Protecting the Great Bear Sea

Covering more than 100,000 square kilometres, the Great Bear Sea is among the most biologically diverse cold-water environments on Earth. The region’s dramatic coastlines, dense kelp forests and large estuaries support an abundance of marine life, including humpbacks, killer whales, salmon, herring, eulachon and the world’s last remaining glass sponge reefs.

For millennia, First Nations have carefully managed these marine ecosystems, and have brought that same vision, experience and traditional knowledge to modern marine use planning. 

Today, CFN member Nations are leading a collaborative marine planning process, involving other First Nations, federal and provincial governments, and industry and conservation stakeholders, that sets a new precedent for successful marine stewardship worldwide. As coastal peoples, we know that keeping ocean ecosystems healthy is the key to preserving our culture, food security, economic self-sufficiency and coastal livelihoods.