Source: iPolitics
Author: Holly Lake
The waters off the coast of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula are part of Canada’s newest marine protected area (MPA). Official protection of the area has been a long time coming, with efforts to have the peninsula designated having started in 2011. This week, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made it official.
The Banc-des-Américains (American Bank) MPA covers 1,000 square kilometres of ocean between Cap-Gaspé and Cap-d’Espoir, where the Gaspé and Chaleur Bay currents meet. A “biological crossroads,” the area is home to many species of fish, crustaceans and seabirds, as well as endangered whales and wolffish.
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