It's said to be one of the world's most productive fishing areas, yielding prized catches of haddock, halibut and scallops on Canada's east coast.
It's also a critical habitat for rare and endangered species of whales and turtles that migrate through its nutrient-rich waters about 100 kilometres offshore.
But Georges Bank, a vast, shallow stretch of sea floor that could be home to valuable natural gas reserves, is at the centre of an increasingly divided debate over whether a moratorium that has shielded it from oil and gas exploration for years should be lifted.
The provincial government has to decide by June 1 whether to launch a review of the moratorium and has suggested it's open to the idea of reconsidering it, the first step in its possible abolition.
Read the complete story at CTV News.