Important Marine Geographic Areas in Pacific North Coast Management Zone

Important Areas for geographic features in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA) were mapped to inform the selection of marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas. Experts ranked areas based on criteria like Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences. Initial assessments occurred from September 2004 to March 2005, with subsequent efforts in 2009 for other regions.

Use Cases

• Analyze the distribution of Important Areas across ecoregions like the Strait of Georgia and west coast of Vancouver Island to support EBSA designation.
• Map areas ranked high in the Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences criteria to identify priority conservation zones.
• Compare IA assessments from the 2004-2005 PNCIMA effort with the separate 2009 WCVI and SOG efforts to understand methodological differences.
• Integrate this geographic features IA data with related datasets for birds, cetaceans, and fish for a comprehensive ecosystem management analysis.

Strengths

• Data collection was coordinated by scientific experts and advisors for the identification of ecologically significant areas.
• The dataset is part of a series covering multiple taxonomic groups, providing context for broader marine ecology studies.
• Assessments cover multiple regions including PNCIMA, the Strait of Georgia, and the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Limitations

• The sample data and specific row/column counts are unavailable, limiting understanding of dataset scale and structure.
• Assessment methods, scientific advisors, and temporal extents differed between the 2004-2005 PNCIMA effort and later 2009 efforts.
• Data collection is considered complete but may be revisited case-by-case, indicating potential staleness for new scientific data.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Expert assessment and spatial data collection coordinated for science advisory process.

Time Range

Initial assessment September 2004 to March 2005; subsequent efforts in 2009.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-24, though underlying assessments are from 2004-2005 and 2009.

Geography

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