Division 3O Coral Closure

On this page

• At-a-glance
• Biodiversity conservation benefits
• Ecosystem
• Research and monitoring
• Activity application
• Publications

At-a-glance

Location

Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves Bioregion (Newfoundland and Labrador)

Size (km²)

About 10,422 km² (portion inside EEZ)

% coverage contribution to Marine Conservation Targets

About 0.18% (portion inside EEZ)

Date of recognition

January 2018

Establishment mechanism

Fisheries Act closure

The North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) identified this area as a vulnerable marine ecosystem and closed it to bottom-contact gears in 2008 to protect cold-water corals and sponges. The portion of the NAFO closure that falls within Canada’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was recognized by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) as a Marine Refuge under the Fisheries Act in January of 2018.

Biodiversity conservation benefits

Important species benefits

Cold-water corals and sponges play important roles in marine ecosystems, including cycling of organic matter and substrate stabilization. Corals and sponges are fragile, slow-growing organisms with long lifespans, which makes them vulnerable to disturbance.

Important habitat benefits

Cold-water corals and sponges provide large- and small-scale habitats for other organisms in their environment. These complex three-dimensional structures provide other marine species, including fish species, with habitats for:

• feeding
• resting
• spawning
• predator avoidance
• nurseries for juveniles

Prohibitions

The biodiversity conservation benefits are effectively conserved through the prohibition of all bottom-contact fishing activities.

OECM Protection Standard

All existing and foreseeable activities are assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the risks they pose to the biodiversity conservation benefits are effectively avoided or mitigated. For more information please visit Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECM) Protection Standard.

Ecosystem

Corals play an important functional role for numerous forms of marine life. For many aquatic species they act as:

• spawning and breeding grounds
• nurseries
• refuges

The closure overlaps a significant portion of the Southwest Shelf Edge and Slope Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area. This area supports a significant diversity of species and habitats that live in slope and shelf environments. Depleted species found in the area include:

• Atlantic cod
• redfish
• Leatherback sea turtles

The closure includes areas of sea pens and large and small gorgonian corals identified as significant under the Policy for Managing the Impact of Fishing on Sensitive Benthic Areas.

The dense aggregations created by large, structure-forming cold-water corals can alter bottom currents and provide niche space for other organisms.

Prohibiting bottom-contact gear protects not only the corals and sponges but also a diversity of other species of fish and invertebrates that use the structural habitat that corals and sponges provide. This area can act as a refuge that may contribute to increased species productivity, which in turn may potentially lead to increased abundance within and adjacent to the area.

Research and monitoring

DFO's scientific monitoring approach for the 30 Coral Closure is based on core and complementary monitoring, which are supplemented as needed by targeted research. Core monitoring uses a set of standardized, minimally invasive survey methods and protocols across all marine refuges in the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Region. Complementary monitoring leverages data collected for purposes other than monitoring marine refuges (for example, fish stock assessment surveys). Targeted research addresses methodological and ecological knowledge gaps relevant to marine refuges. Information will be collected over the long- term to assess the status and trend of species listed as biodiversity conservation benefits as well as overall biodiversity. A formal monitoring plan for this area is currently under development.  

Activity application

Activities proposed to occur within the 3O Coral Closure are assessed on a case-by-case basis to determine compatibility with the biodiversity conservation benefits, and to ensure that any risks have been avoided or mitigated effectively.

Inquiries regarding potential activities within OECMs in the NL Region should be directed to DFO.MarineRefugesNL-RefugesmarinsTN.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Publications

• Status report on coral and sponge conservation in Canada (Campbell and Simms, 2009)
• Guidance on the level of protection of significant areas of coldwater corals and sponge-dominated communities in Newfoundland and Labrador waters
• Applying ensemble ecosystem model projections to future-proof marine conservation planning in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean (Bryndum-Buchholz et al, 2023)
• Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems