About Us

Canada's first marine biological research station began operations in St. Andrews in 1899. This station was a small, portable laboratory that resembled a Pullman railway car. After operating for two years at St. Andrews, it was moved and operated at various places in the Maritime provinces and Quebec until 1907. Kenneth Johnstone wrote in The Aquatic Explorer: A History of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada that the scientific papers which proceeded to flow from the summers at the movable station persuaded the scientific community that it was a valid and important instrument in the development of the science of ichthyology. Similarly, many of the subjects of the papers ... [dealt] with problems that faced the Canadian fishing industry and thereby justified the enterprise.

Subsequently, the Biological Board of Canada decided that a permanent biological station was needed on the Atlantic coast. St. Andrews was the chosen site primarily because of the diverse biological and physical environment in Passamaquoddy Bay and the Bay of Fundy and its proximity to important commercial fisheries for herring, groundfish and invertebrate species. The St. Andrews Biological Station (originally called the Atlantic Biological Station) began operations in 1908 on a 1.4 hectare site at Brandy Cove, near the mouth of the St. Croix River. The original facilities included a main laboratory,a residence building and a small wharf. In the early years, the Station was open only during the summer field season, generally from May to September. It was not until 1928 that the Station was operated year-round.

In 1932, the laboratory and its valuable library collections were lost to a fire. As this occurred in the heart of the Depression years, funds for rebuilding were scarce. The Director at the time, Dr. A.G. Huntsman, transferred funds from the Station's scientific operating budgets, including salaries, and the new laboratory was built almost immediately.

Biological Station scientists have gained national and international recognition for their pioneering research and industry participation. Early studies focused on the identification of flora and fauna in the Bay, oceanography and on the commercially important species such as lobsters, oysters, clams, scallops, herring, trout, salmon, and groundfish. Station scientists gained considerable expertise in each of these fields and in some instances pioneered conservation practices and fishing regulations. For example, as early as 1918, Station researchers conducted an educational campaign to the lobster industry on conserving egg-bearing lobsters, which led to amendments to the lobster fishing regulations. In 1945, scientists began collecting logbooks from groundfish commercial fishermen, a practice which continues today to aid researchers in their stock assessments. More recently, Station researchers were key players in the implementation of an innovative fisheries management model for the Atlantic herring industry. This multiple-gear fishery was one of the first fisheries managed under limited entry and operated under Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limits. In the early 1970's, Station scientists began experiments on overwintering Atlantic salmon smolts in the Bay of Fundy waters to determine if salmon sea cage culture would be viable. After much perseverance, that study paved the way for an industry now worth $100 million annually.

In the early 2000’s, Atlantic halibut research was highly successful - from the production of the first halibut in North America to subsequent technology transfer to industry. Research continued on genetic markers and production methods to improve broodstock including the production of all female offspring which grow larger and faster, thus providing a more profitable product.

SABS Atlantic cod culture research refined methods for egg collection, feed production and tank design. In 2004, the first Atlantic cod broodstock families in North America were produced. This led to a significant role in the Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Program that developed elite broodstock through the application of selective breeding and genetic mapping.

Biological Station scientists have also been instrumental in developing high technology tools to track fish species such as Atlantic salmon, Atlantic Bluefin tuna and Atlantic swordfish to document their migration patterns in the Atlantic Ocean and beyond.

In 2012, the Biological Station completed a major renovation and opened two new state-of-the-art facilities - the 4500 square metre science building and a 2900 square metre wet laboratory that includes holding tanks, laboratories and a biocontainment facility for research on live aquatic animals.

Other campus features include the CCGS Viola M. Davidson an 18.5 metre specialty research vessel commissioned in 2010 as well as smaller vessels, a wharf and a conference centre. The Station also collaborates with the Huntsman Marine Science Centre to operate the Atlantic Reference Centre, a research collection housing over 8000 marine species from Atlantic Canada.

The SABS facilities cover 9.3 hectares at Brandy Cove including offices, wet and dry labs, a workshop, a chemical storage building, a conference centre, computer facilities, a library and a wharf.

The SABS facilities cover 9.3 hectares at Brandy Cove including offices, wet and dry labs, a workshop, a chemical storage building, a conference centre, computer facilities, a library and a wharf.

Located on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay, SABS has state-of-the-art water processing facilities to equip both our freshwater and saltwater laboratories, and more than 2900 square metres of wet lab space. The wharf is accessible year-round from which the CCGS Viola M. Davidson allows scientists to conduct daily research investigations. Four smaller research vessels and numerous zodiacs are also on site.

There are numerous office, laboratory and conference facilities throughout the Station campus. The primary facilities are:

1. Dr. David Pearce Penhallow Building:

Opened in 2012, this 4500 square metre science building for Station staff provides office space, 37 analytical laboratories with state of the art equipment and fume hoods, specimen retention facilities, and a computer centre. As well, there are numerous meeting areas equipped with Smartboards and videoconference capabilities.

2. Dr. Alfreda P. Berkeley Needler Laboratory

Opened in 2012, the 2,900 square metre, secure wet lab facility allows for research to be conducted on live marine animals in support of fisheries, aquaculture, biodiversity and climate change. Unique features include:

• Eighteen individually enclosed photoperiod labs where users can manipulate photoperiod (light regimes), water, and air temperature to create customized conditions for specific research projects.

• A large hatchery with approximately 76 hatching tanks and 44 larval tanks. The capability to chill the air in this room makes it better suited to maintain constant temperature in the tanks and support the low flows of water involved in raising early life history stages of fish. Three spacious labs for growing live feeds (organisms that are fed to marine fish larvae) are conveniently located on the second level.

• A flume laboratory with specialized equipment that allows researchers to look at the behaviour of marine animals in a controlled environment.

• A quarantine or biocontainment laboratory for disease-related research in farmed fish. It is the only lab on the East Coast of Canada with reliable flow-through technology, and with access to high quality seawater and freshwater available in various temperature regimes.

The Residence at St. Andrews Biological Station in St. Andrews, New Brunswick (also known as the Esther Lord Building) is a Classified Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, along with its architectural and environmental values.

The Residence was constructed in 1908, the inaugural operational year for the St. Andrews Biological Station. It was originally built to house the scientists working at the secluded station, along with offering them a library with a reading/sitting room and personal study spaces in each bedroom. It also contained a dining room. The original architect is unknown. The Residence is a good example of the Shingle style, a style developed around 1880 and was popular into the early decades of the 20th century.

 

© Fisheries and Oceans, 1998

The three-and-one-half storey Residence served as the summer quarters for the staff and visiting distinguished scientists. Much of the scientists' work was done in the Residence's library and reading/sitting room, stimulating personal alliances and new ideas. As a result, the Residence is closely linked to the early work of Canada's fisheries research.

Many pioneering and distinguished scientists resided here, among them: Dr. J.J.R. MacLeod, who with Frederick Banting won the Nobel prize for the treatment of diabetes with insulin; Dr. V.A. Huard, who was widely published and was editor of le Naturaliste canadien; Dr. Archibald Knight, credited with inducing the government to establish the St. Andrews and Nanaimo Biological Stations; Dr. Archibald Macallum, who became the first chairman of the National Research Council, and later was the head of the Biochemistry Department at McGill University.

In 1923, a major addition was designed by Charles Bruce, Chief Engineer of the Department of Fisheries. By 1944, the Residence was converted to work space. The building was used as work and meeting space by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans until 2018 when a structural assessment determined that it was unsafe for occupancy. Since then, it has remained vacant and put out of service. See FHBRO Building Report 97-103.

With its wide cross-gambrel roof and three-and-one-half storey form, the Residence has a striking presence with a human scale achieved through texture and detailing. The sensitive 1923 addition greatly enlarged the functional space, and the commodious two storey verandah added a gathering place for social and academic functions. Rustic features elaborate the building's simple L-shaped massing. The arrangement/grouping of windows on the 1923 addition contrasts with, yet complements the conservative arrangement of windows on the visible original front facade of what is now a slightly recessed rear wing.

The two-storey 1923 verandah, no longer existing, was an important feature that enhanced the building's connection to the ground, eased the transition between interior and exterior spaces, and softened the link between the informal 1923 and formal 1908 front facades.

The Residence's wood framing and sheathing with cedar cladding complement the natural surroundings of its hillside location. The detail in the first and second floor windows, the arrangements of the window and door openings, the natural colour and texture of the materials contribute to the residential character of the building.

The interior spaces of the Residence have retained some of their original components such as wooden ceilings with boxed beams and paneling between, several paneled doors, the original fireplaces in the sitting room and the dining room, and the windows with their hardware.

The environmental importance of the building is due to its natural setting within the campus of the station, its location near the operative area of the station, and its significance as the oldest surviving building. The Residence sits at the base of the well-treed hillside, with views to Passamaquoddy Bay and of the operations of the laboratory and fish-holding facility.

Virtual walkthrough

Take a look inside and around the Esther Lord Building. This virtual tour was created as a method of preserving the building and its history, as it is no longer accessible due to safety concerns.

The Atlantic Reference Centre is a joint project between Department of Fisheries and Oceans, St. Andrews Biological Station and the Huntsman Marine Science Centre (HMSC).  The current collection is an amalgamation of material from both DFO and HMSC.  The two organizations have worked closely together since 1973 to foster what is the only such collection in Atlantic Canada.  The facility is located at the St. Andrews Biological Station.

Octopus

Shark

Atlantic Reference Centre

For General Inquiries:

You can contact us at the following address:

125 Marine Science Drive
St. Andrews
New Brunswick, Canada
E5B OE4
Tel: (506) 529-8854
Fax: (506) 529-5862
E-Mail: XMARSABS@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

To Visit SABS:

The St. Andrews Biological Station is located in the town of St. Andrews, in southwestern New Brunswick. Please click St. Andrews on the map below to link to a "Google Map" of the town of St. Andrews.

We are unable to provide public tours, but please visit our display at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre.