BIO Brain Waves

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Here you will find some fun ocean science facts that are sure to intrigue and surprise!

Learn all about Marine Protected Areas.

  1. There are currently five Marine Protected Areas in Atlantic Canada managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
  2. Fisheries and Oceans Canada manages two Marine Protected Areas in the Maritimes: the Gully and Musquash Estuary.
  3. The Gully is more than 65 km long and 15 km wide -twice as long as Halifax Harbour and 7 times its width!
  4. Marine critters are safe from harm to depths below 3 km in the Gully submarine canyon.
  5. The Gully MPA is an important habitat for whales - with more then 16 species of whales sighted in this large submarine canyon!
  6. The Gully submarine canyon was designated as critical habitat for Endangered bottlenose whales in Aug. 2010.
  7. Canada's 6th MPA is the Musquash Estuary; a large ecologically intact salt water marsh in the Bay of Fundy.
  8. Choosing a Marine Protected Area is no simple task - scientific data, and social, cultural, economic concerns all play a role.
  9. St. Anns Bank was announced as an Area of Interest in June 2011- the 1st step to becoming a Marine Protected Area.
  10. More than 100 species have been recorded in the St Anns Bank Area of Interest; a high diversity of species due to a high diversity of habitats.
  11. The St. Anns Bank Area of Interest ranges from shallow, algae-covered inshore banks, to rocky outcrops, to deep Laurentian Channel.
  12. The St. Anns Bank MPA Area of Interest is important to depleted groundfish species, like Atlantic cod and Atlantic wolfish.
  13. Cod and herring from the Gulf of St. Lawrence spend the winter in deep water off Cape Breton, including in St. Anns Bank.