3rd Bay of Fundy Science Workshop
Understanding Change in the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem
Preface
Acknowledgments
Tribute to David E. Gaskin
Forward
Executive Summary
Sommaire Executif
We are pleased to acknowledge the support and assistance of many individuals and organizations who contributed to the success of the 3rd Bay of Fundy Science Workshop - Understanding Change in the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem.
First, special thanks to Environment Canada, Environmental Conservation Branch for financial support for this volume.
Second, the conference was made possible by contributions from Environment Canada, Mount Allison University, Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership, Fundy Marine Ecosystem Science Project and Canadian Wildlife Service (Atlantic Region).
Third, thanks go those who helped the conference committee, namely Jon Percy (Consultant), Rebecca Rush and Andrew Langille (Student Assistants).
Finally, the greatest acknowledgment must go to the conference participants and presenters who made the workshop enjoyable and informative.
TRIBUTE TO DAVID E. GASKIN P.G. Wells, Environment Canada
Dr. David (Dave) Gaskin passed away in September 1998. Dave was an internationally-known marine zoologist from the University of Guelph with a long interest and expertise in the biology, ecology and ecotoxicology (trace contaminants burdens) of cetaceans of the lower Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine. As such, Dave was known by many of us in the Maritime Provinces. The organizers of the 3rd Bay of Fundy Science Workshop dedicate this volume to his memory and to his outstanding legacy of Canadian marine science and undergraduate and graduate education.
Dave started his career at the National Institute of Oceanography, U.K., in 1961, continued in New Zealand at the Fisheries Research Division (1962-65) and Massey University (1965-68) and moved to Guelph in 1968, where he remained as a Professor in the Department of Zoology. His research interests were very broad - from Lepidopterans (butterflies), on which he was an international authority, to harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and the northern right whale (Eubalaena glacialis), on which he concentrated his studies in the Bay of Fundy. He had 138 primary publications on these groups. He wrote "The Ecology of Whales and Dolphins" (1982), now in its second printing and countless book chapters and reports. He and his students were experts on the harbor porpoise, the north Atlantic right whale and other cetaceans of the north-west Atlantic. Many papers dealt with environmental pollution, dating back to the early 1970's, providing invaluable long-term data for trend analysis of contaminants in mammalian tissues. Dave had many graduate students and an outstanding record of theses and co-authored papers from their work. Over 27 years at Guelph, he taught 14 different undergraduate courses and 4 graduate courses, ranging from introductory biology to biometrics and fisheries biology. He taught Japanese in the Department of Languages. He was an exceptional teacher, with a rigorous, patient and friendly approach to what he preferred to call "training".
On a personal note, I knew Dave (albeit too briefly) through Guelph's Zoology Department, from 1970 to 1976, while studying as a Ph.D. candidate in Guelph and at the Huntsman Marine Laboratory in St Andrews, NB. David served on my thesis committee and always was most helpful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I took his fisheries biology course in which, to my surprise and lasting benefit, I helped with the water pollution lectures. I recall the broad smile, fast wit, acerbic humour and incredible energy radiated by the man, both in the classroom and in the field! After graduating, I sometimes saw Dave in his field boat near Deer and Campobello Islands in the summer months, shouting a friendly hello as he roared past our sailing boat, following porpoise or whales - always a picture of perpetual motion and dedication to his research!
The University of Guelph's Department of Zoology has established the Gaskin Medal in Marine and Freshwater Biology to honour his contribution to both the Department and this field. The Medal will be presented annually at the June Convocation Ceremony to the student with the highest cumulative average in Guelph's Marine and Freshwater Biology major. David was aware of the establishment of this Medal and was very honoured to be recognized in this way.
FORWARD Jeff Ollerhead, Mount Allison University
The 3rd Bay of Fundy Science Workshop was held in Sackville, New Brunswick on April 22-24, 1999. It followed successful meetings held in Wolfville, Nova Scotia (January 29-February 1, 1996) and St. Andrews, New Brunswick (November 14-15, 1997). The meeting was an activity of the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership which is dedicated to:
The ecological integrity, vitality,
diversity and productivity of the Bay of Fundy ecosystem.
The effective communication and
co-operation among groups and individuals interested in understanding sustainability using
and conserving the resources, habitats and ecological processes of the Bay of Fundy.
The goal of the first workshop was to seek a consensus on further marine ecosystem research needed on the Bay's natural resources, to identify coastal management and conservation requirements for the Bay, and to map out a plan for timely, multi-partner, interdisciplinary research and coastal management initiatives. The proceedings of this workshop were published in Percy et al. (1997).
The goal of the second workshop was to consider the role of coastal monitoring and subsequent assessment in understanding the ecological processes and biota of coastal environments and the changes occurring in them. The proceedings of this Workshop were published in Burt and Wells (1998).
The goal of the third workshop was to consider a multitude of facets related to understanding change in the Bay of Fundy ecosystem. The central questions of the workshop were: how can we recognize change, what tools are needed to monitor change, and most importantly, how should we respond to change? These proceedings are the third in the series and additional copies may be obtained from:
Peter Wells
Environmental Conservation Branch
Environment Canada - Atlantic Region
P.O. Box 6227, Sackville, NB
E4L 1G6
The next Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership meeting will be held in conjunction with the Coastal Zone Canada 2000 meeting which is scheduled to take place in St. John, New Brunswick on September 17-22, 2000. Further information about the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership may be obtained from:
Graham Daborn (BoFEP Chair)
Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research
Acadia University
Wolfville, NS
B0P 1X0
(902) 542-2201 (Voice)
(902) 585-1054 (FAX)
fundy@acadiau.ca
Further information about Coastal Zone Canada 2000 may be obtained from:
Coastal Zone Canada 2000 Secretariat
New Brunswick Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
P.O. Box 6000
Fredericton, NB
E3B 5H1
(506) 453-2253 (Voice)
(506) 453-5210 (FAX)
References
Burt, M.D.B. and P.G. Wells (Eds.). 1998. Coastal Monitoring and the Bay of Fundy. Proceedings of the Maritime Atlantic Ecozone Science Workshop, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, November 11-15, 1997. Huntsman Marine Science Centre, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, 196 pp.
Percy, J.A., P.G. Wells and A.J. Evans (Eds.). 1997. Bay of Fundy Issues: A Scientific Overview. Workshop Proceedings, Wolfville, N.S., January 29 to February 1, 1996. Environment Canada – Atlantic Region Occasional Report No. 8, Environment Canada, Sackville, New Brunswick, 191 pp.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Jeff Ollerhead, Mount Allison University
The third Bay of Fundy Science Workshop was held in Sackville, New Brunswick on April 22-24, 1999 at Mount Allison University. This workshop was held to foster effective communication and co-operation among all stakeholders interested in the Bay of Fundy ecosystem. The goal of the workshop was to consider a multitude of facets related to understanding change in the Bay of Fundy ecosystem. The central questions of the workshop were: how can we recognize change, what tools are needed to monitor change, and most importantly, how should we respond to change?
The three day meeting involved paper and poster sessions, a public lecture by author Harry Thurston, a panel discussion and several group discussions including a series of informal presentations by members of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The workshop was attended by 80 people including 10 students.
The most difficult issue tackled at the workshop was that of trying to identify all of the relevant changes which should be considered in any assessment of the ‘health' of the Bay of Fundy ecosystem. There are numerous realms within which change may be occurring (biological, sedimentary, economic, social, cultural, etc.) and each must be considered in concert with the others. It is clear that no single group or organization can measure the ‘pulse' of the Bay in isolation and then draw meaningful conclusions. A holistic approach to assessing change is more than desirable, it is essential.
Even defining change proved to be a challenge; the lack of good baseline data and/or long-term measurements were identified as a significant hurdle to identifying change in many cases. Methods of addressing these challenges were discussed including the use of key informants who may have witnessed change over the years or decades and the role that community groups might play in longer-term monitoring projects that other agencies either cannot or will not undertake.
As concern about the impact that changes of various types might have on this unique ecosystem and the people that live on and around it increases around the Bay, the need to identify and monitor change will likely grow in importance. A principal outcome of the meeting was an enhanced appreciation by many of the attendees that identifying, monitoring, and responding to change in all of its various facets, is a monumental task. It was concluded that the key to making headway is to act strategically and undertake projects that are manageable, meaningful, and which might attract broad support and input from all interested parties.
SOMMAIRE EXECUTIF Jeff Ollerhead, Mount Allison University
Le troisième Atelier scientifique sur la baie de Fundy a eu lieu à Sackville (Nouveau-Brunswick) du 22 au 24 avril 1999, à l'Université Mount Allison. Cet atelier s'est tenu pour encourager la communication et la coopération efficaces entre toutes les personnes et organisations qui ont des enjeux dans l'écosystème de la baie de Fundy. Le but de l'atelier a été d'examiner une multitude de facettes de la compréhension des changements dans l'écosystème de la baie de Fundy. Les problèmes essentiels discutés dans le cadre de l'atelier ont été les suivants: comment reconnaître les changements, quels outils faut-il employer pour suivre ces changements, et, ce qui est le plus important, comment réagir à ces changements.
Cette réunion de trois jours a inclus des séances de présentations orales et de posters, une conférence publique donnée par l'auteur Harry Thurston, une discussion de panel et plusieurs discussions de groupes, lesquelles comprenaient une série de présentations libres faites par des membres de diverses organisations non gouvernementales (ONGs). L'atelier a réuni 80 participants, dont 10 étudiants.
Le problème le plus difficile abordé dans le cadre de l'atelier a été celui d'identifier tous les changements pertinents qu'il faut examiner dans toute évaluation de la « santé » de l'écosystème de la baie de Fundy. Ces changements peuvent se produire dans bien des domaines (biologique, sédimentaire, économique, social, culturel, etc.) et chacun de ces domaines doit être examiné de concert avec tous les autres. Il est clair qu'aucun groupe ou organisation ne peuvent, à eux seuls et isolément, prendre le « pouls » de la baie et en tirer des conclusions valables. Il est non seulement désirable, mais essentiel, d'aborder de manière intégrée l'évaluation des changements.
Même le problème de définir ces changements s'est révélé fort difficile ; l'atelier a reconnu que le manque de données de qualité sur les valeurs moyennes des paramètres, et/ou le manque de séries prolongées de mesures, constituent dans de nombreux cas des obstacles significatifs à l'identification des changements. L'atelier a discuté des méthodes à employer pour attaquer ces difficultés, entre autres le recours à des informateurs clés qui pourraient avoir été témoins de changements au long des années ou des décennies ; l'atelier a examiné le rôle que des groupes communautaires peuvent jouer dans des programmes de suivi prolongé, que d'autres organisations ne peuvent ou ne veulent pas entreprendre.
Les préoccupations au sujet de l'impact de divers types de changements sur cet écosystème unique vont aller croissant tout autour de la baie ; par conséquent, le besoin d'identifier et de suivre les changements va probablement s'accentuer. L'un des résultats principaux de la réunion est que de nombreux participants sont devenus plus conscients du fait que l'identification et le suivi des changements, et les réponses à ces changements, constituent des tâches monumentales. On a conclu que la clé des progrès dans ce domaine consiste à agir de manière stratégique et à entreprendre des programmes praticables, valables, et qui puissent attirer de larges appuis et contributions de la part de toutes les parties intéressées.
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ktramsey@hotmail.comlast modified: September 16, 1999