Marine Refuge
On February 5th, 2023, the Mamalilikulla First Nation along with federal and provincial officials announced the marine portion of the Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala IPCA as the first marine refuge to be recognized through the Northern Shelf Bioregion Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network planning process.
Read more about the Marine Refuge and Marine Protected Areas Network announcements here:

Chief Winidi (John Powell), centre, of the Mamalilikulla First Nation, sits with Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, left, and former chief Richard Sumner during an announcement about a new marine refuge in the Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala (Lull Bay/Hoeya Sound) area in Knight Inlet on B.C.'s central coast, at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver, on Sunday. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

Mamalilikulla's protected area includes 2,000 hectares of ocean in Knight Inlet, where rare shallow coral live beneath the surface.
Photo: Taylor Roades / The Narwhal

Image: Yasmine Arfaoui

Chief Winidi (John Powell), centre, of the Mamalilikulla First Nation, sits with Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, left, and former chief Richard Sumner during an announcement about a new marine refuge in the Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala (Lull Bay/Hoeya Sound) area in Knight Inlet on B.C.'s central coast, at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) in Vancouver, on Sunday. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)