The Northwest Atlantic Ecoregion (NWAE) is one of the most productive marine environments in the world, however, overfishing, shipping and emerging oil and gas and aquaculture industries have continued to put pressure on biodiversity in the ecoregion. Today, instead of being known for its outstanding biological productivity, the Northwest Atlantic is recognized globally as an example of ecological collapse and oceans mismanagement. As a result, WWF-Canada's conservation work in Atlantic Canada's NWAE has been focused on restoring the ecoregion to a healthy state where whales, fish and seabirds flourish and where sustainable fisheries and other activities provide lasting cultural and economic benefits to coastal communities and the rest of Canada. This work has involved the following:
Habitat Protection
Science tells us that to recover, species under threat need areas free from human activity. WWF-Canada is working to create comprehensive, effective protection for ecologically important areas across the region, as well as for examples of each type of habitat.
Our goal: To establish, a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) throughout the ecoregion by 2012.
Success to date: Our efforts were key in creating The Gully, Canada's second MPA, in 2004. Today, there are a total of five MPAs across Atlantic Canada.
Species Conservation
In Canada there are hundreds of species at risk of extinction. Many of these are marine species and WWF-Canada works with government, industry and communities on Canada's East Coast to protect species them. Currently our work is focused on protecting the North Atlantic right whale from entanglements in fishing gear in the Bay of Fundy and Roseway Basin. These species can recover if we protect their habitats and eliminate the threats to their survival.
Sustainable Fisheries
One of the critical issues facing the NWAE is bycatch - marine creatures caught in fishing gear intended for other species. WWF-Canada is working to make sure that bycatch is significantly reduced for key species and that strict limits are enforced for all fisheries.
Our goals: To see cod bycatch across the region reduced by 50 per cent, coral hotspots protected, and at least two Atlantic fisheries certified by the international Marine Stewardship Council - all by 2010.
Success to date: Already, our advocacy has helped to reduce cod bycatch on the southern Grand Banks of Newfoundland by 80 per cent and convinced the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) to adopt a cod recovery plan, commit to reduce bycatch by a further 40 per cent, and take action to protected corals.
visit http://www.wwf.ca/AboutWWF/WhatWeDo/ConservationPrograms/NorthwestAtlantic.asp
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Palmer Crary Expedition, Summer 2006
Spare Time: Maine Lobstering
Gulf of Maine, New England, USA: results from closed areas
The North West Atlantic region extends from the continental shelf and slope areas off Atlantic Canada and New England. The majority of the continental shelf of this region falls within the jurisdiction of Canada and the United States but the Nose and Tail of the Grand Banks and Flemish Cap extend into international waters. The area surrounding St. Pierre and Miquelon is under French authority. Beyond the shelf are vast slope, abyssal plain and seamount ecosystems extending to the mid-Atlantic ridge.... 
