Marine protected areas (MPAs) are one among a number of spatial management tools, and are defined as areas that are established for the long-term, and managed through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.Currently, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has a number of MPAs designated under the Oceans Act and Areas of Interest for new MPAs at various stages of progress towards designation. These areas are ecologically significant, with species and/or features that require special management consideration.  An Oceans Act MPA can be established for any of the six conservation purposes outlined in the Act:• The conservation and protection of commercial and non-commercial fishery resources, including marine mammals, and their habitats;  • The conservation and protection of endangered or threatened marine species, and their habitats;  • The conservation and protection of unique habitats;  • The conservation and protection of marine areas of high biodiversity or biological productivity; • The conservation and protection of any other marine resource or habitat as is necessary to fulfill the mandate of the Minister; and• The conservation and protection of marine areas for the purposes of maintaining ecological integrity

DFO has committed to establishing a representative network of Marine Conservation Areas collectively comprising 30% of the EEZ by 2030. The MCT 2.0 program was established in 2021 to help achieve this target and establish long-term monitoring within Canadian conservation areas. Information on the distribution of species within a protected area is essential for the management and monitoring of a site. Decisions made on zoning, risk assessment, activity approvals and management effectiveness all require information on the distribution and status of species. The Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy Bioregion spans the domain of the Maritimes Region, and within it there are 8 Marine Refuges (MR), 3 Marine Protected Areas (MPA), and 2 Areas of Interest (AOI). Environmental DNA (eDNA) offers a promising approach for biodiversity monitoring that has been gaining increased attention in the marine realm. Through sampling relatively small volumes of water (~3L), eDNA can capture of millions of fragments of eDNA on specialized filters that can then be sequenced to identify the species composition of an area. eDNA metabarcoding is based on the foundations of DNA barcoding, where species are identified solely by their unique DNA sequences. This method is relatively simple, efficient (with the ability to characterize both fish and invertebrate diversity), and non-invasive, meaning there is no disruption of sensitive benthic habitats or need to dissect tissue samples from captured fish and invertebrates. eDNA has been shown to be comparable to other biodiversity censusing techniques and has the potential to rapidly conduct biodiversity surveys over a relatively large area, such as the Eastern Shore Islands AOI. The DFO Maritimes summer multispecies trawl survey is one of the longest-running data series with applications in fisheries stock assessment, and one of the only sources of data for offshore MPA design and monitoring. In this project we pair eDNA samples collected within current and proposed conservation areas with trawl catch data to create a biodiversity and animal community monitoring time series for these areas. We use eDNA and trawl catch data as complementary tools, where trawl-based catch provides information on fish abundance, size distributions and sex, and eDNA provides information on genetic diversity and can detect cryptic and rare species. Cite this data as: Jeffery, N.W. Monitoring regional conservation areas using paired environmental DNA and research trawl surveys. Published: May 2026. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS.

Includes: * National Parks * National Marine Conservation Areas * heritage canals * National Wildlife Areas * Other Federal Protected areas This dataset is provided by the federal government, and may not include all Federal protected lands.

Conservation Lands spatial and attribute data. This includes related information on various types/classes of land secured for fish, wildlife and habitat conservation purposes. It includes Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) designated by Order in Council (OIC). Source data are from Tantalis as well as the derived product from GeoBC. Overlap between this dataset and the [__NGO Conservation Areas - Fee Simple__](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/ngo-conservation-areas-fee-simple) dataset will occur where NGO lands have been leased to the province. Discrepancies between the provincial layers and this dataset are due to differing source cadastral information. A [__Conservation Cross Reference Table__](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/db6d4e9d-aa20-4682-9e43-ad6ae52f4466) provides a link between this dataset and the NGO Conservation Areas – Fee Simple dataset. The CIP_PCL field in the NGO Conservation Areas dataset links to the Conservation_Land_ID field in the provincial Conservation Lands dataset.

Pelagic Marine Ecounits are intended to describe the sea surface and water column. Two variables were selected to derive pelagic ecounits:1. Salinity and 2. Stratification. The British Columbia Marine Ecological Classification (BCMEC) is a hierarchical classification that delineates Provincial marine areas into Ecozones, Ecoprovinces, Ecoregions and Ecosections. The classification was developed from previous Federal and Provincial marine ecological classifications which were based on 1:2,000,000 scale information. The BCMEC has been developed for marine and coastal planning, resource management and a Provincial marine protected areas strategy. A new, smaller level of classification termed ecounits developed using 1:250,000 scale depth, current, exposure, subsurface relief and substrate was created to verify the larger ecosections, and to delineate their boundaries. CRIMS is a legacy dataset of BC coastal resource data that was acquired in a systematic and synoptic manner from 1979 and was intermittently updated throughout the years. Resource information was collected in nine study areas using a peer-reviewed provincial Resource Information Standards Committee consisting of DFO Fishery Officers, First Nations, and other subject matter experts. There are currently no plans to update this legacy data.

This line layer describes hiking trails for which Parks Canada has a responsibility. This includes trails found in national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas.Data is not necessarily complete - updates will occur weekly.

Marine Ecosection classification for coastal and offshore British Columbia. The Marine Ecosections are: Johnstone Strait; Continental Slope; Dixon Entrance; Hecate Strait; Queen Charlotte Strait; Juan de Fuca Strait; North Coast Fjords; Queen Charlotte Sound; Strait of Georgia; Subarctic Pacific; Transitional Pacific; and Vancouver Island Shelf. The British Columbia Marine Ecological Classification (BCMEC) is a hierarchical classification that delineates Provincial marine areas into Ecozones, Ecoprovinces, Ecoregions and Ecosections. The classification was developed from previous Federal and Provincial marine ecological classifications which were based on 1:2,000,000 scale information. The BCMEC has been developed for marine and coastal planning, resource management and a Provincial marine protected areas strategy. A new, smaller level of classification termed ecounits developed using 1:250,000 scale depth, current, exposure, subsurface relief and substrate was created to verify the larger ecosections, and to delineate their boundaries. CRIMS is a legacy dataset of BC coastal resource data that was acquired in a systematic and synoptic manner from 1979 and was intermittently updated throughout the years. Resource information was collected in nine study areas using a peer-reviewed provincial Resource Information Standards Committee consisting of DFO Fishery Officers, First Nations, and other subject matter experts. There are currently no plans to update this legacy data.

Landform conservation areas represent areas of significant landform features such as: * steep slopes * kames * kettles * ravines * ridges This dataset identifies Category 1 and Category 2 landform conservation areas as defined in the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan. For further information on the definition and identification of Landform Conservation Areas as it relates to the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, refer to the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan Technical Paper Series: Landform Conservation. All digital information is confined to the Oak Ridges Moraine area.

Appropriately responding to a marine pollution event, especially hydrocarbon spills, often requires detailed knowledge of local habitat and environmental features. Access to high resolution habitat profiles can support effective spill response plans, informing discussions on protection priorities or expediated remediation. However, marine habitat composition data for a given area is often lacking due to the high cost and effort of conducting such surveys across the vast shorelines of Canada. The purpose of this study was to develop methodologies for conducting rapid and affordable habitat compositions in the marine environment via drone aerial photography; an emerging technology for conducting high resolution surveys. We used the Musquash Marine Protected Area (MPA; Musquash, NB, Canada) as a model system as it contains a diverse range of habitat types, is a region of conservation concern in Atlantic Canada, and is in close proximity to oil and gas handling facilities and vessel traffic. The MPA consists of a tidal river that outflows into the Bay of Fundy. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) software, we subdivided the MPA into several transects (N =61) that were used to generate flight plans for a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS; DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise, DJI ). The RPAS was flown (6 m s-1) at an altitude of 100m (Above ground level) taking images with side (70%) and front (80%) overlap. Resulting images were then compiled as an orthomosaic map using Pix4Dmatic software. These data will be used to inform marine spill response planning in the region, to support marine planning and conservation, and Marine Protected Area (MPA) monitoring efforts as well as develop further methodological approaches for conducting RPAS-based habitat surveys in other coastal systems within Atlantic Canada. Cite this data as: Lawrence MJ, Coates PJ, Matheson K, Hamer A. Characterisation of intertidal habitat types in the Musquash Marine Protected Area using aerial drone photography. Published November 2025. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B.

In 2012 and 2013, Fisheries and Oceans Canada surveyed the benthos in two areas closed to bottom contact fishing, the Narwhal Overwintering and Coldwater Coral Zone (now the Disko Fan Conservation Area, DFCA), and the Hatton Basin Voluntary Coral Protection Zone (now the Hatton Basin Conservation Area, HBCA). Samples were collected following protocols recommended by the Arctic Council’s Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Plan for the purposes of providing baseline data for future monitoring of benthic invertebrates in this sensitive region, and for facilitating pan-Arctic comparisons of benthic communities. Five biodiversity monitoring stations were established, four in the DFCA and one in the HBCA, each of which was fully sampled according to those protocols with Van Veen grabs or box corers, drop cameras and temperature recorders attached to the gear. This report summarises the grab/core-sampled benthic fauna collected during the 2012 survey of the Conservation Areas and complements another report documenting the epibenthos from the camera transects in the DFCA. Here we report on macrofauna in the 1-cm size fraction, and on foraminiferan meiofauna.The data provided is presented in the following report (see related link) :Jacobs, K., Bouchard Marmen, M., Rincón, B., MacDonald, B., Lirette, C., Gibb, O., Treble, M., and Kenchington, E. 2022. Biodiversity Monitoring Stations for Benthic Macrofauna and Meiofauna in the Disko Fan and Hatton Basin Conservation Areas. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3487: vi + 86 p.Cite this data as: Bouchard Marmen, Marieve; Rincon, Beatriz ; MacDonald, Barry; Lirette, Camille; Gibb, Olivia; Treble, Margaret ; Jacobs, Kevin; Kenchington, Ellen (2022). Biodiversity Monitoring Stations for Benthic Macrofauna and Meiofauna in the Disko Fan and Hatton Basin Conservation Areas. Published January 2023. Ocean Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/b7bcff18-698b-4d40-a7bd-13d39925cbeb