Environmental Science in support of the Oceans Act
The waters within the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine provide an abundance of life and diversity from the smallest living organisms to large marine mammals. Station researchers conduct many collaborative projects to identify the ecology and the classification of marine species and their habitats within these waters to report on their current state and to develop indices of historical change. These research projects support DFOs conservation mandates within the Oceans Act and the new ecosystem-based fisheries management approaches.
Monitoring the variety of environments and life found within our local marine areas helps us to understand the important connections between the organisms and their habitat. Research efforts in collaboration with the Atlantic Reference Centre, local universities, and United States scientists includes: interactions between marine activities (e.g. fishing, aquaculture, marine transport) and habitat; benthic classification and mapping of the seafloor and of species distribution; environmental factors (e.g. salinity, temperature) related to biodiversity; improved methods of species and habitat identification; assessment of biologically and ecologically significant areas; and science for management of the Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area. The expertise and findings of this research can be extended to similar research goals throughout Canada.
Science for management of the Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area
In March 2007, the Musquash Estuary was officially designated as a Marine Protected Area. However, Station scientists have been studying the ecology, habitat and biodiversity of the Estuary since 1998. Over the years, through collaborations with non-government organizations (NGOs) and academics, scientific work in Musquash has included biological and hydrographic surveys, mapping the distribution of different habitats, and identifying appropriate conservation objectives. An important collaborative project with the University of New Brunswick Ocean Mapping Group and the Canadian Hydrographic Services resulted in the mapping of the seafloor and the definition of boundaries for the MPA.
The overarching conservation objectives for Musquash are based on those identified nationally for all marine areas: conservation of biodiversity, productivity and habitat. For Musquash, the approach was to look at the currently permitted human activities within the MPA and to develop monitoring requirements and a management plan that would prevent any possible impacts of those activities on this fragile ecosystem.
Identification of biologically and ecologically significant areas
Marine conservation has traditionally focused on individual species or populations. More recently, conservation of habitat, species communities, and hotspots of biodiversity, are also seen as objectives in managing marine areas. Work by scientists at the Biological Station facilitates the identification of significant areas so that managers may plan for their conservation and protection and help meet Canada’s national and international obligations towards biodiversity conservation. Recognizing areas as Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA) Identification of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas provides an important planning tool for managers in their management of current and proposed activities in those areas.
Factors and processes related to biodiversity
What makes one area more diverse in the number and types of species and habitat than others depends on a number of factors. In a collaborative project with universities and NGOs, station scientists are using long-term monitoring data, biological and seafloor surveys, and statistics to explore the relationship between oceanographic conditions, habitat type and species diversity to develop a set of indicators of the near-shore area
For example, higher biodiversity is found in the Head Harbour area between Deer Island and Campobello Island, an area with the narrowest ranges of salinity and temperature and highest seabed complexity. Further research is planned to look into the relationship of fish and invertebrate larval dispersal and food availability in this area.
Results so far have increased our understanding of the biological diversity found on the seafloor and provided a scientific justification for identifying priority areas for conservation. The present geographic focus is Southwest New Brunswick with plans for future collaborations to include other areas in the Gulf of Maine.