Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes action to protect Arctic Marine Wilderness

August 26, 2010

Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area Will Conserve Beluga Whales and Unique Habitat

TUKTOYAKTUK, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES – Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced the Government of Canada is taking concrete action to protect one of the world’s largest seasonal populations of beluga whales by establishing the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area.  He was accompanied by Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans; Nellie Cournoyea, Chair and CEO of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation; and Frank Pokiak, Chair of the Inuvialuit Game Council.
 
“As part of our integrated Northern Strategy, the Government is dedicated to protecting and conserving the magnificent environment and unique wildlife of Canada’s Arctic,” said Prime Minister Harper.  “The area we are setting aside is home to one of the world’s largest summering populations of beluga whales.  Today, we are ensuring these Arctic treasures are preserved for generations to come.”
 
The Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area will consist of three individual areas called Niaqunnaq, Okeevik, and Kittigaryuit, and covers approximately 1,800 square kilometres of the Mackenzie River Delta and estuary in the Beaufort Sea.  It is the first Marine Protected Area of its kind in the Canadian Arctic.  It will be a vital part of Canada’s expanding network of protected ocean regions.
 
The Marine Protected Area will also protect harvesting traditions central to the Inuvialuit culture in the communities of Aklavik, Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk.  The Inuvialuit and the territorial governments of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories have been key partners and supporters in the development of the Area.
 
The designation of the Marine Protected Area is the result of a successful collaboration among the Inuvialuit people, private industry, local stakeholders and governments.  It will balance the cultural and economic aspirations of northerners, while advancing the Government’s environmental conservation plans.


Backgrounder

The Government is committed to taking concrete action to protect environmentally sensitive lands and waters in Canada’s North.  Through Canada’s Northern Strategy, the Harper Government is realizing its vision for Canada’s Arctic, by taking real action to assert and defend our Arctic sovereignty, protect the North’s unique and fragile ecosystem, promote economic development, and encourage good governance and greater local control and opportunity.
 
As part of its plan to meet these important objectives, the Government is developing a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), collectively called the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area. The Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area consists of three individual regions called Niaqunnaq, Okeevik, and Kittigaryuit, which are located at the mouth of the Mackenzie River in the Beaufort Sea.  Together, these areas cover approximately 1,800 square kilometres. 
 
The Beaufort Sea is home to one of the world’s largest summering stocks of beluga whales. The Tarium Niryutait MPA will ensure the long-term sustainable management of the population, which concentrates in the Mackenzie River Delta and estuary. During the summer months, they come to this area to feed, socialize and raise their calves.  The Tarium Niryutait MPA will also protect harvesting traditions central to the Inuvialuit culture in the communities of Aklavik, Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk.
 
The Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area is Canada’s eighth MPA under the Oceans Act, the first in the Canadian Arctic, and will be an integral part of Canada’s expanding network of protected ocean areas.  For the past 20 years, these waters have been managed as part of the voluntary Beaufort Sea Beluga Management Plan by the Fisheries Joint Management Committee.  This co-management body, established under the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, will continue to take stewardship responsibilities of this new protected area. 
 
Through Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Government has worked closely with a variety of partner organizations, such as the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the Inuvialuit Game Council and the Fisheries Joint Management Committee, to ensure the unique habitat of this area of the Beaufort Sea is protected for future generations.