April 5, 2018 — Canada’s government has initiated the designation process for three new marine conversation areas, according to a March announcement. This proposed action is part of a commitment to put 10 percent of Canadian marine and coastal areas under protected status by 2020.

The new areas of interest are the 2,000-square-kilometers encompassing the Eastern Shore Islands, a 7,100-square-kilometer portion of the Fundian Channel-Browns Bank, and the 36,000-square-kilometer Eastern Canyons section off Sable Island, all located off the coast of Nova Scotia.

According to Stephen Bornais, a communications advisor with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the protected status doesn’t mean that each marine protected area (MPA) is totally off-limits to fishing.

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