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Oceans
Proactive Disclosure

Proactive Disclosure

Lead Department: Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Initiative: Arctic Council — Ecosystem Projects
Canada is a member of the Arctic Council. As a member, Canada is collaborating with other northern countries to protect the Arctic marine environment from harmful land- and sea-based activities. Canada, along with the United States and Norway, is leading the development and testing of a circumpolar ecosystem-based management approach for the Arctic.

Funding of $1 million for this initiative will:

contribute to identifying a common monitoring strategy in shared and boundary waters; and
be used to study the socio-economic aspects and governance structures in place in the Arctic.

Initiative: Collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Funding of $0.213 million will further develop health of the oceans projects within Newfoundland and Labrador. Enhanced collaboration between Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the WWF may include the development of a cold water coral conservation strategy for the region. The strategy would involve full consultation with all ocean users. In addition, joint work plans will be developed between DFO and the WWF for ecosystem management in the Placentia Bay/Grand Banks large ocean management area. Government recognizes the importance of working with environmental non-governmental organizations and all stakeholders to ensure that a variety of voices join in discussions about these oceans projects.

Initiative: Development of Federal–Provincial–Territorial Marine Protected Areas Network
While the Government of Canada is expanding its network of marine protected areas (MPAs), provinces and territories are also putting in place measures to preserve unique marine areas and species that are vulnerable.

Funding of $2.5 million for this initiative will enable the Government of Canada to integrate these current and planned measures. Funding will allow for the important “next steps" to occur as Canada works with its provincial, territorial, Aboriginal and environmental non-governmental partners to build a national network of MPAs.

Initiative: Ecosystem Science — Support and Advice on Health of the Oceans
Scientific research will be necessary to designate DFO’s six new Oceans Act marine protected areas (MPAs) over the next five years. This initiative will provide $5.5 million of important funding to:

monitor the current MPAs to determine how well they are meeting conservation objectives;
develop guidelines and strategies to evaluate the MPAs and outline possible monitoring programs; and
conduct scientific research to determine which marine areas should be a priority, and what indicators should be included in the review of possible areas.

Initiative: Federal Marine Protected Areas Strategy Implementation*
(*Jointly implemented by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada and Environment Canada)
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are an important tool in the conservation and protection of Canada’s rich and varied marine environments. Three federal departments/agencies — Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada Agency and Environment Canada — are currently implementing an approach for planning, establishing, managing and enforcing a federal network of marine protected areas.

Funding of $3.75 million* for this new initiative puts the Federal Marine Protected Areas Strategy into practice as the three departments involved work together to develop a comprehensive network of MPAs. Ensuring that Canadians understand the importance of our marine environments is also a central goal of this initiative.

Initiative: Gulf of Maine
(Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment Canada both have projects in the Gulf of Maine region under the Health of the Oceans Initiatives)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Gulf of Maine project will use $0.75 million to:

complete the ecosystem overview and assessment of the transboundary waters of the Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine; and
develop an agreement between Canada and the United States on shared programs for the management of these waters.

Initiative: Integrated Oceans Management and Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) Assessment Tools Linkage
The objective of this initiative is to integrate assessment tools developed for oceans management with those designed for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. This linkage will ensure that assessments are more comprehensive.

Funding of $1.45 million will enable marine environmental assessments to be carried out in a way that examines project-specific impacts as well as possible cumulative effects on marine ecosystems. This will provide more contextual information on the condition of the marine resources being assessed.

This funding initiative will also support regional strategic environmental assessment pilot projects. These projects will explore the potential cumulative effects of multiple projects and activities on marine pathways in a given area.

Initiative: Marine Protected Areas Establishment
Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Oceans Act marine protected areas (MPAs) are designed to protect and conserve ecologically and biologically significant areas while promoting responsible oceans development. This initiative will advance the creation of a federal MPAs network. Funding of $5.25 million for this initiative will:

enable the designation by DFO of six new MPAs over the next five years;
create a national monitoring and reporting system for all MPAs; and
support enforcement and surveillance activities within the marine protected areas.

Initiative: New Oceans Centres of Expertise (Coastal, Corals, Data Integration, Traditional Ecological Knowledge)
Canada’s three oceans (Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic) each possess unique characteristics and ecosystems. But there are elements that are common to all of them. Canada has identified five large ocean areas to lead integrated planning, management of human activities and conservation measures.

Funding of $3 million for this initiative will establish four new Centres of Expertise. These centres will help us better understand the challenges Canada faces in managing the five large ocean management areas.

These centres will develop national approaches to:

better protect Canada’s deep-sea coral and sponges;
effectively incorporate traditional knowledge;
develop reports on the health of our oceans; and
accelerate progress in addressing coastal management issues.

Find out more about the National Centre of Expertise – Traditional Ecological Knowledge (CETEK)

Find out more about the Centre of Expertise in Cold-water Coral and Sponge Reefs (CECCSR)

Initiative: Spill Capacity and Emergency Response Strategy — Canadian Coast Guard
Marine shipping in the Arctic continues to grow. It is important, therefore, that Canada’s abilities to respond to environmental emergencies also expand. Funding of $2.26 million for this initiative will enable assessment of Canada’s ability to respond to oil spills in the Arctic. In addition, the Canadian Coast Guard will identify high-risk areas of the Arctic and purchase appropriate equipment and response systems to ensure it is properly prepared to respond to any oil spills.

Lead Department: Transport Canada

Initiative: Co-leading the International Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment
Canada, Finland and the United States are co-leading the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA). Transport Canada is Canada’s lead department. Funding of $0.55 million will provide for a study on traditional marine activity and commercial shipping activity, and related social, economic and environmental impacts. This information will be used to assess current impacts as well as predict future marine shipping uses/activities and the impacts of changing marine traffic in the Arctic.

The AMSA is also expected to lead to a greater understanding of:

Aboriginal Arctic marine resource use;
the social, economic and environmental impacts of changing shipping patterns on northern and Aboriginal communities; and
the adequacy of existing requirements, and need for additional rules, for protecting the Arctic marine environment from ship activity.

Initiative: Enforcement of New Ballast Water Control Regulations
Ships discharging untreated ballast water can introduce invasive aquatic species. These organisms and disease-causing organisms can be harmful to vulnerable ecosystems. Over five years, $4.5 million will be used to strengthen enforcement of the ballast water control and management regulations of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001. These regulations require ships to manage ballast in ways that reduce the risk posed by these invasive species.

Specifically, this initiative will:

increase the number of marine inspectors enforcing ballast water regulations;
support the development of technologies to better deal with ballast water issues; and
equip marine inspectors with the necessary tools to enforce ballast water regulations.

Initiative: Introducing a Ship Waste Reduction Strategy
Transport Canada will invest $0.8 million over five years to develop and implement a Ship Waste Reduction Strategy to further prevent marine pollution from ships. This initiative is in recognition of the need for adequate facilities onshore to receive waste generated by ships.

Initiative: Pollution Prevention — Improving Aerial Surveillance
Aerial surveillance has proven successful in combating ship-sourced marine pollution. During 2006–2007, Transport Canada conducted 1649 hours of aerial surveillance dedicated to detecting pollution. During flights over 10 063 vessels, 98 marine pollution incidents were detected. Depending on weather constraints and aircraft availability, Transport Canada forecasts an increase up to 2000 total surveillance hours in 2008.

Transport Canada’s aerial surveillance program will be further improved through a two-part funding initiative:

$13 million investment over five years to increase the capacity of the National Aerial Surveillance Program. This will increase the frequency of patrols and expand the area of coverage to locations, such as the Arctic, not previously patrolled on a dedicated basis. Increased capacity of the program will:
- provide similar protection capability for all three oceans;
- protect the marine environment by enforcing pollution-prevention regulations in all waters under Canadian jurisdiction; and
- establish a greater presence over Canadian waterways that will deter potential polluters.
$5 million investment over three years to modernize Transport Canada’s Dash 7 surveillance aircraft with a maritime surveillance system. This aircraft will:
- conduct surveillance operations in Canada’s Arctic during the shipping season, and over Canada’s Great Lakes during the remainder of the year;
- be capable of operating in all weather conditions as well as during hours of darkness or reduced visibility; and
- conduct 25 to 30 percent of its pollution patrols during hours of darkness, as evidence has shown this is when many illegal discharges occur.

Lead Department: Environment Canada

Initiative: Sable Island Weather Station
The Government of Canada will staff a weather station on Sable Island. Funding of $4 million for this initiative will:

allow Environment Canada to continue gathering vital meteorological data, which contribute to more accurate marine and coastal weather warnings and forecasts;
provide continued support for upper-atmospheric research on the flow of airborne pollutants and greenhouse gases;
help protect the fragile island ecosystem; and
facilitate responsible use of the island by scientists, tourists, industrial interests and others.

Initiative: Advancing Environment Canada’s Marine Protected Areas
Funding of $2 million over five years will enable establishment and designation of Sable Island as an Environment Canada national wildlife area with a significant marine component, and protection of foraging areas in the marine waters around the Scott Islands on the Pacific coast, an ecological area of global significance.

Environment Canada operates under the Canada Wildlife Act in establishing national wildlife areas and marine wildlife areas.

Scott Islands marine wildlife area:

This initiative will protect foraging areas in the marine waters around the Scott Islands on the Pacific Coast, an ecological area of global significance.
The five uninhabited islands that make up Scott Islands are currently protected by the provincial government of British Columbia because Scott Islands have some of the world’s most important seabird breeding locations. Over two million seabirds seek out Scott Islands annually to nest and raise their young. The islands are also home to 12 species of seabirds in globally or nationally significant numbers.
Both the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia recognize the vulnerable ecology of Scott Islands. They have committed to close co-operation in the implementation of ocean management in the area. Environment Canada will work collaboratively with the Province of British Columbia, First Nations and other stakeholders to ensure appropriate protective measures are implemented for this unique area.

Sable Island national wildlife area:

Funds will enable establishment and designation of Sable Island as a national wildlife area. Activities under this initiative will include:
- studying the island’s ecosystem and assessing its infrastructure to obtain baseline data;
- consulting with stakeholders and developing a draft plan for managing the protected area; and
- conducting a regulatory impact analysis and strategic environmental assessment, and completing a socio-economic assessment.

Initiative: Federal Marine Protected Areas Strategy Implementation (see DFO initiatives)

Initiative: Gulf of Maine
(Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment Canada both have projects in the Gulf of Maine region under the Health of the Oceans Initiatives)

Through this initiative, Environment Canada will support the Gulf of Maine Council (GOMC) on the Marine Environment in implementing its 2007–2012 Action Plan. The GOMC is a Canada/U.S. partnership of federal, provincal and state governments; academic institutions; non-governmental organizations and business interests working to maintain and enhance environmental quality in the Gulf of Maine to allow for sustainable resource use. This initiative will support the GOMC in developing a reporting program for coastal and marine management, and will focus on implementing GOMC regional strategies for adapting to climate change, developing indicators to better understand the health of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem, education and engagement, and monitoring toxic contaminants in this transboundary ecosystem.

Lead: Parks Canada Agency

Initiative: National Marine Conservation Area in Lancaster Sound
At the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage is Lancaster Sound. With its distinct physical and biological characteristics, Lancaster Sound is an area of great ecological significance.

Funding of $5 million over five years for this initiative will be used to determine whether the establishment of a marine conservation area under Canada’s National Marine Conservation Areas Act is a practical approach to sustainable management in Lancaster Sound.

Leading this initiative, Parks Canada will work in close collaboration with the Government of Nunavut, institutions of public government, regional Inuit organizations and local communities, together with other federal government partners.

Initiative: Federal Marine Protected Areas Strategy Implementation (see DFO initiatives)

Lead Department: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

Initiative: Domestic Studies Supporting the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment, and for the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment from Land-Based Sources of Pollution

Funding of $0.175 million will be used for pollution prevention in the Arctic through two related initiatives:

Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment
This initiative will provide information on Canada’s traditional Arctic marine resource use. It will also provide social, economic and environmental data to assess current and future impacts of changes to marine traffic.
Regional Program of Action (RPA) for the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities
This initiative is designed to be more responsive to emerging issues and opportunities arising from land-based pollution. Co-led by Canada and Iceland, it will be updated and expanded to reflect international and national developments.