Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Research Document 2014/100 Pacific Region Identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas in the Strait of Georgia and off the West Coast of Vancouver Island: Phase I - Identification of Important Areas Chantal Levesque and Glen S. Jamieson Fisheries and Oceans Canada Pacific Biological Station 3190 Hammond Bay Road Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N7 January 2015 Foreword This series documents the scientific basis for the evaluation of aquatic resources and ecosystems in Canada. As such, it addresses the issues of the day in the time frames required and the documents it contains are not intended as definitive statements on the subjects addressed but rather as progress reports on ongoing investigations. Research documents are produced in the official language in which they are provided to the Secretariat. Published by: Fisheries and Oceans Canada Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat 200 Kent Street Ottawa ON K1A 0E6 http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/ [email protected] © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2015 ISSN 1919-5044 Correct citation for this publication: Levesque, C and Jamieson, G.S. 2015. Identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas in the Strait of Georgia and off the West Coast of Vancouver Island: Phase I - Identification of Important Areas. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2014/100. viii + 68 p. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................. VII RÉSUMÉ ................................................................................................................................ VIII 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1 2. NATIONAL EBSA CRITERIA GUIDELINES ........................................................................3 3. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................4 3.1. Delphic Identification .................................................................................................... 4 3.1.1. Initial Identification of Important Areas .................................................................. 4 3.1.2. Ranking Important Areas ...................................................................................... 5 3.2. Database structure....................................................................................................... 6 4. IMPORTANT AREA LAYER CHARACTERISTICS..............................................................6 4.1. Anadromous fish .......................................................................................................... 6 4.1.1. Salmon ................................................................................................................. 7 4.1.2. Sturgeon ............................................................................................................... 9 4.1.3. Eulachon ..............................................................................................................10 4.2. Marine Birds................................................................................................................11 4.2.1. Strait of Georgia ...................................................................................................12 4.2.2. West Coast of Vancouver Island ..........................................................................13 4.3. Marine Mammals ........................................................................................................15 4.3.1. Cetaceans ...........................................................................................................15 4.3.2. Pinnipeds .............................................................................................................17 4.3.3. Sea Otter .............................................................................................................19 4.3.4. Elasmobranchs ....................................................................................................19 4.3.5. Sharks .................................................................................................................20 4.3.6. Skates..................................................................................................................21 4.3.7. Rays ....................................................................................................................22 4.4. Groundfish ..................................................................................................................22 4.4.1. Pacific Cod ..........................................................................................................23 4.4.2. Rockfish ...............................................................................................................24 4.4.3. Flatfish .................................................................................................................25 4.4.4. Flounders and Soles ............................................................................................25 4.4.5. Halibut .................................................................................................................26 4.4.6. Lingcod ................................................................................................................26 4.4.7. Pacific sand lance ................................................................................................26 4.4.8. Sablefish ..............................................................................................................27 4.5. Pelagic fish .................................................................................................................27 4.5.1. Pacific hake .........................................................................................................27 4.5.2. Walleye pollock ....................................................................................................29 4.5.3. Pacific Herring .....................................................................................................29 iii 4.5.4. Northern Anchovy ................................................................................................30 4.5.5. Pacific Sardine .....................................................................................................30 4.5.6. Albacore tuna.......................................................................................................30 4.6. Structural habitat-forming species ...............................................................................31 4.6.1. Sponges ..............................................................................................................31 4.6.2. Corals ..................................................................................................................32 4.6.3. Macrophyte Beds .................................................................................................32 4.7. Invertebrates ...............................................................................................................33 4.7.1. Low Mobility Marine Invertebrates ........................................................................33 4.7.2. Bivalves ...............................................................................................................33 4.7.3. Mobile Marine Invertebrates .................................................................................36 4.8. Turtles .........................................................................................................................38 5. OCEANOGRAPHIC FEATURES .......................................................................................39 5.1. West Coast of Vancouver Island .................................................................................40 5.1.1. Brooks Peninsula Jets .........................................................................................40 5.1.2. Shelf Break ..........................................................................................................40 5.1.3. Vancouver Island coastal current .........................................................................40 5.1.4. Edges of banks and basins ..................................................................................41 5.1.5. Juan de Fuca Eddy ..............................................................................................41 5.1.6. Strait of Georgia ...................................................................................................41 6. PARKS CANADA ..............................................................................................................43 7. IMPORTANT AREAS ........................................................................................................43 7.1. Important Area Analysis ..............................................................................................43 8. CAVEATS & SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS .....................................................................44 8.1. Data Gaps ..................................................................................................................44 8.2. Other data sources .....................................................................................................45 8.3. Scale...........................................................................................................................45