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GLOSSARY

AnadromousFish who spend the majority of their lives in the salt water but who enter fresh-water rivers for breeding (eg., salmon); streams that support anadromous fish.

AnoxicArea greatly deficient in oxygen.

ArcGISName of a group of geographic information system software product lines produced by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).

BathymetryThe measurement of water depth at various places in a body of water.

BenthicRefers to the material (surface and sub-surface sediment), processes or organisms on the seafloor.

Benthic Terrain Modeller (BTM)Tool used to generate classified terrain suitable for the preparation of benthic habitat maps in ArcGIS. Developed by the Oregon State University Department of Geosciences and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center.

BiodiversityThe variety of life forms: the different plants, animals and micro-organisms, the genes they contain and the ecosystems or communities they form. It is usually considered at three levels: genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity.

BiophysicalThe biological and physical components of an environment.

BufferedTechnique used in mapping where a feature is represented as larger than its actual size. For example; a nesting site for a bird could be buffered by 10 meters to represent the marine area used by the bird.

ConservationThe maintenance of nature and use of natural resources in a way that assures their continuing availability to future generations.

ConsultationThe seeking of input, through dialogue, to influence projects or decisions.

EcosystemA dynamic complex of animal, plant and microorganism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit.

Endangered SpeciesA species threatened with imminent extirpation or extinction.

EnvironmentThe complex of physical, chemical, and biological factors in which a living organism or community exists.

Extirpated SpeciesA species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but occurs elsewhere.

Extinct SpeciesA species that no longer exists anywhere in the world.

ForeshoreThe part of a seashore between high-water and low-water marks; also called the intertidal zone.

GeologicRelating to geology. The science and study of the solid matter that constitutes the Earth (rocks).

GeomorphicRelating to geomorphology, the branch of geology that studies the rocks and land forms and the processes that shape them (characteristics, configuration and evolution).

HabitatAn area or a place that provides the resource requirements for a discrete phase of a living organism’s lifecycle. The natural environment of a plant or animal; the locality where an organism may generally be found and where the essentials of its survival and reproduction are present. Habitats are typically described by geographic boundary, biotic community, or various physical characteristics.

Islands TrustA federation of independent local governments that plans land use and regulates development in the trust area; is comprised of 12 local trust areas and one island municipality.

• PROPOSED SOUTHERN STR AIT OF GEORGIA NAT IONAL MARINE CONSERVAT ION ARE A RESERVE ATL AS – GLOSSARY •

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Keystone SpeciesAn organism that has a disproportionately greater role in maintaining ecosystem integrity than would be predicted based on its abundance.

MetadataProvides information about how, when, and by whom the data was collected, how the data is formatted, as well as data content and quality; commonly defined as “data about data”.

National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA)Marine protected areas established and managed by Parks Canada under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act. The overall objective is to protect and conserve areas representative of Canada’s oceans and Great Lakes, and to encourage public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of this marine heritage. NMCAs include the seabed and the water column and may include coastal lands and islands.

Oceanographic ProcessesNatural occurrences that result from various physical and chemical-related (e.g., salinity) interactions among wind, tides, freshwater, depth and shape of the seabed.

Representivity Reflecting in a smaller region selected characteristics found in a larger region. Parks Canada strives for representivity of the biological, physical, historic, cultural, and recreational values of an area.

RugosityA measure of small-scale variations or amplitude in the height of a surface. In this Atlas it is used as a measure of benthic terrain complexity or “roughness”.

SalinityMeasure of the quantity of dissolved salts in seawater; usually expressed as parts per thousand.

Schedule II FisheryA commercial fishing privilege (a license with special conditions) that may allow fishing for lingcod, dogfish, skate, flounder, pacific cod and tuna.

SpawnTo breed; especially to breed by releasing eggs and sperm into the water.

SpeciesA group of closely related organisms that are potentially capable of interbreeding, and which are reproductively isolated from other groups of organisms; the basic unit of biological classification.

Species of Special ConcernA species that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

StratificationWhen the water in the ocean that has different salinities or temperatures forms distinct layers that do not mix.

SubstrateThe mineral or organic material that forms the bed of a body of water.

SustainabilityThe ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes and functions, biological diversity, and productivity over time.

Sustainable UseThe use of components of biological diversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biological diversity, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.

TANTALISA computer system used by the Province of British Columbia to record tenures on provincial Crown lands.

Tenure (BC Crown Land)A form of legal authority to use and/or occupy British Columbia Crown land granted by the Integrated Land Management Bureau under the authority of the provincial Land Act. Tenures are usually leases, licenses of occupation or statutory rights of way for such uses as ferry terminal, marinas and utility corridors, among others. Tenures provide for varying degrees of use for a limited time period ranging from 2 to 60 years.

Threatened SpeciesA species that is likely to become endangered if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading to its extirpation or extinction.

TopographyThe form and structure of the surface of land (i.e. hilly, flat, mountainous).

TrawlTo fish using a conical net that is towed behind the fishing vessel at various depths in the water column (e.g. mid-water) or along the sea bottom.

Proposed Southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area Reserve

Bill Henwood, Project Manager300 - 300 West Georgia Street

Vancouver, BC V6B 6B4

strait of georgianmca@pc.gc.cawww.pc.gc.ca/straitofgeorgianmca