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~ FUNDY
TIDINGS ~
July 2016 ~ Summer Issue | |
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HEADLINES:
B. Partners and other organizations: C. Fundy/GOM and other News: | |
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1. 11th BoFEP Science Workshop a Great Success The challenges for science, policy and society in the Bay of Fundy were amply laid out by the speakers at the thirteen sessions at the BoFEP Science workshop held in Fredericton in June. From new technologies for monitoring to how bitumen moves in the Bay of Fundy, the niche of Stripped Bass in the Fundy ecosystem, tidal power, new governance mechanisms for marine resources and more, speakers presented new research to help us manage an ecosystem in flux. The sessions began at the side of the Saint John River with a welcoming and drumming ceremony conducted by Elders of the Saint Mary’s First Nation. The Elders and others shared their experiences with the River either through legend, spoken memory or personal stories. Workshop keynote speakers included Dr. Katherine Mills, Associate Research Scientist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and Brent Suttie the New Brunswick Provincial Archaeologist. Mills cautioned that management regimes need built in capacity for flexibility as we see ecosystem changes brought on by water temperature shifts, citing the example of earlier lobster movement in central New England as water temperature increases sooner in the spring. Suttie told us that our former view of the age of settlements in the Bay of Fundy region is off by several thousand years, as 13,000 year old artifacts have been found in the Pennfield, NB area, challenging some of our concepts of the ice age in the region. Suttie said it is now believed that SWNB was the first area in the region that deglaciated and where vegetation and habitation occurred. The two day workshop closed with talks by anthropologists working on and with governance structures for marine management and a general discussion on the restriction to implementing effective co- management approaches and ways to move forward with co-management. The session also highlighted the need for closer work between the social scientists and the biological scientists. The field trip after the Workshop, allowed participants an opportunity to experience the flora and fauna of the Oromocto River with very knowledgeable guides, provided by the Province of New Brunswick. The workshop provided valuable information for BoFEP to use in future project development, in work planning and in developing the agenda for the next BoFEP Workshop scheduled for 2018. A book of abstracts of the presentations made at the workshop is available online. The Workshop Proceedings is currently in preparation and will be posted on the BoFEP website as soon as it is ready.
2. BoFEP Project - A Framework for Regional Ocean Health Index The Ocean Health Index (OHI) score for the area stretching between the U.S. border and the Musquash Estuary shows that the area is comparable to the score for the rest of Canada’ coastal and marine areas. The preliminary results of the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership OHI study show an overall score of 65, compared to Canada’s most recent score of 71.
BoFEP is the first community organization to undertake this kind of localized OHI work, according to Scott Kidd, the primary researcher on the project. The Southwest New Brunswick Bay of Fundy Marine Resources Planning Area (MRPA) scored particularly high in the categories of biodiversity (85) and clean waters (83), however the scores for food provision (30.5) and sense of place (58.5) were admittedly low.
The OHI method of identifying coastal and marine status provides researchers with a means of assessing ten different environmental indicators (called goals) and grading each with a numerical score. Individual goal scores are then added together to produce an overall score for the area. In January 2015, BoFEP received funding from Environment Canada’s Gulf of Maine initiative to pursue five goals: sense of place, food provision, coastal livelihoods and economies, clean waters and biodiversity. More of summary. View the full report online
3. BoFEP Chair Recognized with GOMC Award Among the 2016 Gulf of Maine Council award winners was the Chair of BoFEP Marianne Janowicz. She received the prestigious Susan Snow-Cotter Award for outstanding leadership as a coastal management professiional within the Gulf of Maine. Over the span of several decades, Marianne Janowicz has been an exemplary leader in the Bay of Fundy region on issues affecting the Bay and its watersheds. She was a member of the Gulf of Maine Council’s Working Group representing the New Brunswick government while she worked in its Department of Environment. During that time, she led a regional effort under the Canadian National Program of Action on Land-based Activities, focused on reducing nonpoint pollution from septic systems and other sources around the Bay. While with the provincial government, she was an active member of the Council’s working group, and a keen member of the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP). Eventually she became vice chair of BoFEP, coordinating research and communications efforts for several of its working groups. Marianne has been Chair of BoFEP since 2012, providing guidance to many projects, tirelessly preparing submissions for funding, and chairing various meetings and workshops addressing Fundy is sues. Marianne has shown exceptional leadership and professionalism in all of her work. She has especially excelled at including First Nations people in several initiatives such as Talking Circles, and at finding support for original initiatives such as the Ocean Health Index for the southwest part of the Bay of Fundy. BoFEP applauds Marianne on receiving this well-deserved award and thanks her for her continuing dedicated leadership of BoFEP. Other Maritime awards winners include: Walter Emrich of NB received a Visionary Award for his work as a Fundy Baykeeper; Dr. Diana Hamilton of Mount Allison University (and also a long-time BoFEP supporter) received a Visionary award for her work understanding the ecology of the extensive mudflats in the upper Bay of Fundy; the Aquaculture Association of NS also received a Visionary Award; and Sophia Foley with Nova Scotia Environment received a Distinguished Service award. List of 2016 Award Winners and their Biographies.
4. BoFEP 2014 Workshop Proceedings Now Online The Proceedings of the 10th BoFEP Fundy Science Workshop (PDF format)is now available online. The workshop was held in conjunction with the Coastal Zone Canada 2014 Conference “Our Coasts: Legacies & Futures” from June 15-19, 2014 at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax , Nova Scotia. The theme of the BoFEP workshop was: “Sustaining the Bay of Fundy: Linking Science, Communication, Policy and Community Action”.
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B. Partners and other
organizations: 1. All Quiet in Fundy? CBC News reports that a first-of-its-kind study analyzing the underwater noise levels in the Outer Bay of Fundy has found that although some areas are a little noisy, overall, there is limited noise pollution in the area. The study was carried out by Eastern Charlotte Waterways Inc. to better understand the potential ecosystem impacts of increased shipping traffic within the Bay.
2. Gannets Invited to Return to Their Rock CBC News reports that "Conservation group hopes to bring namesake seabird back to Gannet Rock: Barren island a critical stop for migrating birds along the Atlantic coast". The Nova Scotia Nature Trust is hoping to bring the northern gannet back to a small Bay of Fundy island named for the seabird. The conservation organization says it has added Gannet Rock to its network of bird habitats it protects. Gannet Rock is a remote island off the southern tip of Nova Scotia, roughly 20 kilometres south of Yarmouth.
3. Federal Government Investing in Marine Research After a decade of steady erosion in Canada's ocean research capability it comes as welcome news that the newly elected federal government will invest $197.1 million over the next 5 years. "DFO backgrounder on the new initiative" This will include the hiring of 135 new marine scientists, biologists and technicians. The Atlantic Salmon Federation is happy that some of the funding will go towards the ocean tracking of Atlantic Salmon see: "New Research and Innovation Offers Hope"
4. Book on Science Information and policy Making The Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) Research team announced that Science, Information, and Policy Interface for Effective Coastal and Ocean Management was published by CRC Press on 16 May 2016. This volume, edited by Bertrum H. MacDonald, Suzuette S. Soomai, Elizabeth M. De Santo, and Peter G. Wells, brings together an international team of over thirty authors to examine the role scientific information plays in policy- and decision-making for the management of the world’s coasts and oceans. More + Table of Contents.
5. Mactaquac Dam and Restoring the St. John River As the Province of New Brunswick considers the future of the Mactaquac Dam, the President of the NB Salmon Federation comments on the arguments for and against restoring the free flow of the St. John River. More. Also see: "The Case for Renewing the St. John River - part 2" .
6. Assessing Flood Risk in Truro Area The Spring 2016 Issue of the Coastal Zone Canada Association Newsletter "The Zone” includes an article entitled "The Truro Flood Risk Study - Managing Flood Risks in the Bay of Fundy" (scroll down to page 11) The Truro Flood Risk Study goal was to review past recommendations for flood mitigation, identify potential opportunities, as well as evaluate cost effectiveness of options, for their potential to protect the most vulnerable areas. An evaluation of the effectiveness of current spending will support channelling funds where they are most needed. Understanding the complex mechanics of flooding in the area is a central focus of this assessment, by using more extensive and higher resolution data than previously available.
7. Report on Climate Changes Impacts on Canadian Coasts The Government of Canada has released the report “Canada’s Marine Coasts in a Changing Climate” that assesses climate change sensitivity, risks and adaptation along Canada's marine coasts. This report divides Canada’s marine coasts into three large regions: East Coast, North Coast and West Coast. The impacts of climate change on Canada’s coasts, which extend far beyond changes in sea level, present both challenges and potential opportunities for coastal communities, ecosystems and economic activities.
8. Students Track Fundy Currents Students at Fundy High School in St. George, NB are getting some hands on experience in aquatic science that will result in an increased understanding of ocean currents in the Bay of Fundy. Through support from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries (NB DAAF) and the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association, Fundy students have built 100 oceanographic data collectors, or drogues. The project was included as part of the industrial arts class where students used various tools and skills to build these drogues. Once the drogues are released, the students will also have the opportunity to track their progress via a software program. More
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Fundy/GOM and
other News:
1. Tsunami of Tidal Power Short Clips The onset of summer was a accompanied by a great surge in news reports pertaining to tidal power developments in the Bay of Fundy. It is obvious that the debate over the controversial project is not abating. Clearly, the various corporate proponents as well as the provincial government and the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) are enthusiastic about deploying the turbine prototypes as soon as possible. However, the gung-ho progress was stalled recently after fishermen's groups raised concerns about impacts on fish stocks (as well as lack of meaningful consultation on the issues), and some scientists expressed worries about the quality and quantity of the baseline data from which to monitor any environmental impacts (as well as about the adequacy of the monitoring plans themselves). Other concerns coming to the fore included potential impacts on great white sharks that visit the Bay and the possible fish killing capacity of some turbine designs. A small sampling of the ongoing tidal wave of commentaries and reports:
2. Tidal Power Monitoring Program Inadequate - DFO Report The Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has released a report entitled: "Review of Environmental Effects Monitoring Program for the Fundy Tidal Energy Project” The report identifies many shortcomings in the monitoring program and concludes that "Baseline monitoring outlined in the FORCE baseline report(2011-2013) is considered insufficient to provide a thorough baseline understanding of the marine environment of the Minas Passage, as well as the FORCE demonstration site".
3. Atlantic Salmon Genome Complexity The Atlantic salmon genome is 2.97 gigabases in size, contains 37,000 genes and is similar in size to the human genome. This complexity is partly due to a total duplication of the chromosomes some 80 Million years ago. This is one of the findings of a new paper published recently in Nature "The Atlantic salmon genome provides insights into rediploidization".
4. Threat of Aquaculture to Wild Salmon In a hard-hitting article entitled "The Death of Atlantic Salmon, Courtesy of Norway" Ted Williams, famed angler and conservation author, warns of the harm salmon farms have inflicted on wild salmon stocks in Europe and locally. He argues that "Saltwater salmon farming is a global disaster. Nothing poses a graver threat to Salmo salar—not global warming, not habitat destruction, not even grossly unsustainable inshore and offshore netting by Norway, Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Greenland and Russia." He concludes that the aquaculture experience in Norway clearly demonstrates that "Atlantic-salmon aquaculture in Norway is a catastrophe spreading around the globe like infectious salmon anemia."
5. Canada OK's GM Salmon…… NS says NO! Atlantic salmon becomes the first genetically modified food animal approved by the federal government for sale in Canada….. "GM Salmon Approved for Sale as Food in Canada" . The fish grow twice as fast as conventionally farmed Atlantic salmon because of the addition of genes from a Chinook salmon and an eel-like fish known as an ocean pout. This move was made without any consultation with the Canadian public, totally ignored concerns about the impact of engineered salmon escapees on wild salmon stocks and hides the GMO origin from consumers. Fortunately, the Nova Scotia government has said effectively "not in our waters!"……. "Nova Scotia says no to genetically modified fish".
6. Improving NB Fish Farms? Article in Halifax Chronicle Herald "Entrevestor: Making Fish Farms Better, Healthier" describes work of New Brunswick scientist Dr. Amber who is working to make farmed salmon and farming processes healthier, more sustainable and more profitable. Many feel that the only way to make the farms environmentally sustainable is to take them out of the ocean.
7. "Rock Snot" Didymo and Salmon Funding for Mt. A Researchers Article in Sackville Tribune-Post "Research on ‘rock snot’ algae's impact on salmon receives funding: Mount Allison professor receives research funding to study environmental change in Canadian lakes and rivers". Geography and environment professor Joshua Kurek has been awarded over $78,000 from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund. Kurek and his research team will be studying lakes and rivers in Maritime Canada this summer. They will be looking specifically at potential impacts of recent environmental changes, including the freshwater algae Didymo (commonly known as ‘rock snot’) on juvenile salmon habitat and diet.
8. Study - Dam Removal Enhances Interconnectivity of Rivers An article entitled "Study finds removal of dams in New England can help reconnect river networks" describes the benefits of removing dams blocking rivers in the Gulf of Maine Watersheds. Dam removal in New England is not only an important aspect of river restoration but it also provides an opportunity to enhance the magnitude and rate of river re-connection, and improve watershed resilience in response to human impact on the environment. More.
9. Opposition to Energy East Pipeline Building Steam The project to transport Alberta's tar sands bitumen via pipeline to Saint John, NB for export in tankers traversing the Bay of Fundy is facing rising opposition in the Maritimes and indeed across Canada. Two new websites are providing leadership and information on the potential detrimental effects of this massive pipeline on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems across the country and particularly to the marine habitats of the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine. Save Fundy is a new initiative to raise awareness and inspire action to protect the Bay of Fundy from the serious environmental and economic harm the Energy East pipeline and tanker proposal would cause. Save Fundy is a joint project by Environmental Defence Canada, Ecology Action Centre, and the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. Environmental Defence has also added a new section to its website called Stopping Energy East which focuses more broadly on the environmental and other threats of the pipeline right across Canada. Both websites offer a wealth of information on the subject as well as the opportunity to sign petitions calling for a halt to the risky project. Other informative items for review include:
NEB Portal on TransCanada’s Energy East Application and
Review Process The recent pipeline leak in Saskatchewan is only adding to concern about the reliability of pipelines and the trustworthiness of assurances of safety by pipeline companies.
10. No Social License for Energy East Pipeline In an article entitled "If New Pipeline Review Is Credible it Will Show There's No Social License For Energy East and the Pipeline Can't and Won't Be Built", Greenpeace Canada argues that "Opposition to Energy East is overwhelming and steadily building because people across Canada understand the tangible risks of a massive oil pipeline to their drinking water and climate" . Full article. See also Financial Post article " National Energy Board launches review of Energy East pipeline that will be ’unlike any other in the NEB’s history'".
11. Fundy a Trove of Dinosaur Fossils A number of recent articles attest to the international importance of Fundy's crumbling sandstone shoreline to our understanding of the evolution and ecology of dinosaurs. See:
12. Student Found Unique Fossil at Blue Beach CBC NEWS featured a story entitled "Blue Beach fossil first of specific horseshoe crab One of a kind find has captured the interest of scientists from around the world". A horseshoe crab fossil discovered along the Bay of Fundy shoreline by a Grade 4 student eight years ago turns out to be the first of a specific species of horseshoe crab ever found in the world. Researchers in New Mexico who authenticated the nickle-sized specimen say it's about 350 to 360 million years old. An abstract of the scientific paper published about the find entitled "The earliest paleolimulid and its attributed ichnofossils from the Lower Mississippian (Tournaisian) Horton Bluff Formation of Blue Beach, Nova Scotia, Canada" is available online.
13. Oldest Fossil Pine Tree Found Near Windsor Nova Scotia can lay claim to the oldest known pine tree fossils, which date back to the time of the dinosaurs. The fossils, which measure between seven and 20 millimetres and are approximately 140 million years old, were discovered in a gypsum quarry near Windsor operated by Fundy Gypsum. Paleontologist Howard Falcon-Lang of Royal Holloway University of London discovered the fossils. Full story.
14. Bloodworm Harvesting Effecting Shorebirds? The Hants Journal featured an article entitled "Increased bloodworm harvesting in Annapolis Valley could impact protected shorebirds". The possibility of increasing the level of harvesting in the Bay of Fundy raises concerns about the likely impacts on shorebirds. Some suggest that harvesting should be restricted during times of the year when the birds are present in large numbers.
15. Great White Sharks Increasing in NS Waters? CBC News features an article entitled " Great white sharks may be heading into N.S. waters: scientists say shark numbers have increased in the Atlantic Ocean". But they say they still aren’t sure how many are out there. “It’s probably in the order of thousands,” said Steven Campana, head of the Canadian Shark Research Laboratory at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. Includes 1:38 min video clip. However, it appears that effects on sharks have been virtually ignored in studies on the impacts of tidal turbines on marine life in the Bay of Fundy.
16. Marsh Restoration and Twinning NS Highways The Halifax Chronicle Herald reports that "The Nova Scotia government is about to start a handful of salt marsh and tidal river restoration projects in July as part of a program to twin eight different stretches of Nova Scotia’s 100-series highways, beginning with Highway 101 through Windsor." See article entitled "Nova Scotia prepares for road building boom - " Marsh, river restorations prelude to twinning of 100-series highways". It includes comments from Tony Bowron, Director of C.B. Wetlands Environmental Specialists (CBWES Inc.)
17. Right Whale poop Good for Fundy! CBC News reports that researchers have found that Right Whale excrement makes an important contribution to nutrient recycling in the Bay of Fundy. See: Right whale poop impacts Bay of Fundy's ecosystem, says researcher". Includes a 6:15 min audio clip.
18. How Many Whales are Killed by Human Activities? The Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) of DFO recently released a Science Advisory Report entitled: "Preliminary Estimates of Human-Induced Injury to and Mortality of Cetaceans in Atlantic Canada" (7pages PDF). Among its conclusions "Abundance estimates for most cetacean species in Atlantic Canada are unknown, so the potential threat from fishing interactions cannot be assessed. An exception is the North Atlantic Right Whale, a species that migrates seasonally between U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions. Both DFO and NMFS have programs to monitor entanglements by this species in fishing gear."
19. Alton Gas Project Proceeding An article in the Halifax Chronicle Herald entitled "Alton Natural Gas Storage moving ahead with construction near Stewiacke" reports that the company is going ahead with its plans to flush salt from massive underground caverns into the Shubenacadie River. This despite protests from the Sipekne’katik First Nation and environmental groups. Alton Natural Gas Storage, a subsidiary of Calgary-based AltaGas Ltd., has received provincial government approval to store natural gas in three 1,000-metre- deep underground salt caverns in Alton, near Stewiacke, and then distribute it from there via pipelines to customers around the province. The province approved this project despite evidence of many major problems with such salt caverns, such as the Bayou Corne disaster in Louisiana.
20. Astronauts Snap Photo of Bay of Fundy A crew member aboard the International Space Station snapped an image of the upper Bay of Fundy during a pass over the region in May 2016. A 4MB higher resolution copy of the image can also be downloaded from the site.
21. Happy Birthday Musquash Estuary MPA In July of this year Musquash Estuary celebrated its 10th anniversary as a Marine Protected Area. CBC News noted the event with an article entitled: "Musquash Estuary celebrates 10 years as protected area - Musquash is the 'only fully intact, fully functioning' estuary in the Bay of Fundy". It is long overdue for DFO to start thinking about other Marine Protected Areas in the Bay of Fundy, particularly ecologically sensitive areas flanking the mouth of the Bay.
22. Harvesting Fundy Scallops by Hand? A CBC News article entitled "Nova Scotia scallop fishery to experiment with hand-picked shellfish" reports that DFO has recently approved permits for commercial divers to hand pick scallops from the floor of Fundy along Digby Neck. Apparently diners are willing to pay a premium for the gently handled shellfish, which up until now mainly came from Mexico. An Ecology Action Centre spokesman notes that the harvest is "relatively environmentally benign".
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