According to the press release of the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, her government is ready to support the Integrated Oceans Management Plan for the Beaufort Sea. The Plan, which is the result of collaboration among many interests, is a major strategy for the management of ocean resources in Canada’s Arctic. Supporting such plan is an important step towards protecting and managing Canada’s northern oceans.
Minister Shea also said that the Beaufort Sea ecosystem is currently healthy, and through this management plan we aim to preserve its health, while continuing to create economic opportunities and sustainable communities. The plan will work as per a sustainable manner that takes into consideration the values, interests and rights of all those who live in the region.
Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Chair Nellie Cournoyea said that this announcement marks a major achievement in the productive relationship between Canada and the Inuvialuit. He added that the plan ensures the marine resources of the Beaufort Sea and the traditional practices of the Inuvialuit are provided with an appropriate level of formal protection over time.
The plan provides tangible evidence of the willingness of all oceans-related sectors—traditional harvesters, Inuvialuit corporate interests, governments, industry, environmental groups— to work together in the decision making processes that will shape the future of the Beaufort Sea.
