What Is A Marine Protected Area (MPA)?

A marine protected area (MPA) is a part of the ocean protected from harmful human activity.  Examples of things that might be protected in a MPA are fish and their habitat, spawning areas, and special underwater features.  Exactly what a particular MPA would look like and accomplish would depend on what was to be protected.  Many kinds of MPAs are possible, and they can have a variety of sizes and functions.

 
     
    Marine protected areas alone cannot fully protect all that lives in the ocean, but they can:

 

  

  • Protect different kinds of habitats.

  • Provide safe places for endangered or depleted species.

  • Protect key ecological processes the ocean, such as upwellings.

  • Create "seed banks" for some commercial fish and plant species.

  • Contribute to the retention of genetic diversity.

  • Allow spill-over and improved recruitment for commercial stocks.

  • Foster non-disruptive economic activities, such as sustainable fishing, whale watching, scuba diving, and kayaking.

  • Provide "insurance" against future management errors, accidents or environmental changes.

  • Serve as natural laboratories for marine research and monitoring.
    In Newfoundland and Labrador, marine protected areas could play an important role in reviving and safeguarding the future health of the marine environment, the fishery, and coastal communities.
     

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