B.C. waters new home to Canada’s largest marine protected area

First Nations on British Columbia’s seashore person announced pinch nan national authorities nan nickname of Canada’s largest marine protected area.

A connection from Fisheries and Oceans Canada says nan ecologically unsocial water area is located astir 150 kilometres disconnected nan westbound seashore of Vancouver Island.

It says nan area spanning much than 133,000 quadrate kilometres covers “extraordinary seafloor features,” including much than 47 underwater mountains, known as seamounts, and each of nan confirmed hydrothermal vents successful Canada.

The section says nan deep-sea vents are “biological hotpots” that support uncommon and unsocial type that are some “remarkable and culturally important.”

The caller nickname makes it nan largest marine-protected area to beryllium recognized nether Canada’s Oceans Act successful business pinch nan Council of nan Haida Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Pacheedaht First Nation and Quatsino First Nation.

Fisheries and Oceans says nan area was first identified for protection successful May 2017, starring to measures preventing bottom-contact sportfishing activities.

In 2023, nan First Nations and nan Canadian authorities signed a memorandum of knowing connected really to collaboratively negociate nan caller protected area.

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The sanction of nan area, Tang.Gwan — hacxwiqak — Tsigis, consists of a Haida connection meaning heavy ocean, a Pacheedaht connection meaning deepest portion of nan water and a Quatsino connection referring to a monster of nan deep, nan section says.

“Today we are taking a elephantine measurement guardant successful protecting Canada’s oceans,” Fisheries and Oceans Minister Diane Lebouthillier wrote successful a connection Thursday. “The nickname of this MPA brings america halfway to our extremity of conserving 30 percent of our oceans by 2030.”