About Cmeps

The Canadian Marine Environment Protection Society (CMEPS) is a volunteer-run, Canadian registered charitable society founded in 1993 and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. So many years later, most of the original founding members of CMEPS remain active members of the board of directors.

CMEPS was formed to help facilitate the discussion of ethical, scientific, and environmental issues related to the plight of marine animals and their ocean habitat.

CMEPS has investigated, produced, and widely distributed educational materials created for public consumption. These publications address issues such as environmental conditions, management practices, population status, and humane treatment of marine animals in Canada.

CMEPS believes that the public should be made aware of the importance of protecting the ocean’s remaining natural ecosystems for their biological and cultural importance, now and for the future.

OBJECTIVES

to define emerging threats to

Canada's oceans and marine

species

to advance the creation of marine

protected areas (MPAs)

and to improve the protection and

conservation of threatened marine

animals.

PURPOSE

review major areas of marine

ecosystem vulnerability and

sensitivity,

examine strategies for protecting

and conserving marine ecosystems

and animals,

and produce consensus on

achieving milestones towards this

goal.

GOALS

to gain international recognition of

marine problems

to develop international regulations

necessary to safeguard marine

areas

to develop sustainable international policies for marine exploitation, since most fisheries are now past the sustainable point and many species have been fully exploited.

A little bit of CMEPS history

The late Dr. Cortlandt Mackenzie was a founding director of the Canadian Marine Environmental Protection Society (CMEPS) and served several terms as president of the society, the latest term starting in 2000. He was an ardent advocate for marine protected areas (MPAs) and a driving force behind CMEPS, even now.

Tom Hughes, the founder of many animal protection societies, inspired by his interested in the protection of the marine environment, was to put together a committee in Vancouver, British Columbia that would eventually hold the first international marine life conference in 1992. After the conference, this committee became the registered charitable society Canadian Marine Environment Protection Society (CMEPS).

Dr. Richard Stace-Smith was the 1999 recipient of the Order of Canada, and an invaluable founding director at the Canadian Marine Environment Protection Society.