About Canada's waters
Canada has the longest coastline in the world, an extraordinary array of temperate marine ecosystems, and globally significant freshwater lakes that still have important wilderness and biodiversity values. But our oceans and many great lakes and rivers are severely threatened.
Special features like the horse mussel mounds found on the east coast and glass sponge reefs on the west coast need to be protected. Establishing marine protected areas will help ensure that ecosystems remain healthy.
Both marine and freshwater environments require networks of protected areas that protect habitats and features from destructive activities like bottom trawling or dragging and drilling and mining of sea and lake beds. Other threats include climate change which is leading to acidification of marine waters and increasing water temperatures in our oceans and lakes.