About

The Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA) covers an area of approximately 88,000 square kilometers. The northern boundary is Canada's jurisdictional limit. The western boundary is the base of the shelf slope where upwelling increases the amount of food available. On the mainland and east coast of Vancouver Island, the boundary is established near Campbell River at the point where the marine waters of Johnstone Strait separate from the Strait of Georgia. The west coast of Vancouver Island boundary is located at Brooks Peninsula to the base of the shelf slope where the summer northern buoyancy current heads outwards.

In 2004, the federal government identified PNCIMA as one of five large ocean management areas in which to pilot integrated management (IM) planning. The area currently supports diverse marine activities including: commercial and recreational fisheries, First Nations’ traditional use, marine tourism, shipping and transportation and aquaculture. Alternative offshore energy projects, new commercial fisheries and shellfish aquaculture initiatives are also emerging industries in the region.

The waters of the PNCIMA region are biologically diverse and contain thousands of fish, invertebrate and plant species. The undersea environment is dynamic and a source of food, jobs and recreation for thousands of Canadians.

The PNCIMA process will bring the area’s stakeholders together to apply integrated management practices to the region. This process is coordinated and overseen by the PNCIMA Secretariat, which is composed of representatives from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment Canada, Parks Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Coastal First Nations, and the North Coast - Skeena First Nations Stewardship Society.

In December 2008, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Coastal First Nations, and the North Coast–Skeena First Nations Stewardship Society. This document confirmed the commitment of all three parties to integrated marine use planning in the PNCIMA region to achieve the shared goals of maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems and sustaining local marine economies.