Southern Strait of Georgia

Between Vancouver and Victoria, lies a marine treasure - the emerald waters of the Southern Strait of Georgia. Here, strong tidal currents within narrow island channels produce upwellings, rips and whirlpools, creating a nutrient-rich marine environment. Lush kelp forests and sea grass beds provide nurseries for a vast array of marine life. Microscopic plankton, fuelled by the sun, and larvae of marine life form the base of a complex food web, supporting a diversity of invertebrates and small schooling fishes like herring. In turn, invertebrates and small fish are food for larger fish, seabirds and marine mammals.

The waters of the Southern Strait of Georgia are a source of resources, transportation, recreation and inspiration for millions of humans, and a home to many plants and animals whose health and well-being is intimately connected to our quality of life. Known by Coast Salish peoples as “SQELATES” (meaning “home”), this very special body of water has long been revered for its role in nurturing both human and natural ecosystems.

Many species of fish, including rockfish, lingcod and herring, live in the Southern Strait of Georgia. Approximately two million shorebirds and seabirds use the region’s estuaries, tidal flats and coastal waters as summering, staging and wintering grounds. Resident killer whales spend much of the year in the region, while harbour seals are year-round residents. Steller and California sea lions are present during the winter months. Many "world giants", such as the world's largest octopus, sea urchin, nudibranch, anemone, intertidal clam, sea star, scallop and barnacle, make their home here.

A National Marine Conservation Area for the Southern Strait of Georgia
In 1995, Canada and British Columbia, under the terms of the Pacific Marine Heritage Legacy (PMHL) Agreement, agreed to undertake a study to assess the feasibility of establishing a National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) in the ocean waters of the southern Strait of Georgia. In October 2003, Canada and British Columbia signed a Memorandum of Understanding which confirmed that the NMCA feasibility study for the southern Strait of Georgia would proceed. With the support and pressure from environmental groups, Parks Canada finally received funding in 2003 to undertake a feasibility study.

Southern Strait of Georgia Marine Conservation Network

Working with several community groups in the Southern Gulf Islands, CPAWS-BC is leading the Southern Strait of Georgia Marine Conservation Network, a non-government body of conservancy groups, scientists and stakeholders working to support and strengthen efforts to protect the marine environment of the Southern Strait of Georgia through the establishment of a National Maine Conservation Area.

Since 1997, members of the Southern Strait of Georgia Marine Conservation Network have identified, documented and evaluated areas of special importance that should be protected in the NMCA. The coalition has worked collaboratively to raise public awareness of and support for NMCA establishment.

The Southern Strait of Georgia Marine Conservation Network is working to ensure that the NMCA will include the following:

• A network of ‘no-take’ core areas with buffer zones, as well as, special management zones (e.g. whale sanctuaries, research-only areas, eelgrass protection sites, etc.).

• The exclusion of activities harmful to marine ecosystems including bottom trawling, large-scale dredging, dumping, salmon aquaculture and non-renewable resource development.

• Cooperative management arrangements with First Nations communities.

• A central role for local communities through a forum that is fully informed on the ecological principles, benefits and site selection criteria pertinent to NMCA planning and that applies the knowledge base of fishermen, First Nations and other expertise in combination with prevailing MPA selection and evaluation techniques.

• A boundary extending from Haro Strait to Gabriola Island.

• Representation of the conservation community as an active stakeholder in planning processes.

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
In 2003, a national park reserve was established in the Gulf Islands surrounded by the waters of the Southern Strait of Georgia. This park protects valuable and unique habitat for many threatened and endangered species and will offer opportunity for the public to learn and experience the spectacular coastal ecosystems of the Strait of Georgia. This park, scattered over 14 of the southern Gulf Islands, is part of the Pacific Marine Heritage Legacy agreement between the provincial and federal governments.

With the terrestrial component of the park in place, CPAWS continues to work towards the establishment of the marine component of the Legacy agreement, which will complement the protection of the terrestrial park. In addition, CPAWS endorses the Strait of Georgia Recovery Plan, which identifies a series of needed measures needed to protect, conserve and restore exploited species, natural habitat and biological productivity in the Strait of Georgia.