British Columbia's Scott Islands proposed as National Wildlife Area
Conservationists hope regulations will include protections from commercial fishing, shipping
The federal government has announced it will protect the waters and coastline around a set of five islands off the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island known as the Scott Islands, which are home to 40 per cent of all breeding seabirds in the Canadian Pacific.
"I am delighted that Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area will be the first marine National Wildlife Area in Canada," said Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna as part of a release.
The area is home to more than two million seabirds, which is the highest concentration of seabirds in British Columbia. It also serves as the most important nesting and breeding ground for seabirds in the province.
Over the past two years scientists have been troubled by large numbers of Cassin's auklets dying off.
Now it's hoped protections for the area — some 11,540 km2 in size — may help in preserving the bird, but conservationists say that regulations yet to be drafted for the National Wildlife Area will need to be strengthened.
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) says that based on the regulatory strategy, released in 2013, activities like bottom trawling, long-lining and industrial shipping would be allowed to continue in the proposed marine protected area
Scott Islands <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hopespot?src=hash">#hopespot</a> seabirds & other species need more protection <a href="https://twitter.com/MissionBlue">@MissionBlue</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SylviaEarle">@SylviaEarle</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WCPA_Marine">@WCPA_Marine</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/cpaws">@cpaws</a> <a href="https://t.co/QT6T3OjjMS">https://t.co/QT6T3OjjMS</a>
—@sabinejessen"Unless the regulations contain restrictions on these harmful activities, seabirds and other species in the area remain at great risk," said Sabine Jessen, CPAWS' National Oceans program director in the organization's reaction to the news.
McKenna says she is open to feedback on the regulations, which will be pre-published in late December and have a 30-day public consultation period.
"I look forward to working with... stakeholders to hear their views on the proposed protections and how they can be improved, not only for seabirds but for other key species and habitats there and elsewhere in the ecosystem," she said.
According to CPAWS the Scott Islands are:
- Home to 90 per cent of Canada's tufted puffins.
- Home to 70 per cent of the world's Cassin's auklets,
- The only Pacific breeding colony of common murres.
Surrounding nutrient-rich ocean waters also create productive feeding grounds for marine life, including sea otters, Steller sea lions and several species of whales.
Canada has set goals to protect five per cent of marine and coastal areas by 2017 and 10 per cent by 2020.