Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TN MPA)

Note:

Charts, diagrams and contact information on this website are provided for information purposes only and should not be used for fishing, navigation or other purposes. Please refer to the MPA Regulations or contact your regional Fisheries and Oceans Canada office for official coordinates.

At-a-glance

Tarium Niryutait MPA — Map: Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area

Dataset for all MPAs available.

Location

Mackenzie River Delta and estuary in the Beaufort Sea within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR), as defined by the Western Arctic Claim - Inuvialuit Final Agreement; Western Arctic Bioregion.

Size (km2) contribution to Marine Conservation Targets

About 1,750 km²

% coverage contribution to Marine Conservation Targets

About 0.03%

Date of designation

August, 2010

Conservation objectives

Conserve and protect beluga whales and other marine species (anadromous fish, waterfowl and seabirds), their habitats and their supporting ecosystem.

Prohibitions

Tarium Niryutait (TN MPA) Regulations prohibit activities that disturb, damage, destroy or remove from these Areas, living marine organisms or any part of their habitat, unless listed as exceptions in the Regulations or approved by the Minister.

Environmental context

TN MPA was Canada's first Arctic MPA and consists of 3 sub-regions:

Niaqunnaq
Okeevik
Kittigaryuit.

The large freshwater influences from the Mackenzie River Estuary and marine influences from the Beaufort Sea make the TN MPA an important summer habitat for the Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga and a diverse range of fish species. The primary environmental factors that influence the TN MPA are the Mackenzie River and seasonal land-fast ice. Discharge from the Mackenzie River and resulting concentrations of nutrients, carbon, suspended mineral sediments and contaminants, as well as water temperatures, play vital roles in defining physical and biological conditions within the MPA.

The presence of grounded or land-fast ice, during the period from freeze-up to break-up, shapes this ecosystem. In summer and fall fish that migrate from the ocean to freshwater to spawn move out from the Mackenzie River and follow currents along the shore to feeding and rearing areas in the TN MPA. Least cisco and broad whitefish predominate July through September. During the period of ice cover, when waters are more saline, mostly marine species including Pacific herring are present.

Each summer thousands of beluga whales that belong to the Eastern Beaufort Sea population return to the shallow (<5 m) and warm Mackenzie River Estuary, including the TN MPA. Other aquatic mammals including polar bears, ringed seals and bowhead whales are also known to use the area in and around TN MPA.

Sociocultural context

The TN MPA was established to protect an important Inuvialuit subsistence species, beluga, beluga prey, and other Inuvialuit subsistence species (fish). The 3 regions of the TN MPA are places where Inuvialuit have harvested these subsistence species since time immemorial and still do. The health and sustainability of the beluga and fish populations protected by the TN MPA contributes to the food security of hundreds of Inuvialuit across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.

Seine Net at Shallow Bay, YT. © Jasmine Brewster.

Ecosystem

The environmental factors that influence Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area (TN MPA) are the Mackenzie River and seasonal land-fast ice. Discharge from the Mackenzie River and resulting concentrations of nutrients, carbon, suspended mineral sediments and contaminants, as well as water temperatures, play vital roles in defining physical and biological conditions within the TN MPA.

The presence of bottom fast and floating ice within the land fast ice zone can cause seabed disturbance during spring freshet (i.e., freshwater flowing into the ocean during spring melt) and ice break-up. Disturbance from small irregular depressions contribute to the seasonal changes in seabed morphology which can also impact this vulnerable ecosystem.

In the open-water seasons, the freshwater influences from the Mackenzie River Estuary and marine influences from the Beaufort Sea create a brackish environment for a diverse range of fish species to co-occur, including freshwater, coastal, and marine species. In the summer months, some of the important subsistence fish harvested by Inuvialuit include broad whitefish, Arctic cisco, and Dolly Varden char.

Each summer, groups of beluga whales belonging to the Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga population enter the TN MPA. The warm waters of the Mackenzie River Estuary that influence the sub-regions of the TN MPA are believed to attract these whales. The science behind beluga aggregation in the TN MPA has been heavily studied with theories ranging from moulting and calving to protection from predators. Other marine mammals known to use the TN MPA include polar bears, ringed seals, and bearded seals.

Management and conservation

The Tarium Niryutait MPA was created through a collaborative effort by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Inuvialuit, private industry, local stakeholders and governments.

Management and monitoring of the TN MPA is collaborative among the Inuvialuit and DFO, ensuring that Inuvialuit Knowledge and western science work hand-in-hand to inform how these important species and their habitats are conserved. Inuvialuit Future Leaders are essential participants in MPA management, which promotes knowledge-sharing across generations to support strong Inuvialuit leadership informed by Inuvialuit Knowledge now and into the future. The TN MPA WG supports projects that provide training opportunities for community members, supporting the shift to community-led implementation of research and monitoring.

Some of the objectives of the Tarium Niryutait MPA are:

to conserve beluga, and fish species important to Inuvialuit subsistence and prey of beluga, and their habitat within the TN MPA
to ensure the long-term sustainable management of one of the world's largest summering stock of beluga whales and their habitat
to preserve Inuvialuit harvesting traditions in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region
to prohibit specific activities or classes of activities that could potentially negatively impact beluga or any part of the ecosystem in the areas upon which they depend

Publications

Date modified:: 2025-04-17

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