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.  This represents another key step towards fulfilling the Government’s commitment to establish a national network of Marine Protected Areas by 2012.
“World Oceans Day is a time to acknowledge the vested interest all Canadians have in ensuring the health of our oceans,” said Minister Shea. “The identification of these two new Areas of Interest – one on the west coast and one on the east coast – demonstrates not only our commitment to conservation and protection, but also our commitment to ensuring that ocean resources thrive for the benefit of our communities.”

A Marine Protected Area (MPA) is a protective designation for an area that significantly contributes to the health of marine ecosystems and its resources. As part of the Health of the Oceans Initiative, the Government of Canada has already designated several MPAs, and is committed to establishing a network of MPAs by 2012. The first step in this process is the identification of an Area of Interest. The area will then undergo detailed evaluation, and public consultation before a decision is made to formally designate it as an MPA.

On behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment, Minister Shea also announced the creation of three new National Wildlife Areas in Nunavut: Ninginganiq National Wildlife Area (Isabella Bay), the Akpait National Wildlife Area, and the Qaqulluit National Wildlife Area.

“Working together with the local communities, our Government is taking bold steps to protect Canada’s Arctic,” said Minister Prentice. “By taking action to protect the majestic and iconic bowhead whale, the Government is not only helping to preserve precious natural areas, but we are also asserting Canada’s sovereignty in the High Arctic."
“There is no better day than today, World Oceans Day. And this being, the International Year of Biodiversity, what better day to announce measures that are going to protect sensitive land, water, our oceans and species at risk,” said Minister Shea.  “The identification of these two Areas of Interest and the creation of these three new National Wildlife Areas demonstrate the Government of Canada’s commitment to conserving and protecting our country’s unparalleled natural beauty.”

World Oceans Day is celebrated globally on June 8.  It follows Canadian Environment Week (May 31 – June 5) and coincides with the start of Rivers to Oceans Week (June 8 -14).


Backgrounder

Three New National Wildlife Areas Protect Key Habitat in Nunavut
The three new National Wildlife Areas on Baffin Island, announced under the Inuit Impact Benefit Agreement, protect an additional 4,534 km2, an area roughly 80 percent the size of Prince Edward Island. The Government of Canada will work together with local community members and Nunavummiut to ensure that both the community and the environment benefit from these proposed National Wildlife Areas.
Each new area on Baffin Island provides an opportunity to save unique and important habitat. 


Niginganiq National Wildlife Area (Isabella Bay) - 336,200 hectares
This area, proposed by the community of Clyde River, includes critical summer habitat for the eastern Arctic population of bowhead whales.  The bowhead whale is a large and powerful marine mammal that can break through ice over 20 cm thick with the crown of its head.  It can navigate and communicate under extensive ice fields using a sophisticated acoustic sense.  While some of the population, including cows and calves, move westward through Lancaster Sound in late June and early July, others, mainly adults and large adolescents, remain off the east coast of Baffin Island for the summer and fall.
Akpait National Wildlife Area - 77,400 hectares
Akpait is an important area for a number of migratory birds including one of Canada's largest Thick-billed Murre colonies.  It is a nesting site for Black-legged Kittiwakes and a breeding ground for Glaucous Gulls and Black Guillemots. It is also home to walruses, a variety of seal species and polar bears. The land is divided into steep cliffs that rise dramatically to 915 metres above sea level and a complex series of steep rock pinnacles and ridges bordered by a high talus slope and beach.

Qaqulluit National Wildlife Area - 39,800 hectares
Qaqulluit showcases two rock towers, orange with lichen and topped with grassy plant life, and it rises 430 metres above the ocean.  The area is home to Canada's largest colony of Northern Fulmars (birds), representing an estimated 22 percent of the total Canadian population.  There are also marine animals including the walrus and ringed seal that use the waters of the National Wildlife Area.
National Wildlife Areas are established and protected under the Canada Wildlife Act. To be considered for designation, a site must contain nationally significant habitat for migratory birds, must support wildlife or ecosystems at risk, or must represent rare or unusual wildlife habitat or a biogeographic region.
Once an area has been designated as a National Wildlife Area, natural features integral to the site are protected from disturbance and specific activities considered harmful to species or their habitats are prohibited.  Management activities include monitoring wildlife, maintaining and improving wildlife habitat, conducting periodic inspections, enforcing regulations, maintaining facilities, and developing management plans.  Wildlife research and interpretation may also take place in these areas, but require a permit and are carefully regulated and monitored.