2012-2013 Parks Canada Agency Corporate Plan

Section I – Organizational Overview

Figure 3: The System of National Marine Conservation Areas of Canada - Text Version

The system of national marine conservation areas represents Canada's marine regions spanning its three oceans and the Great Lakes. Parks Canada's long-term goal is to establish at least one national marine conservation area in each of Canada's marine regions.With the addition of the Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site in 2010, five of Canada's 29 marine regions are represented making the system 17 percent complete, protecting 14,846 square kilometres of Canada's marine and freshwater ecosystems.

The purpose of Figure 3 is to identify the 29 marine regions of Canada, the location of existing national marine conservation areas as well as the regions where new national marine conservation areas are presently proposed.

Canada's 29 marine regions are as follows:

The Arctic Ocean consists of 9 marine regions:

1. Arctic Basin
2. Beaufort Sea
3. Arctic Archipelago
4. Queen Maud Gulf
5. Lancaster Sound (national marine conservation area presently proposed in this region)
6. Baffin Island Shelf
7. Foxe Basin
8. Hudson Bay
9. James Bay

The Pacific Ocean consists of 5 marine regions:

10. Hecate Strait (presently represented by Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site)
11. Queen Charlotte Shelf (presently represented by Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site)
12. Queen Charlotte Sound
13. Vancouver Island Shelf
14. Strait of Georgia (national marine conservation area presently proposed in this region)

The Great Lakes consist of 5 marine regions:

15. Lake Superior (presently represented by Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area)
16. Georgian Bay (presently partly represented by Fathom Five National Marine Park)
17. Lake Huron
18. Lake Erie
19. Lake Ontario

The Atlantic Ocean consists of 10 marine regions:

20. Hudson Strait
21. Labrador Shelf
22. Newfoundland Shelf
23. North Gulf Shelf
24. St. Lawrence Estuary (presently represented by Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park)
25. Magdalen Shallows (national marine conservation area presently proposed in this region)
26. Laurentian Channel
27. The Grand Banks
28. Scotian Shelf
29. Bay of Fundy

[Return to Figure 3]