The Arctic's Marine Refuges
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The Arctic's marine refuges
Marine refuges are fishery area closures, established under the Fisheries Act.
They help promote biodiversity and protect important species and their habitats.
These protection measures are intended to be in place for the long-term, so they will make a lasting contribution to marine conservation.
Marine refuges are considered OECMs or other effective area-based conservation measures.
In the Arctic Region, 3 marine refuges have been established and contribute to Canada's Marine Conservation Targets.
These Arctic marine refuges are:
- Disko Fan
- Davis Strait and
- Hatton Basin
All 3 of these marine refuges are located off the coast of Baffin Island and Labrador and contain significant aggregations of corals, sponges and sea pens, providing structural habitat for many commercially important marine species, such as Greenland halibut and northern shrimp.
In addition, the Disko Fan Marine Refuge is home to a population of narwhal and provides highly valuable overwintering habitat and food sources for them.
By prohibiting activities, such as bottom-contact fishing, we can protect not only the corals, sponges and narwhal habitat, but also support diverse populations of other marine mammals, fish and invertebrates that use these refuges, such as sperm whales and northern bottlenose whales.
These areas can act as natural refuges that may support species abundance and population health in, and around, these protected sites.
Monitoring and management of these marine refuges will help us to understand their effectiveness and ensure conservation success.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada continues to work collaboratively with Inuit and Indigenous organizations, industry partners, governments and researchers to ensure these conservation goals are achieved.
To learn more about Canada's Marine Refuges, please visit Canada.ca and search marine refuges.
In Canada's Arctic Region, 3 marine refuges (Disko Fan, Davis Strait and Hatton Basin) have been established and contribute 1.17% to Canada's 2025 Marine Conservation Targets. Prohibited activities, such as bottom-contact fishing, are in place to protect the diverse populations of marine species that exist within these geographic areas. Watch to learn more about the Arctic's refuges and what they protect.
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