Cetacean Important Areas in Pacific North Coast Management Zone

2004-2009 assessments detail Important Areas for key cetacean species in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA), Strait of Georgia, and west coast of Vancouver Island. Fisheries and Oceans Canada mapped these areas based on expert ranking using criteria like Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences to inform the selection of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas. The data collection is considered complete but may be revisited if significant new data emerges.

Use Cases

• Identify marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) by analyzing the distribution of Important Areas within northern and southern shelf ecoregions.
• Assess cetacean habitat significance by evaluating areas ranked high on the Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences criteria.
• Support integrated ecosystem management under Canada's Oceans Act by using the spatial data on Important Areas for conservation planning in Pacific marine waters.

Strengths

• Expert-defined Important Areas based on established scientific criteria including Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences.
• Spatial data covers multiple key Pacific marine regions: PNCIMA, Strait of Georgia, and the west coast of Vancouver Island.
• Data collection efforts span a defined period from initial work in 2004-2005 to subsequent assessments in 2009.

Limitations

• Assessment methods, scientific advisors, and temporal extents may differ between the 2004-2005 PNCIMA effort and the 2009 WCVI and SOG efforts, complicating direct comparisons.
• The dataset is static and considered complete; it may not reflect recent ecological changes or new scientific data without a case-by-case review.
• Specific quantitative metrics like the number of areas, species counts, or spatial extents are not provided in the available description.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Expert assessment and spatial data mapping based on scientific criteria, coordinated by Cathryn Clarke for the initial PNCIMA effort.

Time Range

Initial assessment 2004-2005; subsequent efforts in 2009.

Freshness

Data collection is complete; last platform update was 2026-03-24.

Geography

Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA), Strait of Georgia, west coast of Vancouver Island in Canadian Pacific marine waters.