Sarah Dudas is in a race against time. Before the high tide returns, she and her fellow researchers are determined to survey the marine life clinging to the intertidal zone of Goose Islanda small island off the remote central coast of British Columbia. While charismatic sea otters bask and torpedo in the kelp nearby, Dudas kneels down and squints at the wildlife before her: mussels the size of apple seeds and crustaceans so small they could hide under a dime. She wears chest waders, a toque embroidered with the likeness of bright orange rockfish, and a pencil behind her ear. She is the significant areas program head for Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the mother of two young girls, ages six and eight. Working out here for three weeksaway from themis hard but worth it.
This is my church, Dudas says. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Knowing that this goes toward conservation for the next generation is why I do this work.
Goose Islandpart of the Goose Groupis ringed by reefs, islets, and shallow waters that support diverse fish populations, which in turn attract high concentrations of seabirds. Harbor seals haul out here during pupping season. Above the sandy bays and tidal flats, a curtain of Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar hides the boggy interior. Although the Goose Group and surrounding waters were declared part of a provincial marine conservancy in 2008, there is still no published management plan.
Dudas and her colleagues must wrap up soon and return to the Vector, a nearly 40-meter Canadian Coast Guard vessel waiting just offshore. Their work here, part of an expedition to study both intertidal and deep-water ecosystems along the central coast, may help establish new marine protected areas (MPAs). Canada has committed to protecting 10 percent of its territorial waters by this year as part of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi targets. One hundred ninety-six countries have ratified the convention, making it a truly global push for marine conservation.
This sounds like a win for politicians, coastal communities, and ecosystems alike. But just as governments around the world announce new MPAs, troubling new research is raising questions about their effectiveness. Do MPAs deliver what’s advertisedprotection of the marine environmentor are they little more than paper parks, amounting to protection in name only? Time will tell.
Tula Foundation and Hakai Institute family