Hopedale Saddle Closure
Location: Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves Bioregion
Approximate Area: 1,541,100 hectares
Date of Designation: 2017
Conservation Objectives
To protect cold-water sponges and corals, as well as many other marine species.
Prohibitions
All bottom-fishing activities are prohibited in the closure.
Why (environmental context for protection)
The closure contains an abundance of cold-water coral and sponge species. Corals and sponges are fragile, and slow to recover when damaged by fishing or other human activities. Corals and sponges both create structures that offer refuge, feeding, and rearing areas for many other marine species. The closure is also an important overwintering area for the Eastern Hudson Bay population of belugas, which are threatened.