MPA News
“Learning by Doing,” Canada Adds Pilot MPAs and Looks Long-Term to Zone National Waters
Building an ambitious national MPA program from the ground up, Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has established six “pilot MPAs” in the past year and has plans for more soon. With an adaptive approach that emphasizes scientific research and the testing of protection strategies, DFO seeks to “learn by doing”: through its pilots, it will determine whether the areas should be formally designated as MPAs and how they can best be managed, say officials. DFO assumed responsibility for coordinating the nation’s marine protected area programs in 1997 with the launch of Canada’s Oceans Act, and it has moved…
Australia Continues MPA Push: Officials Announce Plan for World’s Largest No-Take Zone
Continuing its designation of national MPAs at a scale unmatched by other nations, the Australian government’s latest endeavor will establish the world’s largest no-take zone for commercial fishing, according to national officials. The Australian government intends to declare a massive marine park around Macquarie Island, southeast of Tasmania in the Southern Ocean, that would span 16 million hectares (160,000 km2), of which nearly a third would be a no-fishing area. Announced in late June of this year, the plan to create the marine park will add yet another site to the country’s fast-growing system of major marine ecological regions protected…