In October 1998, the Conservation Council (CCNB), formally nominated the Musquash Estuary as a Marine Protected Area (MPA).  Leading up to the formal Musquash nomination, CCNB engaged the participation and support of the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association (FNFA) which represents the small-boat inshore fishery that operates within and just outside the Musquash Estuary.  While the FNFA had previously taken the position that they will oppose any MPA designations in principle, its members voted to support CCNB’s Musquash MPA proposal on the grounds that healthy estuaries are critical to healthy fisheries.  CCNB prepared a draft proposal for their consideration which a joint CCNB-FNFA committee then refined.  This became the basis for the formal Musquash nomination. The key provision of the proposal is that the existing small-boat fishery be allowed to continue within the estuary.  Only about one dozen boats operate within the estuary boundaries and currently only a trap-based lobster fishery is conducted, with one exception. For approximately 6 weeks each winter, 6 boats drag for scallops in an area near the mouth of the estuary.  The MPA proposal delineates a special scallop zone within which this fishery would continue at its present level.  No increase in either time or scale would be permitted.  This concession was key to securing support from the fishing industry, without which an MPA designation would be next to impossible to achieve. CCNB’s Musquash MPA Campaign Coordinator David Thompson has carried out community and stakeholder consultations, spearheaded the collection of biological, cultural and anthropomorphic information about estuary, and worked to have a Musquash GIS established.   He has made strategic presentations to both provincial and federal politicians, and works directly with government officials to move the proposal along.  He has also participated actively in the formation and running of a local MPA Planning Committee involving landowners, agency stakeholders, and community members.  This committee has further refined the initial CCNB-FNFA proposal, while respecting its fundamental features.  It will also participate in the development and implementation of a management plan for the proposed MPA. In February 2000, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans announced that Musquash had been accepted as an Area of Interest (AOI) under the MPA process.  Further ecological, technical and socio-economic assessments are underway to support the development of a management plan.  The plan will go out for public consultation, following which DFO make a final decision on the Musquash MPA designation.  The final step will be to develop and promulgate a Musquash MPA regulation under the Oceans Act.  This process could be completed by late 2001. September 2000