"Today's milestone is the result of an historic and outstanding collaborative partnership between the Government of Canada and the Haida Nation," said Environment Minister Jim Prentice.

The conservation area extends 10 kilometres offshore of Gwaii Haanas (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands), protecting over 5,000 square kilometres filled with orca and humpback whales, seabirds, salmon, and lush kelp forests.

The announcement has been a long time coming. For decades, the Haida Nation has been waging an often lonely, frustrating and prescient crusade, maintaining from the beginning that seabeds must logically be part of any serious protected region.

"This is a changing of the tides," said Guujaaw, President of the Haida Nation "as we come to appreciate the fragile and precious nature of our marine areas, we will begin to give the necessary attention to look after and restore our oceans."

Following designation, the Haida Nation and Government of Canada will initiate a process to work to develop a management plan for Gwaii Haanas. A local advisory committee of stakeholders, including commercial fishermen, tourism operators, and other economic sectors, has expressed unanimous support for the designation.

"The ... designation will pave the way to advance conservation along with cultural and economic prosperity, in a region that is one of the world's ecological treasures," said Gerald Butts, President and CEO of WWF-Canada."