Important Areas for Birds in Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area

Important Areas for Birds in Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area is an open dataset from Fisheries and Oceans Canada with 8 files (ESRI REST, HTML, PDF, FGDB/GDB, GEOJSON); catalogue record updated 2026-03-24. On CanQuery you can follow the original downloads. Files are available in English and French.

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key seabird species in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA). This data was mapped to inform the selection of marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA). Experts have indicated that these areas are relevant based upon their high ranking in one or more of three criteria (Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences). The distribution of IAs within ecoregions is used in the designation of EBSAs. Canada’s Oceans Act provides the legislative framework for an integrated ecosystem approach to management in Canadian oceans, particularly in areas considered ecologically or biologically significant. DFO has developed general guidance for the identification of ecologically or biologically significant areas. The criteria for defining such areas include uniqueness, aggregation, fitness consequences, resilience, and naturalness. This science advisory process identifies proposed EBSAs in Canadian Pacific marine waters, specifically in the Strait of Georgia (SOG), along the west coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI, southern shelf ecoregion), and in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area…

Publisher

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Resources

8

Catalogue metadata updated

2026-03-24