Evaluating the effectiveness of a deep-water MPA; the Laurentian Channel AOI

Several ecological and socioeconomic criteria inform the selection process of candidate areas for MPA designation and the definition of their conservation objectives. Once established, MPAs require cost-effective monitoring strategies to gauge the effectiveness of the management intervention in achieving its conservation objectives and to demonstrate a tangible contribution to the conservation of biodiversity. In many instances, data that inform the management decision process can be sparse, particularly in remote and difficult to sample locations, such as in deep water. The Laurentian Channel Area of Interest (AOI), off the continental shelf of Newfoundland and Labrador, is one of the largest AOIs in Canada (11908 km2; depths of 86 to 435m). Conservation objectives for this DFO AOI include the protection of deep-water corals (principally sea pens), as well as black dogfish, smooth skate, porbeagle shark, Northern wolffish and leatherback sea turtles. Using autonomous underwater and remotely operated vehicles, we will address several of the research objectives associated with the AOI and help develop strategies to enable DFO to generate effective monitoring indicators of status and identification of appropriate reference sites.