• Canada's Arctic

    Home to more than 130,000 Canadians, the Arctic inspires Canada’s identity and makes up over 55% of its land mass and 67% of its coastline.

  • Lancaster Sound

    Located at the eastern entrance to the fabled Northwest Passage lies Tallurutiup Tariunga, a region British explorers named ‘Lancaster Sound.’

    The open water areas in Lancaster Sound, also called polynyas, stay ice free year round and are important feeding and wintering areas for marine mammals.

  • People

    Generations of Inuit have recognized this fact and continue to rely on the area’s abundance of species for subsistence.

    Country foods, such as Arctic char, seal, whale and caribou, are important for nutrition, culture and sustainable, self-reliant communities.

  • Whales

    Whales such as belugas and bowheads transit this region every summer en route to their feeding and nursing areas to the southwest.

  • Polar bears

    During the ice free months, polar bears wander the land and wait for the sea ice to form once again.

    The Lancaster Sound subpopulation is the second most dense polar bear population in the world.

  • Birds

    Millions of migratory birds return here each summer to raise their young.

    © Alexei Ebel | Steve Morello | Tim Stewart
    As many as one third of all Eastern Canadian colonial seabirds breed in Lancaster Sound.

  • Development

    The area is becoming increasingly busy as shipping levels rise.

    On June 8, 2016, after WWF launched a lawsuit disputing the validity of offshore oil exploration leases on the proposed boundary of Lancaster Sound, Shell Canada Ltd gave them up. This action removed one of the most obvious threats to the region, but protection is still needed.

    The Mary River iron ore mine anticipates the need for up to 160 ship transits a year through Eclipse Sound in the near future.
    ©WWF-Canada

  • Proposed National Marine Conservation Area

    Inuit have been seeking to protect this region for over 30 years.

  • Proposed National Marine Conservation Area

    The Government of Canada’s current NMCA proposal does not satisfy the Inuit desire to protect the integrity of this ecosystem.

  • Proposed National Marine Conservation Area

    And, it leaves out a vital area, which until recently was under permit for oil and gas exploration.

  • Protect Lancaster Sound

    Designating the region defined by the Inuit as a National Marine Conservation Area will prevent ocean dumping and future oil and gas exploration, and ensure that future shipping is carried out to a high standard.

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