Ocean Networks Canada joins the fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) February 3-9, 2023, in Vancouver, British Columbia. This global forum will bring together ocean conversation professionals and high-level officials to inform, inspire, and act on marine protected areas (MPAs).
As we collectively confront climate change, sharing knowledge of technological solutions for monitoring our changing ocean and conserving marine biodiversity has never been more important–especially in MPAs which have become a central pillar of marine conservation strategies worldwide.
We invite IMPAC5 registered conference attendees to join our Knowledge Sharing session:
17 Years of Ocean Monitoring
Sunday, February 5, 2023 | 4-5:30 PM | Vancouver Convention Centre, West Building, Room 208
Advancing technological solutions and community partnerships for remote MPAs, from deep sea to High Arctic
Remote MPAs present a unique challenge for conservation management. There is limited knowledge of species composition/abundance and habitat conditions due to their remote location. Yet, having a quantitative understanding of natural variability (or baseline data) plays a critical role in understanding our changing ocean, and in conservation efforts.
Real-time and autonomous ocean observing technologies provide a solution for continuous monitoring of habitat conditions and essential biodiversity variables in all MPAs, even those with limited access. These technologies are being increasingly used to provide data for scientific research and operational ocean monitoring, and have the potential to be used for MPA management.
ONC’s ocean observatories in the deep ocean, coastal waters, and land of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic coasts of Canada deliver the continuous and long-series ocean data to support evidence-based decision-making. Our NEPTUNE cabled sensor observatory currently provides monitoring at Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents MPA and at the Barkley Canyon rockfish conservation site.
During this Knowledge Sharing session, ONC President and CEO Kate Moran and representatives Jessica Stigant, Reyna Jenkyns, Richard Dewey and Benoît Pirenne will present on four areas with roundtable discussions of each:
- Continuous monitoring of Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) in MPAs
- SeaTube – Deep-Sea Imagery for MPA Surveys and Monitoring
- Technological Solutions for Ocean Health Monitoring in Remote Coastal Areas
- Data Stewardship for Ocean Monitoring in Indigenous Territories
You can also speak with ONC experts at our exhibition booth #1110, open 12-7 PM, February 4-7, 2023 and 12-2:30 PM, February 8, 2023. Don’t miss the last of our free 2023 calendars!
The Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents—Canada’s first Oceans Act Marine Protected Area—is a seismically active area of seafloor formation and hydrothermal venting located 250 kilometres offshore from Vancouver Island, 2250 metres below the ocean’s surface.
