The Southern Strait of Georgia is in Islanders’ hands! The Gulf
Islands lie among the emerald waters of the Salish Sea/Strait of
Georgia, a marine playground bustling with human activity, and
home to a wide variety of important marine species, including
Canada’s most endangered killer whales. Islanders have canvassed
hard to protect the area through a National Marine Conservation
Area (NMCA), a type of marine protected area that is managed and
used in an ecologically sustainable manner to meet the needs of
the present and future generations. NMCAs are established to
represent a unique marine region and to demonstrate how
protection and conservation practices can be harmonised with
resource use in marine ecosystems for their long term
sustainability. They are meant to give special protection to
fish nurseries and eel grass beds, for example, so ecology is
protected, and sport fishing and tourism ultimately benefit too.
After years in limbo, Parks Canada and the BC government have
revived the Salish Sea/Strait