# Marine Protected Areas of Canada

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) (French: zones de protection marine) are zones within Canadian waters where the marine environment receives a high level of environmental protection. Marine Protected Areas are governed by the Oceans Act of 1996 and administered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The federal government of Canada has committed to protecting 25% of its oceans as Marine Protected Areas by the year 2025, and a further 5% (30% of the ocean area of the Exclusive Economic Zone) by 2030.

## Scope of protection

On 25 April 2019, new standards were adopted for marine protected areas that prohibit four industrial activities: oil and gas activities, mining, dumping, and bottom trawling. These standards do not retroactively void existing oil and gas licenses, or void previously approved bottom trawling activities. Instead, the department will assess each issue of these now prohibited activities on a case-by-case basis to ensure they're in line with the conservation objectives of the specific area. However, designation as a Marine Protected Area does not automatically prohibit fishing and other activities. Activities within these areas are assessed on a case-by-case basis and are permitted if they are consistent with the conservation objectives of the specific area.

## Adding to the system

Fisheries and Oceans Canada collaborates with interested and affected parties to provide input into the establishment of a marine protected area. When an area is under consideration to become a marine protected area, it is identified as an Area of Interest. If further study is required to develop an appropriate long-term conservation approach, it is identified as a Study Area.
The department determines the viability of a proposal based upon the ecological, biophysical, social, cultural, and economic aspects of the area. Based on the overview and assessment reports, the conservation objectives of the proposed MPA are elaborated upon and the regulatory measures are developed. The proposal is then published in Canada Gazette, Part I for public comment, at which point regulations may be modified to reflect comments received. Once finalized, official MPA designation occurs when its regulations are published in Canada Gazette, Part II.

## List of Marine Protected Areas

As of June 2023, there were 14 Marine Protected Areas covering an area of approximately 351,514 km$^2$ (135,720 sq mi), or about 6% of Canada’s marine and coastal areas.
| Name | Location | Established | Area (km$^2$) | Natural region | Description |
| Anguniaqvia niqiqyuam | Northwest Territories | 2016 | 2,358 | Western Arctic | Protects ecologically important habitats for Arctic char, cod, beluga and bowhead whales, ringed and bearded seals, polar bears, and numerous sea birds. |
| Banc-des-Américains | Quebec | 2019 | 1,000 | Estuary and Gulf of Saint Lawrence | Protects the benthic and pelagic ecosystems of an underwater ridge extending southeast from Cap Gaspé. |
| Basin Head | Prince Edward Island | 2005 | 9 | Estuary and Gulf of Saint Lawrence | Protects an underwater ecosystem supporting Irish moss |
| Eastport | Newfoundland and Labrador | 2005 | 2 | Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves | Protects an area of high biological productivity and the spawning grounds of lobster fish. |
| Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents | British Columbia | 2003 | 97 | Offshore Pacific | Protects a collection of hydrothermal vents nestled within the Juan de Fuca Ridge. |
| Gilbert Bay | Newfoundland and Labrador | 2005 | 60 | Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves | Protects a genetically unique resident population of Atlantic cod known as "Gilbert Bay cod". |
| The Gully | Nova Scotia | 2004 | 2,363 | Scotian Shelf | Protects a deep submarine canyon ecosystem and endangered cetacean populations in the area. |
| Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs | British Columbia | 2017 | 2,410 | Northern Shelf | Protects four glass sponge reefs that were the first discovered living specimens and are the largest glass sponge reefs in the world. |
| Laurentian Channel | Newfoundland and Labrador | 2019 | 11,580 | Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves | Protects a variety of endangered species within the channel. |
| Musquash Estuary | New Brunswick | 2006 | 7 | Scotian Shelf | Protects the largest ecologically-intact salt marsh in the Bay of Fundy. |
| Saint Anns Bank | Nova Scotia | 2017 | 4,364 | Scotian Shelf | Protects a region of high biodiversity and biological productivity off the east coast of Cape Breton Island. |
| SGaan Kinghlas-Bowie Seamount | British Columbia | 2008 | 6,103 | Offshore Pacific | Protects a unique, biologically diverse marine community of deep sea, subtidal, and intertidal species. |
| Tarium Niryutait | Northwest Territories Yukon | 2010 | 1,750 | Western Arctic | Protects a dynamic, highly productive, and biologically diverse marine ecosystem located within the outer reaches of the Mackenzie River delta. |
| Tuvaijuittuq | Nunavut | 2019 | 319,411 | Arctic Basin and Arctic Archipelago | Protects a diverse marine ecosystem dependent on thick, multi-year pack ice created by the circulation of the Beaufort Gyre. |

### Areas of Interest

| Name | Location | Area (km$^2$) | Natural region | Description |
| Eastern Shore Islands | Nova Scotia | 2,000 | Scotian Shelf | A large, highly productive, and ecologically intact stretch of coastline between the villages of Marie Joseph and Jeddore. |
| Fundian Channel-Browns Bank | Nova Scotia | 7,200 | Scotian Shelf | Area hosting diverse benthic habitats and depleted fish species. |
| Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence | Quebec | TBD | Estuary and Gulf of Saint Lawrence | |
| Race Rocks (XwaYeN) | British Columbia | 2 | Southern Shelf | |
| St. Lawrence Estuary | Quebec | 6,000 | Estuary and Gulf of Saint Lawrence | Currently undergoing additional studies to develop an appropriate long-term conservation approach. |
| Shediac Valley | New Brunswick Prince Edward Island | 1,530 | Estuary and Gulf of Saint Lawrence | Area of high biological productivity and a key habitat for various fish species. |
| Southampton Island | Nunavut | 93,087 | Hudson Complex | Area of high biological productivity. |
| Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxwiqak – Tsig̱is | British Columbia | 133,019 | Offshore Pacific | To protect seamounts and hydrothermal vents. |