Marine Protected Area
Establishment Process

The Gully’s unique physical attributes, its ecological significance and increasing human pressures generated major conservation interest during the mid-1990s. The Gully ecosystem has long been important for fishing, and more recently, the surrounding waters have witnessed considerable growth in oil and gas exploration and development.

In July 1997, Fisheries and Oceans Canada initiated development of a Sable Gully Conservation Strategy in response to continued ecological interest and issues in the area. The first phase of the Strategy was a review of available science. The second phase was a description of conservation issues and stakeholder viewpoints. The Conservation Strategy document, released in 1998, included a conservation objective, goals and recommendations for planning and management.

In December 1998, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans announced that a core area of the Gully had been selected as an Area of Interest (AOI) in the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Program. The Gully AOI included the deep canyon, the Whale Sanctuary and a range of other habitats valued for their biological communities. The AOI covered an area of approximately 1850 square kilometres. Since 1998, DFO has investigated the merit and feasibility of establishing the Gully as an MPA.

Several years of scientific investigation have confirmed the ecological importance of the Gully. Biodiverse and highly productive, with a tremendous variety of habitats for fish, mammals, seabirds and bottom dwellers, the Gully is "one-of-a-kind" that deserves special protection under the Oceans Act. The Gully contains the highest known diversity of coral in Atlantic Canada with 14 species identified to date. Fourteen species of marine mammals are attracted to the Gully by the abundant food supply. The deepest part of the canyon is especially important for the Scotian Shelf population of northern bottlenose whales, a population recently assessed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

Before developing conservation measures and regulations for the MPA, DFO undertook a series of socio-economic assessments to better understand resource values and historical patterns of human use in the Gully. A Socio-Economic Profile describing past, present, and future activities in the Gully was completed in 1999. Detailed studies of fisheries were conducted by DFO with the assistance of a Fisheries Working Group. Reviews of mineral and hydrocarbon potential were completed by Natural Resources Canada and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board.

During the design of the MPA, DFO incorporated the findings from the scientific investigations and socio-economic assessments. Feedback and the viewpoints of many interested parties and were also considered. The Gully MPA design strives to maximize conservation benefits while providing for sustainable use.

Throughout the MPA evaluation process, DFO met with groups and individuals to present the results of assessments and scientific research projects. The regulatory proposal was presented in a series of meetings during the Fall of 2002, and in January 2003, the multi-stakeholder Gully Advisory Committee was formed to provide focused input and advice to DFO. The Committee reviewed and commented on the regulatory proposal in the Spring and Summer of 2003.

Draft regulations for the Gully Marine Protected Area (MPA) were released by the Government of Canada for public comment in December 2003. Pre-publication of the Gully MPA regulations in the December 6, 2003 edition of the Canada Gazette Part I (Vol. 137, No. 49, Pgs. 3882-3905) gave interested groups and individuals, as well as Canadians in general, a final opportunity to review and comment on the proposed regulations. Following a review of input received during December 2003 and January 2004, some minor changes were made to the regulations. In May 2004, regulations were enacted to formally designate the Gully MPA.