Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxʷiqak – Tsig̱is MPA: A Deepsea Oasis

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ID: purple octopus curls tentacles showing suction cups on yellow rocky reef

Photo: Ocean Networks Canada (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxʷiqak – Tsig̱is MPA: A Deepsea Oasis

Thousands of metres beneath the swells of the open ocean west of Vancouver Island is the Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxʷiqak – Tsig̱is (ThT) Marine Protected Area (MPA). This mysterious Deepsea Oasis is teeming with life.

The waters of Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxʷiqak – Tsig̱is have enriched the lives of the Haida, Nuu-chah-nulth, Pacheedaht, Quatsino Peoples for millenia. Pronounced Tung – Gwun, huch/khwi/kuk, tsee-geese, the marine protected area name consists of:
– a Haida word meaning deep ocean (Tang.ɢwan),
– a Nuu-chah-nulth and Pacheedaht word meaning deepest part of the ocean (ḥačxwiqak),
– and a Quatsino word referring to a monster of the deep (Tsig̱is).
Whales and seabirds on the ocean surface have long signaled a rich ecosystem below. First Nations are working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to protect and co-manage their fishing territory.

In these dark waters, seamounts rise 3000 metres above the seafloor, extending higher than Whistler Mountain. These underwater volcanoes are biodiversity hotspots offering a buffet for marine wildlife. Like the Galápagos Islands to the south, each of the nearly 50 identified seamounts is unique, providing critical habitat.

Hydrothermal vents, which are like deep sea hot springs, release superheated water and minerals from under the Earth’s crust. These vents are home to 10 species recorded nowhere else in the world.

Did you know? The such as a sea spider and a microbe that can live here in hot waters reaching as hot as 121°C. Some marine life, like tube worms, have adapted to create energy without sunlight.

Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxʷiqak – Tsig̱is encompasses all of Canada’s hydrothermal vents and 75% of its known seamounts.

A Hotspot for Marine Protection

Canada created its first marine protected area, Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents MPA, in this region in 2003. Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxʷiqak – Tsig̱is MPA would give stronger, permanent marine protection for this Deepsea Oasis – an area four times the size of Vancouver Island.

A Hotspot for Marine Protection

Canada created its first marine protected area (MPA), Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents MPA, in this region in 2003. The proposed Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxʷiqak – Tsig̱is MPA would give stronger, permanent marine protection for the Deepsea Oasis – an area four times the size of Vancouver Island. It would be the biggest protected area of any kind in Canada, and add a welcome boost toward Canada’s commitment of 30% ocean protection by 2030.

TIMELINE

  • 2003 – Endeavour Hydrothermal Vent in BC designated as Canada’s first Marine Protected Area under the Oceans Act (was announced as a pilot MPA in 1998)
  • 2009 – Pacific Offshore listed by the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat as one of 13 bioregions which inform marine planning exercises including MPA network development
  • 2017 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada declares the Offshore Pacific Bioregion area of interest for a potential MPA 
  • 2017 – Marine refuge declared for the large Offshore Pacific area of interest. The Fisheries closure, categorized as an Other-Effective Conservation Measure (OECM) with partial protections, encompasses a number of seamounts and hydrothermal vents – identified as Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs)
  • 2023: Memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Haida Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, Pacheedaht First Nation, Quatsino First Nation, and the Canadian government (MPA) signals final consultation through Canada Gazette to become an MPA
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MPA Protection Standards

BC’s rich deep sea ocean life is under threat. Bottom-contact fishing such as longlines, trap fishing, and trawling is highly destructive to the seafloor. Deep sea mining could destroy fragile habitats on seamounts and hydrothermal vents.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada designated a large portion of the current MPA as a fishing closure in 2017, prohibiting bottom-contact fishing. Under the new MPA protection standard ThT now has stronger protections: banning bottom trawling, dumping, oil and gas exploration and deep sea mining.

 

ID: grey smoke clouds rise from ocean floor
Hydrothermal vents expel hot plumes of mineral-rich gases. Photo: Ocean Networks Canada (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
ID: grey smoke clouds rise from ocean floor
ID: white small octopus with elephant -like ears floats on seafloor
ID: Purple clear jelly-like tube creature with antena and 8 legs moves on seafloor.

Meeting MPA Minimum Standards

BC’s rich deep sea ocean life is under threat. Bottom-contact fishing such as longlines, trap fishing, and trawling is highly destructive to the seafloor. Deep sea mining could destroy fragile habitats on seamounts and hydrothermal vents.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada designated a large portion of the Deepsea Oasis as a fishing closure in 2017. This prohibits bottom-contact fishing, but it still allows, other harmful industrial activities. A marine protected area would enforce Canada’s MPA minimum standards: banning bottom trawling, dumping, oil and gas exploration and deep sea mining.

More than 60% of BC’s marine protected area waters are not effective at protecting biodiversity. Canada needs to implement its minimum standards to safeguard biodiversity and fight climate change.

ID: grey smoke clouds rise from ocean floor
Hydrothermal vents expel hot plumes of mineral-rich gases. Photo: Ocean Networks Canada (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
ID: grey smoke clouds rise from ocean floor
ID: white small octopus with elephant -like ears floats on seafloor
ID: Purple clear jelly-like tube creature with antena and 8 legs moves on seafloor.

 

Learn more about the Deepsea Oasis at www.DeepseaOasis.com

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