New Research Supports Protection for Biological Hotspots on Central Coast

Collaborative research between CCIRA and scientists from Fisheries and Oceans Canada recently identified biological hotspots—places with outstanding biodiversity or ecological features—along the Central Coast of British Columbia. The analyses, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, contribute new and essential information to the ongoing design of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) for Canada’s Northern Shelf Bioregion.

During 11 years of data collection, researchers used scuba gear, remote video cameras, and other techniques to survey corals, sponges and rockfishes at depths that extended from near the surface to more than 500 metres deep. The analyses ranked locations according to the abundance, ecological importance, vulnerability to fisheries, level of depletion, and evolutionary distinctiveness of species found there.

Led by Alejandro Frid, CCIRA’s science coordinator, the study highlights previously undocumented hotspots for corals, sponges and rockfishes. Notably, inland channels and fjords, for which prior scientific attention was scant, proved to be a treasure trove of biodiversity.

“This is significant,” Frid states, “because corals and sponges create habitat structures used by myriad other species yet are often damaged by longlines, prawn traps and other fishing gear. Also, some rockfish species can live longer than a century, are culturally important to Indigenous peoples, have unique evolutionary histories, and play important ecological roles as predators, yet have been overfished in recent decades.”

Because corals, sponges, and rockfishes are very vulnerable to cumulative fishery impacts, hotspots delineated by the research warrant high protection levels under the developing MPA network. “Given this vulnerability,” Frid adds, “prospective MPAs should also be considered for interim protection during the protracted period between final network design and the enactment of protective legislation.”

These recommendations support the MPA network’s goals “to protect and maintain marine biodiversity (Goal 1)” and “to contribute to the conservation and protection of fishery resources and their habitats (Goal 2).” They are also consistent with the integrated marine use plan of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais, Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk, and Heiltsuk Nations, who comprise CCIRA.

The surveys, extensive as they are, failed to cover many locations known as biologically important to CCIRA-member Nations. Consequently, it is paramount that Indigenous knowledge also contributes substantially to the design of the MPA network.

Contact:

Alejandro Frid, CCIRA Science Coordinator/Ecologist
| Cell: 778.957.2031