Plan for Marine Conservation in Bay of Fundy Welcomed by CPAWS New Brunswick
TRADITIONAL TERRITORY OF WABANAKI PEOPLES/FREDERICTON, N.B. – The New Brunswick Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS-NB) enthusiastically welcomes the public release of the draft Marine Conservation Network Plan for the Scotian Shelf – Bay of Fundy Bioregion, by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
This draft plan identifies areas that are significant for conservation in the Scotian Shelf – Bay of Fundy Bioregion. DFO is encouraging public input on the draft plan.
“The Bay of Fundy is important to all New Brunswickers,” says Roberta Clowater, Executive Director of CPAWS-NB. “Yet the Bay is facing increasing industrial pressures and is warming due to climate change faster than other parts of the ocean. The Bay has been woefully unprotected for too long. It’s good news that the federal government has identified areas in the Bay that need to be conserved for wildlife and to support coastal communities. We have a responsibility to take care of the ocean that supports us, and we need strongly protected Marine Protected Areas in all these sites. This is a good beginning, but we believe more areas need to be added to the marine conservation network.”
The draft Marine Conservation Network Plan identifies six areas of high conservation value in the New Brunswick part of the Bay of Fundy. These sites include habitats for rare and endangered species such as the North Atlantic Right Whale and the Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon, saltmarshes and mudflats that are internationally important stopovers for millions of migratory shorebirds each year, and hotspots for whales, seabirds and fish nurseries.
Each of the sites identified in the Bay of Fundy will be part of a full consultation process in the future with Indigenous peoples, industries that use the Bay, local communities, and the public, once the draft plan is finalized. This is only the first step of a long process before final decisions will be made.
Canada has committed to protect 30% of the ocean around the country by 2030. This is consistent with the international target to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030, as part of global efforts under the Biodiversity Convention. In the Bay of Fundy, there is currently only one small Marine Protected Area in the Musquash Estuary.
CPAWS-NB is reviewing the draft Marine Conservation Network Plan closely and will submit input to DFO. The public consultation process runs until June 29th.
CPAWS NB encourages the public to provide input to DFO using this online survey:
https://questionnaire.simplesurvey.com/f/s.aspx?s=4ec78a97-ee87-42c3-abd9-ba0297065ece&lang=EN
The draft Marine Conservation Network Plan can be viewed here:
Contact:
Roberta Clowater: rclowater@cpaws.org
Hear Roberta’s interview with Danielle McCreadie, host of Shift on CBC Radio, on May 7, 2025.
