Biological ‘treasures’ need mapping in marine protection plan

A hidden treasure of biological hotspots that are home to ancient rockfish, delicate corals, and sponges hidden within the inlets of British Columbia’s isolated central coast deserve protection, a new study indicates.

Several sites of exceptional biodiversity, well known to the First Nations of the region but previously undocumented by science, have been identified through joint research among the Central Coast Indigenous Resources Alliance (CCIRA) and Canadian Oceans and Fisheries (DFO), said one of the study’s lead authors, Alejandro Frid.

The hot spots studied fall within the territories of the Kitasoo / Xai’xais, Wuikinuxv, Nuxalk and Heiltsuk nations, which are also involved in the CCIRA, Frid said.

“None of (the hot spots) were a surprise to First Nations,” Frid said, adding that several sites identified through traditional knowledge need further exploration. “But from a formal scientific point of view, there were no studies of what was out there in terms of rockfish, corals and sponges.”

All the biodiversity hotspots on the central coast are important for the preservation of the marine ecosystem, but it was particularly interesting to find significant populations of rockfish, or the fish family. Sebastinae, some of which can live up to 200 years, Frid said.

“Personally, I was surprised to see a lot of some of the really long-lived rockfish in the fjords,” he said. “Fisheries scientists think they are more associated with areas closer to the continental shelf.”

The hot spot study, which involves 11 years of survey data collected in various ways, including dives and the DFO’s remote video camera to explore at depths of up to 500 meters, will contribute essential information to a new network of marine areas. protected (AMP). under development that will stretch across vast sections of the British Columbia coastline, said Frid, CCIRA’s scientific coordinator.

The yellow-eyed rockfish, pictured above, can live for more than 100 years. The species was found at biological hotspots along the central coast during a recent study. Photo by Tristan Blaine / CCIRA

the MPA Network of the Northern Platform Bioregion It will protect important areas of biodiversity along the coast from Quadra Island in the south to the Alaskan border in the north, about two-thirds of the west coast.

Rockfish populations, decimated by commercial fishing, are particularly vulnerable and would benefit from additional protections, Frid said.

Several sites of exceptional biodiversity, well known to First Nations in the region but previously undocumented by science, have been identified along the central coast of British Columbia and should be protected, a joint study suggests. #Biodiversity

Yellow-eyed rockfish in particular are culturally significant and important to First Nations food security in the area, Frid said, but the fish has suffered a 67 percent drop in the biomass population for a century before 2018.

Beyond being ecologically valuable ecosystems and important for the feeding and reproduction of other marine species, sponges and coral beds capture and store significant amounts of carbon, they are also important from a climate change perspective, Frid said.

However, these seabeds are particularly vulnerable to bottom-contact fishing gear, such as shrimp traps, longlines or bottom trawling, which involves dragging a net along the ocean floor, he said. .

“So the benefits of protecting corals and sponges in marine protected areas had immediate benefits simply by stopping the collective damage to these groups of species that play an important role as natural carbon stores.”

Maps of the central coast show the distribution of hot spots for rockfish (a), sponges, and corals, as well as the three species combined. according to a new study.

Mike Reid, manager of the Heiltsuk Nation administration department, agreed that inspecting First Nations-identified hotspots in numerous areas of the central coast was a key step in protecting them.

“Nations know where the spawning grounds for rockfish and other species are, and we were aware of corals and sponges,” Reid said.

“But through this process, we can get the exact coordinates of those places and incorporate them into the AMP process.”

Central coast nations began the planning process for marine protected areas in their territories in 2007, first with the province and now also in conjunction with the federal government, he said.

Stakeholders have provided feedback on preliminary plans to protect areas throughout the Northern Platform Bioregion, which is expected to be released for public comment in early 2022.

The largest network of AMPs is subject to a tripartite process between the federal and provincial governments and 13 First Nations, with input from a variety of agencies and stakeholders.

While food safety and cultural reasons are important to preserving rockfish, protection is the primary concern for fish, corals and sponges, Reid said.

“Our goal has always been conservation. And we have seen that slippage with the current management regime (DFO), ”he said.

“There is no balance there anymore. For the most part, (marine resources) are managed for harvesting, not for ecosystem health. ”

Climate change has also had cumulative impacts on other marine resources important to First Nations such as salmon, sea urchins and algae, he added.

Adding hot spots in the region to future MPAs will provide ecological benefits for generations, Reid said.

“A lot of people see the AMP process as a lesson, but we see it backwards,” he said.

“It is more or less to put these areas in a bank for the children and the children of our children.

“Protected areas that are left alone long enough will thrive and repopulate, and eventually the biomass inside will spill outward for longer-term benefits.”

The hotspots identified in the study represent the top 20 percent of an index of ecological importance that took into account the distinctiveness, vulnerability and abundance of species, or lack thereof, as well as key roles in the network. food, Frid said.

Key points for rockfish, corals and sponges should also be considered for interim protection while the Northern Bioshelf Region net is finalized, a process that can take years, Frid said.

But regardless of when and where biodiversity hotspot protections are implemented, such protections will be meaningless if not enforced, he said.

“None of this (protection) will really matter if there are not enough resources to monitor and enforce compliance by fishermen,” Frid said.

“Fisheries and Oceans Canada will definitely need to step up … if any of these closures are really going to meet their conservation goals.”

Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada National Observer

Reference-www.nationalobserver.com

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