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Marine refuges across Canada

Fisheries management measures in Canadian waters, qualifying as other effective area-based conservation measures, are listed below. These measures help protect important species, their habitats and ecosystems, including unique and significant aggregations of corals and sponges. Other effective area-based conservation measures are intended to be in place for the long-term to make a lasting contribution to marine conservation.

To date, Canada has conserved 15.55% of its marine territory.

As of September 2025, Canada has 61 marine refuges contributing 4.26% to that achievement.

In consultation with affected parties, we are exploring more opportunities to establish new area-based measures with biodiversity conservation benefits to recognize them as other effective area-based conservation measures. This way, their contributions to marine conservation targets can be acknowledged.

List of marine refuges
Ocean Name Year recognized Size (km2)
Arctic Hatton Basin Marine Refuge 2017 42,459
Arctic Davis Strait Marine Refuge 2017 17,298
Arctic Disko Fan Marine Refuge 2008, revised 2017 7,485
Atlantic Bay of Islands Salmon Migration Closure 2017 218
Atlantic Eastern Gulf of St Lawrence Coral Conservation Area 2017 423
Atlantic Eastern Honguedo Strait Coral and Sponge Conservation Area 2017 2,338
Atlantic Emerald Basin and Sambro Bank Sponge Marine Refuge 2016 259
Atlantic Funk Island Deep Closure 2017 7,274
Atlantic Hawke Channel Closure 2017 8,837
Atlantic Hopedale Saddle Closure 2017 15,410
Atlantic Jacques-Cartier Strait Sponge Conservation Area 2017 346
Atlantic Beaugé Bank Sponge Conservation Area 2017 215
Atlantic Jordan Basin Marine Refuge 2016 49
Atlantic Les Demoiselles nursery (Plaisance Bay), Magdalen Islands Marine Refuge 2017 0.3
Atlantic Lobster Area closures (Trout River, Shoal Point, Penguin Islands, Gooseberry Island, Glovers Harbour, Mouse Island, Gander Bay) 2017 94
Atlantic Magdalen Islands Lagoons Marine Refuge 2017 136
Atlantic Miramichi Bay Closure 2017 1,468
Atlantic North of Bennett Bank Coral Conservation Area 2017 821
Atlantic Northeast Channel Marine Refuge 2016 391
Atlantic Northeast Newfoundland Slope Closure 2017 55,353
Atlantic Parent Bank Sponge Conservation Area 2017 530
Atlantic Central Gulf of St Lawrence Coral Conservation Area 2017 1,284
Atlantic Saguenay Fjord Upstream Closure 2017 109
Atlantic Scallop Buffer Zones 2017 5,425
Atlantic Slope of Magdalen Shallows Coral Conservation Area 2017 335
Atlantic South-East of Anticosti Island Sponge Conservation Area 2017 845
Atlantic Western Honguedo Strait Coral Conservation Area 2017 496
Atlantic Western and Emerald Banks Marine Refuge 2017 10,234
Atlantic Corsair and Georges Canyons Marine Refuge 2016 8,797
Atlantic Division 3O Coral Closure 2017 10,422
Atlantic East of Anticosti Island Conservation Area 2017 939
Atlantic Eastern Canyons Marine Refuge 2022 43,976
Pacific Banks Marine Refuge 2025 436
Pacific Gwa̲xdlala/Nala̲xdlala (Lull/Hoeya) Marine Refuge Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala (Lull/Hoeya) Marine Refuge 2023 21.4
Pacific G̱aw Ḵaahlii Marine Refuge Gaw Kaahlii Marine Refuge 2025 22
Pacific Strait of Georgia and Howe Sound Glass Sponge Reef (17 marine refuges) 2019 33
Pacific X̲aana K̲aahlii Marine Refuge Xaana Kaahlii Marine Refuge 2025 7

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