Canada to Establish 6,700-Square-Kilometre Marine Reserve on B.C. Central Coast

An agreement between six coastal First Nations and the federal and provincial governments will create a national marine conservation area on British Columbia’s Central Coast. The protected zone, named Mia-yaltwa Ha’lidzogmhoon, lies within the Great Bear Sea and measures about 6,700 square kilometres, an area larger than Prince Edward Island.

Boundaries run from near Gil Island in the north to Calvert Island in the south and extend inland as far as Bella Coola.

The six Indigenous partners are the Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk, Kitasoo Xai’xais, Heiltsuk, Gitxaała and Gitga’at Nations. They have declared the area an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, giving them a role in stewardship through Indigenous governance.

Parks Canada will operate the reserve together with its Indigenous and federal partners. The zone becomes Canada’s sixth national marine conservation area and the second in British Columbia.

All fisheries except bottom trawling may continue. The Fisheries Department will manage and enforce regulations. The federal government states that marine conservation reserves fall within areas subject to Indigenous land claims and that their status could change depending on the outcome of those claims.

Establishment will become official under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act, a process expected to take several years. The next steps include forming a collective management board and drafting a zoning plan that sets out allowed activities while aiming to keep fishing and tourism in place.

"Establishing this protected area will help marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and culturally important values to flourish," a joint news release issued Friday by Parks Canada, the Fisheries Department and the First Nations partners stated. Federal Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin said in the release that the conservation area supports the government’s goal to conserve 30 per cent of Canada’s marine and coastal waters by 2030.