EBSA Phase II Final Report 2006, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
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Identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area: Phase II – Final Report C.L. Clarke and G.S. Jamieson Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station 3190 Hammond Bay Road Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N7 2006 Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2686 Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Technical reports contain scientific and technical information that contributes to existing knowledge but which is not normally appropriate for primary literature. Technical reports are directed primarily toward a worldwide audience and have an international distribution. No restriction is placed on subject matter and the series reflects the broad interests and policies of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, namely, fisheries and aquatic sciences. Technical reports may be cited as full publications. The correct citation appears above the abstract of each report. 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Les rapports épuisés seront fournis contre rétribution par des agents commerciaux. 2 Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2686 2006 Identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area: Phase II – Final Report by C.L. Clarke and G.S. Jamieson Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station 3190 Hammond Bay Road Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N7 © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2006 Cat. No. Fs97-6/2686 (Phase II)E ISSN 0706-6457 Correct citation for this publication: Clarke, C.L., and Jamieson, G.S. 2006. Identification of ecologically and biologically significant areas in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area: Phase II – Final Report. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2686: v + 25 p. ii Table of Contents Abstract.............................................................................................................................. iv Resume................................................................................................................................ v Introduction......................................................................................................................... 1 EBSA Identification Criteria............................................................................................... 1 Analysis............................................................................................................................... 2 Profiles of Identified EBSA................................................................................................ 4 1. Hecate Strait Front .................................................................................................. 4 2. McIntyre Bay.......................................................................................................... 4 3. Dogfish Bank.......................................................................................................... 5 4. Learmouth Bank......................................................................................................5 5. Brooks Peninsula.................................................................................................... 5 6. Cape St. James ........................................................................................................ 6 7. Shelf Break..............................................................................................................7 8. Scott Islands............................................................................................................ 8 9. North Island Straits ................................................................................................. 9 10-13. Sponge reefs ...................................................................................................... 10 14. Chatham Sound....................................................................................................... 11 15. Caamano Sound ...................................................................................................... 11 16. River Mouths and Estuaries.................................................................................... 12 Discussion......................................................................................................................... 12 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................. 14 Tables................................................................................................................................ 17 Figures............................................................................................................................... 21 iii Abstract Clarke, C.L., and Jamieson, G.S. 2006. Identification of ecologically and biologically significant areas in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area: Phase II – Final Report. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2686: v + 25 p. This report presents the second phase of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) identification for the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA). In Phase I, experts identified areas worthy of enhanced protection for each species and habitat feature based on five EBSA dimensions: Uniqueness, Aggregation, Fitness Consequences, Naturalness and Resilience. These areas were called Important Areas (IAs). In Phase II three categories of unique physical features were used as the basis for EBSAs. Physical features are useful in these types of area identification exercises because they often form the basis of the ecological communities and provide recognizable physical boundaries for management. The physical features chosen for PNCIMA include oceanographic features, bottleneck areas and the sponge bioherms. For PNCIMA, 15 of these features were identified and mapped and are presented as EBSAs. The overlap of these features with the remaining IAs was analysed; the one excluded was “River Mouths and Estuaries. In total, 95 of the original IAs overlapped with the 15 EBSAs for a correlation of 73%. The biological congruence of each of the EBSAs with the IAs was also examined. The 15 EBSAs had a total area of 45,182 km2 (44.3% of PNCIMA). Individual EBSAs were profiled and their rationalisation using EBSA criteria was provided. It should be noted that Large Ocean Management Area (LOMA)-scale EBSAs are largely non-existent in the archipelago-fjord complex that characterises the mainland coast of British Columbia. This should not imply that regionally important EBSAs do not exist there, but rather that EBSAs there would be more appropriately identified through Coastal Management Area-scale EBSA analyses, which we encourage to be done as part of the PNCIMA process. iv Résumé Clarke, C.L. et Jamieson, G.S. 2006. Identification de zones d'importance écologique et biologique dans la zone de gestion intégrée de la côte nord du Pacifique. Phase II – Rapport Final. Can.