Invertebrate Important Areas in Strait of Georgia Ecoregion

Fisheries and Oceans Canada provides a geospatial layer detailing Important Areas for key invertebrate species in the Strait of Georgia ecoregion. The data was mapped to inform the selection of marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas based on criteria like Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences. Initial assessments were conducted in 2004-2005, with subsequent efforts in 2009.

Use Cases

• Identify marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) by analyzing the spatial distribution of Important Areas for invertebrates.
• Assess conservation priorities by evaluating areas ranked high in criteria such as Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences.
• Support integrated ecosystem management under Canada's Oceans Act by using the geospatial layer for regional planning in the Strait of Georgia.
• Compare invertebrate Important Areas with separate datasets for birds, cetaceans, and fish to analyze multi-species habitat overlaps.

Strengths

• Data is part of a formal science advisory process for identifying proposed EBSAs in Canadian Pacific marine waters.
• Covers a specific and ecologically significant region: the Strait of Georgia ecoregion.
• Integrates expert assessment based on defined criteria (Uniqueness, Aggregation, Fitness Consequences).

Limitations

• Spatial data collection and assessment methods varied between the 2004-2005 and 2009 efforts, potentially affecting consistency.
• The dataset is considered complete but may become temporally stale, as significant new data could merit case-by-case revisiting.
• Lacks quantitative details such as row count, column count, or sample data for direct analytical validation.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Initial assessment 2004-2005; subsequent efforts in 2009.

Freshness

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

Geography

Strait of Georgia ecoregion, Canadian Pacific marine waters.