National Marine Conservation Areas of Canada

Canada’s National Marine Conservation Areas System Plan

Canada’s Pacific Marine Environment

© Parks Canada

• Canada's Pacific Marine Wildlife
• Hecate Strait
• Queen Charlotte Shelf
• Queen Charlotte Sound
• Vancouver Island Shelf
• Strait of Georgia

Including islands, our Pacific coastline stretches 29,489 km - 11% of Canada's ocean shoreline.

It overlaps four distinct continental plates with several related fault zones, making this the most earthquake prone area in Canada.

Affected by extensive glaciation, the coastal areas "drowned" as the glaciers melted at the end of the last ice age. The outer coast of resistant volcanic rocks resurfaced as an extremely rugged and complex shoreline, characterized by deep fjords and inlets extending up to 110 km inland. The east facing coastlines are generally less rugged.

The continental shelf is very narrow, rarely reaching 95 km and generally less than 45 km wide.

Tides are moderate, ranging from 2.5-4.0 m with strong tidal currents in the numerous restricted passages.

Water temperatures are fairly constant throughout the year, ranging from 6°-14°C overall and reaching 18°-20°C in sheltered areas during the warmest months.