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For up-to-date information about BoFEP meetings and other events visit: www.bofep.org/calendar.htm BoFEP Secretariat BoFEP Communications |
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~ FUNDY
TIDINGS ~
June 2010 ~ Summer Issue | |
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HEADLINES:
1. BoFEP Pollution Workshop Report 2. BoFEP Ambassadors Project 3. BoFEP Funding from Environment Canada 4. Corophium and Mudflat Ecology Working Group Meeting 5. BoFEP to Present Conservation Workshop at CZC2010
1. Fishermen and Scientists Research Society Newsletter 2. Report on Possible Effects of Tidal Power on Sedimentation in Minas Basin 3. Coastal Zone Canada 2010 July 25-29 - Conference Program 4. Proceedings of Conference on Marine Protected Areas Available 5. Vote Now for the Bay of Fundy as One of 7 Natural Wonders of the World! 6. State of the Gulf of Maine Report Available Online 7. New Fundy Whale Car Needs a Name 8. Discovery Centre Newsletter Available C. Fundy and Gulf of Maine News: 1. News Article on Multibeam Surveys of Fundy 2. Beluga Whale Spotted in Bay of Fundy 3. Tidal Power Shorts 4. Restoring the Flow of the Petitcodiac River 5. Tool for Viewing Maps and Aerial Photos of NB - New Flooding Feature 6. Georges Bank Drilling Moratorium Extended 7. Pesticides in Bay of Fundy - a Growing Concern D. Administrivia - [Subscribing - unsubscribing - submitting] | |
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A. BoFEP News: 1. BoFEP Pollution Workshop Report A one day workshop on "Threats to the Health of the Bay of Fundy" was held April 30th, 2010 in St. Andrews NB. It was organized by Dr. Michael Burt of UNB Fredericton and Chair of the Stress and Cumulative Effects Working Group, and was supported by BoFEP, DFO, NSERC and NBFA. Participants included about 40-50 persons representing the fishing community, community organizations, local labs and the Marine Biological Station. The following seven papers were presented:
A lively panel discussion followed and covered many questions about pesticide pollution in the lower bay and the effects on lobsters/risks to lobsters of the illegally used formulation of cypermethrin, used against sea lice. A Proceedings is in preparation and will be published by BoFEP in its technical reports series.
The Working Group is considering organizing a second workshop on the same theme in Fall 2010, as there is a lot of interest by the local fisherman on water quality and the effects of runoff of land-based pollutants, as well as continuing concerns about the chemicals associated with salmon aquaculture. (Submitted by Peter Wells on behalf of Mick Burt)
2. BoFEP Ambassadors Project Earlier this year the BoFEP Outreach Working Group launched a new BoFEP Ambassadors Project. The intent of the project is to increase the profile of BoFEP in the Fundy region and to build partnerships with businesses, industry and organizations. The "BOFEP DIRECTORY OF BUSINESS AND ACTIVITIES IN THE FUNDY REGION" will be the tool used to identify the specific organizational entities to be approached. Up to four ambassadors in different regions around the bay will be recruited to make personal contact with these selected organizations and encourage them to become members of BoFEP, provide support to specific working groups, or become a participant in BoFEP as a volunteer (in-kind contributions) or member of a Working Group. A project coordinator is developing a package of information to be used by the ambassadors, and will oversee their activities and prepare a final report describing the outcome of the project. The detailed terms of reference for the project coordinator and the ambassadors is available on the BoFEP Website.
3. BoFEP Funding from Environment Canada
4. Corophium and Mudflat Ecology Working Group Meeting A meeting of the Corophium Working Group was held jointly with researchers working on an NSERC Strategic project : “Modeling the environmental interactions involving a key species in the Bay of Fundy ecosystem in relation to local and global change scenarios” at Mount Allison University on May 20, 2010. Approximately 35 people attended, including everyone involved in the research project, as well as representatives from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, NB Department of Natural Resources, interested BoFEP members, and other academics and researchers with expertise in some aspects of this system. The meeting was chaired by Myriam Barbeau, UNB. The majority of the meeting consisted of a series of presentations on work being conducted in association with this project. Topics included broad-scale sampling of Corophium, interactions between Corophium and sediment properties, winter ecology of Corophium, interactions between mud snails and Corophium, effects of parasites of Corophium and snails on the system, modeling Corophium-snail-diatom interactions, interactions between shorebirds and the mudflat community, factors affecting vertical distribution of Corophium within the sediment, population genetics of Corophium, and population modeling. At the end of the formal presentations, Peter Wells led a brief discussion of the planned Corophium monograph. There is strong interest in completing this work, but it was decided that the Strategic project, which is likely to uncover considerable new information, should be completed first. Diana Hamilton also presented the Corophium Bibliography, which is a compilation of published work on Corophium. It is currently in the final stages of being updated and will be posted on the BoFEP website as soon as possible. Finally, there was a broad-ranging discussion about the current research program and the type of information that it can provide to partners in the project. For those interested, all presentations from the meeting are posted at the following link: http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/science/biology/Faculty/mudflatecology.html (Submitted by Diana Hamilton)
5. BoFEP to Present Conservation Workshop at CZC2010 BoFEP's Outreach Working Group will be organizing a workshop on conservation and talking circles at the upcoming Coastal Zone Canada 2010 Conference in Charlottetown, PEI. The workshop taking place from 1330 - 1500 hrs, Tuesday, 27 July 2010 is entitled: "Linking Cultures To Protect Mother Earth: Governance For Conservation". The Convenor will be Marianne Janowicz, Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP). The Workshop will explore the evolution of the Western concepts of Conservation. It will also explore the foundations of Aboriginal culture (traditional governance structures and oral traditions), seeking ways of reforging the relationship among cultures to protect Mother Earth. Presenters will include:
Further details about the CZC2010 Conference can be found below in item B3. | |
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B. Fundy Partner News: 1. Fishermen and Scientists Research Society Newsletter The most recent issue of Hook, Line and Thinker is now available. Articles include: Local Ecological Knowledge, the Sambro Harbour Artificial Reef Project, Monitoring the Impact of the Petitcodiac River Causeway Gates Opening on the Commercial Lobster Fishery, reports on various issues from a recent conference and other interesting information. Visit http://www.fsrs.ns.ca/ for information abut the Society and back issues of the newsletter.
2. Report on Possible Effects of Tidal Power on Sedimentation in Minas Basin Shawn Meredyk a student at UNB has prepared a 34 page report entitled :"Sedimentation Changes Due To In-Stream Tidal Power Generating Turbines In The Minas Passage" as a Fall 2009 Term Project for a course EASC 4302 - Adv. Mar. Geol. In it he suggests that "The current three turbine pilot project will not significantly reduce the tidal energy flow (reduction of 0.013%) and therefore only small-scale local sedimentation in the near-field in relation to the turbines is expected. In the future when a commercial-scale turbine array is installed the operators of the power extraction process should not reduce the flow rate by more than 5% as negative system-wide effects are expected with greater tidal power extraction. Sustainable power extraction from the Minas Passage is possible with proper monitoring and continual research into the biological, ecological and oceanographic impacts." The full report in pdf format is available online.
3. Coastal Zone Canada 2010 July 25-29 - Conference Program
4. Proceedings of Conference on Marine Protected Areas Available The 6th International Conference on Science and Management of Protected Areas "Ecosystem Based Management: Beyond Boundaries", organized by The Science & Management of Protected Areas Association (SAMPAA) was held in May 2007 in Wolfville, NS. The Proceedings of the Conference are now available online.
5. Vote now for the Bay of Fundy as one of 7 Natural Wonders of the world! Just a reminder that if you haven't already done so you should register your vote for the Bay of Fundy. The Bay of Fundy has won the prestigious nomination to represent Canada in the final stage of the global Official New7Wonders of Nature contest. Starting in 2007, the Bay of Fundy was one of 440 participants representing over 220 countries worldwide and today is proud to be one of the 28 Official Finalists worldwide. The final 7, chosen by popular vote, will be declared in 2011. A colourful fact sheet produced by Bay of Fundy Tourism provides details about the contest and describes why the Bay should clearly be a frontrunner in this contest. Apparently, votes for the Bay have been slow coming in in recent weeks, so it is time to pick up the pace and keep us in contention. Vote now while it is still fresh in your mind.
6. State of the Gulf of Maine Report Available Online The State of the Gulf of Maine Report is a modular, living document that consists of several parts, including this context document and a series of theme or issue papers. The Gulf of Maine in Context is intended to provide an introduction to the natural and socio-economic environment of the Gulf of Maine. The aim is to provide the information in a form that is easily accessible and readable, and that immerses the reader in the region. It is complementary to the theme papers, which provide a more in-depth look at important issues within the Gulf, based on the six priority areas recognised by the Council under ESIP. The intention is that the theme papers will be developed incrementally and can be regularly updated at a time interval appropriate to each issue. Check it out at: http://www.gulfofmaine.org/state-of-the-gulf/
7. New Fundy Whale Car Needs a Name On Oceans Day, June 7th, the Bay of Fundy Tourism Partnership BoFTP launched its innovative "Whale Car" to raise awareness of the Bay of Fundy's tides and vibrant habitat for marine mammal habitat. "The transformed VW Beetle is the size of the heart of a blue whale, the biggest mammal on the planet", said Terri McCulloch of BoFTP, so "When we developed the concept of the Bay of Fundy Whale Car it just seemed logical that this fuel-efficient vehicle become our roving ambassador." The whale car, painted and modified to represent a small Humpback whale, will be traveling around the Bay of Fundy through 2010. Specifically, the car will be on location at 10 different spots during the filming of Bay of Fundy Travel Show episodes for YouTube. The car's adventures can be tracked online and through social media via its official website.
However, unlike most of the other whales visiting the Bay, the Whale Car doesn't yet have a name! So, Bay of Fundy Tourism is holding a contest to find a suitable name for its Whale Car. The contest is taking place on it's facebook fan page, accessible through the car's official website. All entries submitted will be judged to create a shortlist, from which the public will then vote for the final name . The winner, to be announced by mid- July, will receive a guest appearance of the whale car at the event of his or her choice (in NB or NS) anytime within the next year. So, put on your thinking caps and send in your ideas!
8. Discovery Centre Newsletter Available The June issue of "In With the Tide", the e-newsletter of the Bay of Fundy Discovery Centre Association is now available online. This issue includes articles on: the Gulf of Maine Institute (GOMI) activities, a local girl's experiences on the tall ship Oriole, Can Digby County Become an Energy Giant?, Creature of the Cove - The Horse Mussel, Environmental Warriors Band Together and much more. Congratulations to Association Chair Roger Outhouse and his team for putting together such a colourful and informative little publication and for keeping the dream of creating a Bay of Fundy Discovery Centre alive and moving ahead. Download a copy now (pdf format).
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C. Fundy and Gulf of Maine News: 1. News Article on Multibeam Surveys of Fundy A recent article in the Kings County Register in Nova Scotia features an interview with Marine geophysicist Russell Parrott about the extensive multibeam surveys that have been carried out in the Bay of Fundy over the years. He states that " In four years, with close to 700 ship days on the water, close to 13,000 square kilometres have been covered by the multibeam bathymetry survey, starting around Grand Manaan and working up into the inner bay. The Minas Channel - where tidal power generators are now being tested - is done; the Minas Basin itself is not." The full article is available online.
2. Beluga Whale Spotted in Bay of Fundy In one of her May blog posts Terri McCulloch, with the Bay of Fundy Tourism Partnership, reports the sighting of a beluga whale near St. Martins, New Brunswick.
3. Tidal Power Shorts
4. Restoring the Flow of the Petitcodiac River
5. Tool for Viewing Maps and Aerial Photos of NB - New Flooding Feature GeoNB is a collaborative project led by Service New Brunswick’s Land Information Secretariat, with participation from several provincial and municipal government departments, aimed at promoting and increasing the use of geographic information and maps. The free internet-based application, designed for viewing maps and aerial photos of New Brunswick, has launched a new flood information tool. The application allows users to search for historical data on flooding, capture the data, and print them.
6. Georges Bank Drilling Moratorium Extended The Governments of Nova Scotia and Canada have announced the extension of the moratorium on oil and gas exploration and drilling on Georges Bank to 31 December 2015. They also agreed to gather and develop information on the Georges Bank ecosystem. In the Government of NS Press Release Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks tellingly noted that "there may be important lessons to learn from the Gulf of Mexico drilling disaster".
7. Pesticides in Bay of Fundy a Growing Concern A number of news reports in New Brunswick media indicate that there is growing concern, particularly among fishermen, about the impacts of pesticides in the Bay's coastal waters. An article in the Telegraph Journal is entitled "Measures needed to keep pesticide out of bay, says fishing industry official", while a CBC report is headlined "Fundy lobster deaths blamed on pesticide - Environment Canada investigating after pesticide found in bay". | |
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D. ADMINISTRIVIA Fundy Tidings is circulated Quarterly to all registered members of BoFEP and others who have expressed an interest in BoFEP and its activities. If you know someone who might like to receive Fundy Tidings or if you would like to be removed from the Fundy Tidings mailing list, simply e-mail a request to communications@bofep.org . For more news items about BoFEP, its partners and
the Bay of Fundy periodically check the BoFEP "What's New" page at:
http://www.bofep.org/whatnew.htm. |
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