Source: The Narwhal
Author: James Wilt
After two years of advocacy and 70,000 letters sent, conservation organizations across Canada are celebrating the federal government’s decision to prohibit all oil and gas activities in marine protected areas.
“The public played a really big role in this change,” said Stephanie Hewson, staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law, in an interview with The Narwhal.
Continue reading Canada bans deep-sea mining, oil and gas drilling in marine protected areas
Source: iPolitics
Author: Holly Lake
The waters off the coast of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula are part of Canada’s newest marine protected area (MPA). Official protection of the area has been a long time coming, with efforts to have the peninsula designated having started in 2011. This week, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made it official.
Continue reading ‘Crown jewel’ of the Gulf of St. Lawrence part of new marine protected area
Source: Radio Canada International
Author: Lynn Desjardins
The Canadian government will create new marine refuges off the western coast that will protect some ancient and fragile glass sponge reefs. The charity, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), “is very pleased” that this “ecological treasure” not far from Vancouver will be protected from all bottom-contact fishing. CPAWS and other groups have worked hard to study and secure protection of the reefs.
Continue reading Charity applauds glass sponge reef protection
Source: Phys.Org
A recent paper on the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in northern Europe (“Elevated trawling inside protected areas undermines conservation outcomes in a global fishing hot spot”) reveals that industrial-scale fishing – primarily the use of bottom-trawl fishing – is widespread in so-called protected areas that were established specifically to safeguard highly biodiverse marine and coastal habitats across the North Sea. We welcome this important and timely piece of research. Unfortunately, a number of the press reports that covered this paper’s findings included sensationalist – and misleading – headlines that are potentially very damaging to the cause of marine conservation.
Continue reading When is a Marine Protected Area not a Marine Protected Area?
Source: Natural History Museum (UK)
Author: Katie Pavid
Scientists have collected data on a tiny sponge thought to be at risk from seabed mining.
This newly discovered species could be a ‘canary in a coal mine’ to allow scientists to monitor the impacts of this new industry.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) is a vast area of the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii. At six million square kilometres, it is roughly 24 times bigger than the UK.
The zone is important because it’s the world’s largest area of ocean that is targeted for deep-sea mining. Mineral companies and nation states, eager to secure access to precious metals, are attracted to the area because it is rich in polymetallic nodules – small chunks of minerals scattered on the seafloor.
Continue reading The tiny sponge that could help preserve our deep oceans
Source: Business Insider South Africa
Author: Jay Caboz
South Africa has launched 20 new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), that together cover an area two and a half times the size of the Kruger National Park, some 50,000 square kilometres.
After it was signed off last week by cabinet, 5% of South Africa’s waters are now protected areas, compared to 0.4% previously. This means that fishing won’t be allowed in these areas.
Source: The Irish Times
Author: Michael Viney
About 235km west of my workroom window, give or take a few Atlantic swells and bobbing plastic bottles, the continental shelf off Mayo slopes into the cavernous Rockall Trough.
Continue reading Hubs of deep-water life in need of greater protection
Source: http://www.newswire.ca/
Canada identified a new ‘Area of Interest’ off its Pacific Coast, covering ~140,000 km2 and containing several seamounts and hydrothermal vent fields, for potential designation as an MPA by 2020.
On October 3, 2007 Pakistan, current Chair of the G77 group of Developing countries will facilitate a special briefing to the G77 Forum at United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York. With the start of the annual negotiations at the UN on Oceans and the Law of the Sea, the focus of the briefing will be on the state of the world’s oceans and implications for developing countries.
