Overview
- The six First Nations and federal and provincial governments signed the agreement in Klemtu on May 22, 2026, to establish Mia-yaltwa Ha’lidzogm hoon, a marine reserve of roughly 6,700 square kilometres.
- The designation pairs an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area with a national marine conservation area reserve and names Parks Canada and the Nations as joint operators during implementation.
- Fisheries and tourism will continue under the plan but bottom trawling is banned and Fisheries and Oceans Canada will keep regulatory and enforcement authority for fisheries.
- Key implementation steps remain: finalizing boundaries, creating a collective management board, developing a zoning plan through consultation, and completing full legislative designation over multiple years.
- The reserve sits in the Great Bear Sea and protects salmon, herring, kelp and eelgrass habitats plus species such as Spirit bears, sea otters and humpback whales, and it is the first of up to 10 marine sites pledged under the federal nature strategy to help reach Canada’s 30% by 2030 goal.