Yahoo News 22 Apr 08;
An underwater volcanic mountain teaming with ocean life off Canada's Pacific Coast has been added to the nation's growing list of marine protected areas, officials said Tuesday.
"Bowie Seamount is an oceanic oasis in the deep sea, a rare and ecologically rich marine area, and our government is proud to take action to ensure it is protected," Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said in a statement.
"We are ensuring this unique treasure is preserved for future generations."
The seamount, located 180 kilometers (110 miles) west of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) in Canada's Pacific northwest, rises from a depth of 3,000 meters (9,840 feet) to within 24 meters (79 feet) of the sea surface.
It is the seventh Marine Protected Area that Canada designates in recent years, spanning 6,131 square kilometers (2,367 square miles).
Scientists believe it formed less than one million years ago and the volcano was likely active during the last ice age.
Since then, it has become one of the most biologically rich seamounts in the world, due to unique oceanographic conditions that support an abundance of microscopic plants and animals, which, in turn, have contributed to its diverse, complex ecosystem, said officials.
Surveys have recorded high densities of crab, sea stars, sea anemones, sponges, squid, octopus and many species of fish including rockfish, halibut and sablefish.
Stellar sea lions, orca, humpback and sperm whales as well as 16 species of seabirds have also been spotted in the area.
However, the seamount is also fragile and vulnerable, and in need of protection, according to the World Wildlife Fund, which feverishly lobbied the government to designate it a marine park.
"This is a very significant turning point in reversing the trends that have been leading to the depletion of life in the sea," said Guujaaw, president of the aboriginal Council of Haida Nation, which supported its designation as a Marine Protected Area.
Other protected aquatic parks in Canada include the Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents, 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Vancouver Island, The Gully on the Scotian shelf, Eastport and Gilbert Bay off Newfoundland and Labrador, and Basin Head off Prince Edward Island and Musquash Estuary in the Bay of Fundy.
