VANCOUVER, Canada -- Canada will set aside its first marine nature reserve, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Robert Thibault announced Friday.

"The designation of the Endeavour hydrothermal vents as Canada's first marine protected area enables us to preserve and protect an ecosystem of unique importance for the world," Thibault said.

The Endeavour marine protected area, southwest of Vancouver Island on Canada's West Coast, harbors 12 species of marine life that do not exist anywhere else in the world and 60 species unique to the Juan de Fuca ridge system.

The vents are located 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Vancouver Island, where superheated fluids escape from the ocean floor, warming the water to 150 degrees C (300 degrees F) at a depth of 2,250 meters (7,400 feet).

The area and its marine life will be protected by laws that will also encourage study of the ecological system.

"The designation of the Endeavour hydrothermal vents as a marine protected area is an important step toward the creation of a national system of marine protected areas," Thibault said. Thirteen areas along both of Canada's coasts are being considered for similar protection, the ministry said. (AFP)