Canada's Ocean, Freshwater & US

Hawke Channel Closure

https://canadaoceanmap.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/janko-ferlic-sf3Td_4_oUQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg
Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua. (Photo: Janko Ferlič/Unsplash)
Location: Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves Bioregion
Approximate Area: 883,700 hectares
Date of Designation: 2017
Conservation Objectives

To protect seafloor habitat for many species, especially Atlantic cod.

Prohibitions

Bottom-contact fishing methods, such as bottom trawls, are prohibited in the closure.

Why (environmental context for protection)

The closure is home to large numbers of bottom-dwelling aquatic species. It protects Atlantic cod, a species that once experienced severe overfishing. Other species that rely on seafloor habitat, such as snow crabs, Greenland halibut, and Atlantic wolffish, also live in the closure.