Benefits of MPAs

If designed correctly and managed well, a network of MPAs can help to protect
  • Rare, endangered and migratory species
  • Critical habitats such as spawning, rearing, feeding and feeding grounds
  • Distinctive natural, historical and cultural features

Effective management plans and marine zoning that includes a network of MPAs provide:
  • Unique opportunities for ecological monitoring and other scientific research
  • Restoration of biodiversity and collapsed species populations
  • Increased fish densities, sizes and reproduction capacities, resulting in fish ‘spilling over into adjacent fishing areas
 
Further Benefits of MPAs include:
  • Biodiversity conservation, especially critical habitats of threatened species
  • Protection of areas of refuge for heavily exploited species
  • Protection of sites with minimal direct human impact to help them recover from stresses
  • Protection of attractive habitats and species that draw sustainable tourism
  • Increased certainty of resources for fisheries harvest through
  • Insurance against stock collapse
  • Buffers against recruitment failure
  • Increase in density and average size of individuals
  • Increase in reproductive capacity of stocks
  • Provision of dispersal centres for larvae and adults (spillover)
  • Perpetuation of more natural species composition, age structure, spawning potential, and genetic variability

Today, Canada’s Pacific waters are suffering from loss in marine life due to our ever increasing demand on their limited resources; many are not getting the resting time, energy or resources needed to replenish.  Consequently, some of our ocean areas are becoming unhealthy and not as productive at our hands, on our watches. 

It is time to put some careful thought and concerted effort into establishing a network of MPAs so that we can:
  • Give back some of what we have taken away from our living oceans, and