The coastal communities of Atlantic Canada and Quebec depend upon sustainable fisheries for their social, cultural, and economic well being.

Spatial planning of Marine Protected Areas do not include fishermen, and, are lacking in conservation objectives, and, commitments to biodiversity.

Proposed MPA’s displaces fishermen from the areas they have fished for generations... 

1) Canada’s independent harvesters have billions invested in fisheries and yet they were not systematically consulted prior to the spatial planning of marine protected areas. 

2) Canada’s marine protected areas do not allow many forms of fishing but they allow for oil and gas exploration, and explotation, citing no adverse environmental effects. THIS IS A CLEAR AND COMMON SENSE VIOLATION OF PROTECTION. Not to mention a risk to sustainable and renewable fisheries. 

3) According to cod scientist, seals threaten the biodiversity of the Southern Gulf. Grey seals are an invasive species currently protected in “protected” areas such as Sable Island and Brion Island. Establishing a marine protected area will only make it safer for seals to rid our waters of bio-diversity. 

Sign this petition if you support sustainable fisheries, and, are against marine protected areas which interfere, and, contradict existing conservation measures on traditional fishing grounds.