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Written by Sean Patrick Sullivan, THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Monday, 21 April 2008 |
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VANCOUVER - A thriving eco-system surrounding an underwater mountain off the British Columbia coast is the latest addition to Canada's Marine Protected Areas.
"Just think of it as creating a natural park, but underwater, that we want to protect for generations and generations to come," Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said after the announcement Monday.
As seagulls soared overhead and seaplanes rumbled through the Vancouver harbour, Lunn said scientists are already looking at how to best protect the Bowie Seamount, 180 kilometres off the northwest coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands.
The seamount is unique in that the summit of the underwater mountain reaches to only 24 metres below the sea. Ocean currents sweep nutrient rich water to the surface, making for easy pickings for a rich variety of marine life.
Orca, humpback and Northern right whales, sea lions, dolphins, sharks and at least 53 species of fish, such as halibut and rockfish, are also attracted to the benefits of the seamount's unique geological features.
Two other seamounts, Hodgkins and Davidson, will be part of the protected area.
Now that Bowie has been declared a protected area, the next step is to assess the existing and potential threats to the seamount, the World Wildlife Fund says.
Chris Elliott, vice president Pacific region for the WWF, said it will likely be a couple of years before a comprehensive management plan is in place.
The WWF is among the groups who have worked with the government since the area was given pilot protected status in December 1998.
The seamount is already home to a sustainable sable fishing industry, and the most immediate risk is other fisheries moving into the 6,100 square kilometre area, he said.
There's little chance of oil drilling, since the area is off the continental shelf where oil is usually found, he said.
The waters surrounding the seamount have long been a special place for the Haida, a band of First Nations people native to the chain of islands, Lunn said.
The Haida will join the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, WWF Canada and community groups in researching which commercial and recreational activities will be allowed near the seamount, he said.
Vince Collison of the Council of the Haida Nation said the Haida were key to protecting the area they call Sgann Kinghlas, meaning Supernatural Being Looking Outward.
"The more that we're able to preserve our precious territories, and the more that we can do that with our new partners in the federal and provincial governments, the better off we'll all be."
The Bowie Seamount joins six other Marine Protected Areas, including one in B.C. and five in the Atlantic provinces.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 September 2008 )
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