Geoscience and OceanGeoscience and Ocean

Management:Management:

Queen Charlotte Queen Charlotte Basin western CanadaBasin western Canada

GeoHab 2003 May 2, 2003

J. Vaughn Barrie1, Kim Conway1, Manfred Krautter2 and Alan Sinclair3

1 Geological Survey of Canada2 University of Stuttgart, Germany3 Pacific Biological Station, Canada

SEDIMENTARY BASINS IN CANADA’S WEST COAST REGION

Qualitative estimates indicate that Queen Charlotte Basin contains 3 to 4 times (25.9* trillion cubic feet) the gas resource potential of either Georgia or Tofino basins. It also contains a significant oil resource potential (9.8* billion barrels) which is not identified for either of the other two basins.

(* Hannigan et al., GSC Bulletin 564, 2001; values quoted are 50% probability in-place petroleum play estimates)

Georgia Basin area: 15,000 km2

Tofino Basin area: 40,000 km2

Queen Charlotte Basin area: 80,000 km2

ESTIMATED RESOURCE POTENTIAL QUEEN CHARLOTTE BASIN

Higher potential areas - deep Tertiary sub-basins- known Tertiary gas source rocks- probable Jurassic oil source rocks- oil and gas shows in several wells- gas indicators on seismic data- seismically-mapped prospects- high quality reservoir materials

• Queen Charlotte Basin Oil and Gas

• Fisheries and Habitat

• Marine Protected Areas - Sponge Reefs

• Wind Farms

• Marine Minerals and Aggregates

• Geohazards

ISSUES

The region shown on this map incorporates land claims by eleven distinct First Nations.

First Nation Land Claims

Objective:

To provide the geoscientific knowledge necessary for effective decision-making on competing resource management issues in the Queen Charlotte Basin

NRCan - GSC

Geoscience for Ocean Management Program

% Mud% Sand

Objective 1:

Generate web accessible, national standard maps of geohazards, habitat, and surficial geology

Objective 2:

Acquire multibeam data of key areas of resource and environmental conflict

Sponge Reef

Gas Pipeline

Georgia Basin

Objective 3:

Map and delineate the benthic habitats for sustainable fisheries and provide knowledge for the establishment of marine protected areas

Groundfish Trawl Data

Hecate Strait Ecosystem Project - DFO, NRCan, UBC, UVic

FISH HABITATS

Coloured areas indicate the known habitat extents of west coast fish species.

Objective 4:

Determine the seafloor expression and risk assessment of marine geohazards

% Sand

•Slope Stability

•Shallow Gas

•Sediment Mobility

•Sedimentary Bedforms

•Boulder Fields

Seafloor geologic hazards

Objective 5:

Establish the extent and conditions that determine the health and survival of the globally unique sponge reefs

Bottom Trawling - > 50% of the Reefs Destroyed

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans designates known sponge reefs in Queen Charlotte Basin, and a ~9 km buffer region surrounding them as ‘no fishing zones’.

The department has advised that the reefs are under consideration for designation as Marine Protected Areas.

POSSIBLE ‘OFF-LIMIT / NO-GO’ ZONES

3. Marine Protected Area’s

Summary:•Queen Charlotte Basin is know to the world for two conflicting characteristics, 1) world heritage site for cultural, biological and geological ecosystem, and 2) resource wealth in fishing, potential hydrocarbons, wind power and precious and industrial minerals.

•What is needed is a integrated Ocean Management Program to balance the competing demands of renewable and non-renewable resources with conservation through the development of Marine Protected Areas.