Protect Marine Habitat - Oceana Canada

Protect Marine Habitat

Protecting ocean ecosystems is vital for the health of our planet

Protecting habitat allows fish and other marine life to flourish

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The Campaign

Through exploration and research, we can better understand and protect the ocean.

Oceana Canada partners with researchers, non-governmental organizations, the federal government, Indigenous Peoples and the fishing industry to study sensitive marine habitats and advocate for their protection. This is essential for the future of our planet: it supports healthy, productive ecosystems and the recovery of depleted fish populations that coastal communities depend on.

Since 2017, Oceana Canada has been conducting expeditions that combine science, technology, community engagement and advocacy with the wonder of ocean exploration. Using technology such as livestreaming, we bring Canadians along with us as we explore the ocean and collect data that helps direct how best to protect it.

Victory! Seamounts off the coast of British Columbia are now permanently protected

Underwater mountains, called seamounts, can be found off the coast of British Columbia. They are massive, fascinating and crucial to the health of the ocean. Everything from octopuses to rockfish are connected to these ecosystems and depend on them to thrive.

Now a Marine Protected Area (MPA), these seamounts are permanently protected from such threats as mining, bottom-contact fishing gear and lost gear that continues to cause damage to corals and sponges decades later.

Find out more about seamounts off the coast of British Columbia in this video

 

Watch Highlights From the Central Coast of British Columbia Expedition 

 

Victories

July, 2024

Underwater Mountains off the Coast of B.C. Now Permanently Protected

Canada has designated 133,017km2 of underwater mountains, known as seamounts, off the West Coast of Vancouver Island as its newest and largest Marine Protected Area (MPA).  Named Tang. ɢwan · ḥačxʷiqak · Tsig̱is, this new MPA will be co-managed by the Haida, Nuu-chah-nulth, Pacheedaht and Quatsino First Nations. The MPA covers 2.31% of Canada’s marine area, increasing the total protection of the ocean off the coast of Canada to more than 15.54%. Oceana Canada has been advocating for the protection of these vital underwater ecosystems since 2018 including conducting an expedition with several partners to better understand this area and contribute to its protection. The Tang. ɢwan · ḥačxʷiqak · Tsig̱is MPA will prevent activities such as bottom-contact fishing and dumping, safeguarding centuries-old forests of red tree corals, glass sponges, and the myriad species that depend on these habitats.

Read the Press Release

March, 2019

Banc-des-Américains, a submarine bank off of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, designated as a Marine Protected Area

The Government of Canada established a 1,000 square kilometer Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence called the Banc-des-Américains. This new MPA protects one of Canada’s most diverse and productive marine areas. In 2017, Oceana Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada partnered to conduct an expedition in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, including the Banc-des-Américains. The MPA conserves habitat important for many species, including habitat-forming corals and sponges, forage fishes like capelin and herring and commercially important species, such as crab and shrimp and the iconic and highly endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Read the Press Release

Take Action

Protect all seamounts off the coast of British Columbia

Underwater mountains, called seamounts, can be found off the coast of British Columbia. They are massive, fascinating and crucial to the health of the ocean. Everything from octopuses to rockfish are connected to these ecosystems and depend on them to thrive.

But their future is at risk. There is no permanent protection to ensure threats are kept out of these mountains, such as mining, bottom-contact fishing gear and lost gear that continues to cause damage to corals and sponges decades later. Help protect the Northeast Pacific Seamounts, add your voice to our petition today.

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FEATURED CAMPAIGN

Zero-Waste World Cup in 2026

Oceana Canada is working with stadiums, beverage companies, and governments to make the FIFA World Cup 26TM in Canada the greenest games yet. Ditching the landfill-bound, single-use cups for ones that can be reused again and again means sustainability can become a permanent part of our stadiums, long after the final whistle.

Learn More

CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS

Stop Plastic Pollution

Restore Capelin Abundance

Protect North Atlantic Right Whales

Rebuild Ocean Abundance

Protect Marine Habitat

Contact

Oceana Canada Headquarters
18 King Street East, Suite 505
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4

Phone: +1 (416) 583-2350
Email: info@oceana.ca

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LAND ACKnowledgement

Oceana Canada operates in many regions across Canada. From coast to coast to coast, we acknowledge the ancestral and unceded territory of all the Inuit, Métis, and First Nations communities that call this land home, and we strive for our work to be done in a spirit of collaboration and reconciliation.

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