Ocean Networks Canada, a University of Victoria initiative, welcomes today’s announcement of the new marine protected area (MPA) Tang.ɢwan — ḥačxʷiqak — Tsig̱is (ThT) by the Haida Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Pacheedaht First Nation, Quatsino First Nation, and the Government of Canada. 

The new expanded MPA comprises 133,017 km² off British Columbia’s west coast and incorporates the (now former) Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents MPA, where ONC has been providing ocean monitoring through its deep-sea cabled observatory NEPTUNE (North-East Pacific Time-series Undersea Networked Experiments) since 2009. Two other monitoring sites part of NEPTUNE— Cascadia Basin and Middle Valley—are now also within the ThT MPA boundaries.

Real-time data from NEPTUNE’s sensors, including water quality and biological monitoring, seismometers and hydrophones, are contributing to the conservation, protection and enhancement of this biodiverse-rich ocean ecosystem. This includes all known hydrothermal vents in Canadian waters and 70 per cent of large submarine mountains, also known as seamounts.  

ONC President and CEO Kate Moran congratulates the partners for their commitment to create and collaboratively co-manage Tang.ɢwan — ḥačxʷiqak — Tsig̱is, the country’s largest MPA.

"Ocean Networks Canada has been delighted to work together with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, British Columbia coastal First Nations and other partners to explore and uncover the rich and biodiverse ocean offshore our west coast. This work helped set the stage for delineating Canada’s newest protected area — Tang.ɢwan — ḥačxʷiqak — Tsig̱is — which is a key part of ensuring that future generations will inherit a healthy ocean and thriving coastal communities."

— Kate Moran, ONC president and CEO

“With over 80 per cent of the ThT MPA not fully explored, the expansion from the Endeavour segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge to this large-scale area of protection will advance knowledge of our blue planet,” adds Moran.

See video highlights from ONC’s three NEPTUNE research sites within the ThT MPA captured during the #ONCabyss expedition in partnership with Ocean Exploration Trust, which concluded in late June.

Ocean Networks Canada would also like to recognize the immense contribution of our late Chief Scientist, Dr. Kim S. Juniper, who helped drive the scientific understanding of both the Endeavour and Middle Valley sites through the expansion of remote monitoring capacity. Read more about his legacy here.

As a Canada Foundation for Innovation Major Science Initiative, long-series data from ONC’s NEPTUNE observatory help understand the ocean and its changes, including factors due to climate change.

ONC is committed to supporting five of the seven UN Ocean Decade societal goals including a healthy and resilient ocean through marine protected area monitoring, ecosystem mapping, and coastal monitoring in collaboration with communities.

Ocean Networks Canada

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) operates world-leading observatories in the deep ocean and coastal waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic coasts of Canada as well as the Southern Ocean, collecting ocean data that accelerates scientific discovery and makes possible services and solutions for a resilient planet. ONC’s cabled observatories supply continuous power and Internet connectivity to scientific instruments, cameras, and 12,000-plus ocean sensors. ONC also operates mobile and land-based assets, including coastal radar. ONC is an initiative of the University of Victoria and is funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Government of Canada.

This research aligns with UVic’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and with its strengths in climate action, life below water, life on land, and sustainable cities and communities. Learn more about UVic’s climate traction.