MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — Canada said Thursday it had designated the country’s largest marine protected zone off the coast of Vancouver, as it moves to shield a third of its oceans by the end of the decade.

The 133,000-square-kilometer zone was announced in a joint statement by Canada’s department of fisheries and oceans and leaders of four First Nations.

“Today we are taking a giant step forward in protecting Canada’s oceans,” said the department’s minister Diane Lebouthillier.

The new marine protected area brings Canada “halfway to our goal of conserving 30 percent of our oceans by 2030,” Lebouthillier said.

“The ocean has taken care of us, and we must look after it as well,” said Judith Sayer of the Nuu-chah-nulth nation.

Canada is moving closer to meeting a historic commitment made by the world’s nations at the Montreal Biodiversity Summit in December 2022.

The zone, which lies about 150 kilometers off Vancouver Island, is the result of an agreement signed in January 2023 by Ottawa and the Nuu-chah-nulth Haida, Quatsino and Pacheedaht nations.

The area is home to more than dozens species of fish, seabirds, invertebrate and marine mammals, including killer whales, sea otters and dolphins.

Beneath the water, the seabed hosts “rare and unique deep-water species that are both remarkable and culturally important,” according to the Canadian department of fisheries and oceans.