Corsair and Georges Canyons Conservation Area
Location: Scotian Shelf Bioregion
Approximate Area: 879,733 hectares
Date of Designation: 2016
Conservation Objectives
To protect cold-water coral habitat.
Prohibitions
All commercial bottom-contact fishing gear (for example bottom trawls or traps) is prohibited in the area.
Why (environmental context for protection)
The conservation area is home to many cold-water corals, which are long-lived, fragile, and slow to recover when hurt. When not protected, they can easily be damaged by fishing or other human activities that come into contact with the sea floor. The area features a large concentration of large, tree-like “bubblegum” corals and “seacorn” corals. Corals form structures that act as spawning and breeding grounds, nurseries, and refuges for other aquatic species. Because of this, preserving corals could lead to an increased abundance of other species in the area.