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Fundy Tidings Winter 2016

~ FUNDY TIDINGS ~

The Quarterly Newsletter of the
Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP)

February 2016 ~ Winter Issue

 

HEADLINES:

A.  BoFEP and its activities:

  1. Call for Papers – BoFEP Bay of Fundy Science Workshop
  2. Interim Report on BoFEP’s OHI Project

 B. Partners and other organizations:

  1. More of Fundy to be Protected?
  2. Huntsman Ocean Science Initiatives
  3. Tidal Power Champion George Baker Given Award Posthumously
  4. Photo Gallery of High Tide Photo Contest
  5. Reducing Debris in the Bay of Fundy
  6. Right Whales and Fishing Ropes Don’t Mix
  7. Tackling Ghost Gear in the Bay of Fundy
  8. Fishermen to Help Identify Priority Areas in BoF
  9. Tracking Salmon Farm Escapees?
  10. Salmon Restoration in Fundy National Park
  11. ACCESS, COINATLANTIC and C-SGSL Meetings May 11-14 in PEI
  12. Coastal Zone Canada Conference June 12-16, 2016
  13. Nominations Sought for GOMCME 2016 Awards
  14. NB Mapping Project Resolution Enhanced
  15. Gulf of Maine Continues Warmer than Normal
  16. Sandpiper Poop DNA Reveals Catholic Diet

 C. Fundy/GOM and other News:

  1. New Book on Salmon in Maine
  2. Fisheries in a Warming Gulf of Maine
  3. Drilling Moratorium on Georges Bank Extended
  4. Updates on Tidal Energy in Fundy
  5. Offshore Wind Farm Planned for Fundy
  6. Alton Natural Gas Plan Still Controversial
  7. US Expands Designated Critical Habitat for Right Whales
  8. Linking Canada’s Ocean policy with Ocean Science
  9. Treating Wastewater with Constructed Wetlands
  10. Lawsuit Over Ownership of Rockweed
  11. Energy East Pipeline Debate Heats Up
  12. 40th Anniversary of Groundhog Day Gale

 D. Administrivia – [Subscribing and unsubscribing}

 

A. BoFEP and its activities:

 1. Call for Papers – BoFEP Bay of Fundy Science Workshop

Call for Papers for the 11th BoFEP Bay of Fundy Science Workshop “Fundy in Flux: Challenges for Science, Policy and Society” scheduled for 8-10 June 2016 at St. Thomas University, Fredericton, New Brunswick. The Program Committee also invites proposals for ‘Special Sessions’ to be a part of the Workshop. 31 March 2016 is the deadline for submitting abstracts . More details.

2. Interim Report on BoFEP’s OHI Project

Since 2014, BoFEP has been working on preparing an Ocean Health Index (OHI) score for the Marine Resources Planning Area (MRPA) in SouthWest New Brunswick, an area that goes from the Maine/Canada border to the Marine Protected Area in Musquash. In September a workshop was held in St. Andrews led by Scott Kidd, the BoFEP OHI Project Coordinator. Ten people attended; NGO’s, members of the Native Communities, Scientist, Government and BoFEP members.

The purposes of the workshop were to:

• Present BoFEP’s findings to date.

• Discuss the OHI and provide background on what ecosystem management decisions are

captured by the OHI methodology and how we can use OHI to predict impacts of near-future

management decisions/choices.

• Discuss and prioritize possible ecosystem management decisions/choices that could be

hypothesized in the OHI score for the MRPA.

A more detailed interim report on this project, including a summary of the workshop discussion, entitled “Management Decisions for use in the Ocean Health Index for the S.W. Bay of Fundy” is now available online. The final report of this Environment Canada funded project will be available in April on the BoFEP website.

 B. Partners and other organizations:

1. More of Fundy to be Protected?

In January, CBC News posted an article “Large sections of Bay of Fundy could come under federal protection: 15 regions within Bay have been identified so far as areas of interest”. Sections of the Bay of Fundy could come under federal protection as the Trudeau government increases protected marine and coastal areas from 1.3 per cent to 5 per cent by 2017 and to 10 per cent by 2020. Maxine Westhead, section head of DFO’s Marine Protected Areas Program for the Maritimes says those targets are driving current consultations. Article includes audio clip (10:49 mins).

 2. Huntsman Ocean Science Initiatives

Huntsman Ocean Sciences is a private, not-for-profit research and education facility whose mission is inspiring stewardship through the engagement of the community in the discovery of the oceans. A few recent initiatives include:

Aquatic Services:

– currently in the process of tagging the first selected elite year class from the Atlantic Salmon Broodstock Program

– recently established the New Brunswick Innovation Research Chair in Aquatic Biosciences

– initiated the first Huntsman biological effects research project associated with offshore Newfoundland oil production

Atlantic Reference Centre:

– diversified services to include work both within and outside of the Maritime Provinces

– providing Arctic research work for the Woods Hole Institution of Oceanography

– performing additional research work in support of planned Marine Protected Areas across Canada

– positioning itself to become a national collection repository for DFO

Education:

– currently delivering the Grade 6 Ocean Discovery Program at the Huntsman, made possible by funding from the Living Environmental Studies Foundation

– the Ocean Exploration Homeschool Program is now being offered.  Students participate in field explorations and hands-on lab activity (see information below)

– registration is now being accepted for 2016 Summer Field Courses and Adventures in Lifelong Learning – Adult Education Programs

For more information about the programs, becoming a member or a volunteer, visit the Huntsman Website.

 3. Tidal Power Champion George Baker Given Award Posthumously

George C. Baker, who died in 2013 [see obituary], has been recognized posthumously with the “Hall of Fame Award” from the Discovery Centre in Halifax, NS. Baker was an early champion of tidal power, devoting decades to creating the first tidal power plant in North America, as well as to understanding the environmental implications of tidal power generation in the Bay of Fundy. Full article. George’s contributions were earlier recognized by BoFEP, when in 2009 the Proceedings of the 8th BoFEP Science Workshop http://bofep.org/wpbofep/wp-content/proceedings/BoFEP8thproceedings.pdf (see page iii) were dedicated to him, “to record our respect and appreciation for his contributions to the understanding of the environmental implications of tidal power generation from the Bay of Fundy”. At the Workshop banquet George was also presented with a BoFEP Special Community Service Award in recognition of his “inspired leadership” on the tidal power issue.

4. Photo Gallery of High Tide Photo Contest

During autumnal high tides in 2014 and 2015, coastal residents participated in the annual Gulf of Maine King Tides Photo Contest “Envisioning Sea-Level Rise Impacts”. The submitted images document high water and flooding scenes that will become more common as sea levels rise. More than 100 images were submitted, including some from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Photo contest gallery.

5. Reducing Debris in the Bay of Fundy

The Ecosystem Indicator Partnership’s November 2015 Monthly Journal comprises an article entitled “A Program for Marine Debris Prevention and Correction in the Bay of Fundy”. Written by Reba McIver, Marine Debris Program Coordinator at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre. The article discusses a new Marine Debris program for the southwest Bay of Fundy. The general aims of the program are both preventative and corrective by:

  • Working with all marine users and the wider community to reduce the amount of garbage and debris entering the ocean environment in this area, from activities both on the water and on land,
  • Working with existing programs and groups in the region to correct the marine debris pollution in the water and on the coastline of this area.  Full article.

6. Right Whales and Fishing Ropes Don’t Mix

In January, CBC News posted an article entitled “Fishing line causing lethal entanglements for right whales: Approximately 83 per cent of the North Atlantic right whale population show signs of tangling with ropes”. Amy Knowlton, a research scientist with the New England Aquarium in Boston, is working to reduce the risk of whale entanglement and death from fishing gear and lines. “We believe this is the biggest threat to these animals right now … and unless we can fix it they could go extinct,” says Knowlton. The report also includes an audio clip (9:46 mins).

7. Tackling Ghost Gear in the Bay of Fundy

A recent issue of Hakai Magazine (Coastal Science and Societies) features an article entitled “The Ghosts of Fishers Past” that describes efforts by a group of fishermen and conservationists in the Bay of Fundy to remove lost or abandoned fishing gear. Such gear “continues to catch fish, turtles, birds, and whales, for as long as the gear exists. Even worse, as animals die in lost traps or nets, they act as bait to attract other marine life and the cycle continues for years or even centuries. Around 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear is lost or abandoned worldwide each year, accounting for around 10 percent of all marine litter. Ghost gear entangles and kills an estimated 136,000 whales, seals, and other marine mammals annually, and likely millions more animals with lower profiles: fish, crustaceans, turtles, and birds”. The effort is being spearheaded by the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association.  “The last thing we want to see is our fishing gear entangled on a whale,” says Maria Recchia, the organizations executive director . “That’s a real black mark on us.”

8. Fishermen to Help Identify Priority Areas in BoF

The Yarmouth County Vanguard posted an article entitled, “The Fishermen and Scientists Research Society is looking for help in identifying important areas of the Fundy coast and inshore waters for priority protection in the event of an oil spill”. The FSRS is looking for local, experienced (10-plus years of fishing) recreational or commercial fishermen working along the Bay of Fundy area on the Nova Scotia side, including Parrsboro and further in, to help pinpoint which areas have economic and ecological importance.

9. Tracking Salmon Farm Escapees?

In January the Halifax Chronicle Herald reported that Nova Scotia is working to develop methods to track salmon that have escaped from open pen aquaculture sites. “Escapees are a worldwide concern wherever there are marine salmon farms,” chairman Carl Purcell of the Nova Scotia Salmon Association said in a news release. He continued “Nova Scotia can become a world leader in this field and develop a tracing system that could be used globally.” Full article.

10. Salmon Restoration in Fundy National Park

While there is still great concern about the depleted state of inner Bay of Fundy Salmon populations, a project to restock salmon in the Salmon River in Fundy National Park may be helping to reverse the trend. A recent article in the Brunswickian entitled “A New Plan for Salmon” describes some of these efforts. In addition, Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information about anyone “catching salmon, or interfering with the natural habitat or migration of salmon that are part of the inner Bay of Fundy salmon population”. Crime Stoppers Crime of the Week: Protecting Fundy Atlantic Salmon

11. ACCESS, COINATLANTIC and C-SGSL Meetings May 11-14 in PEI

The 2016 Atlantic Canada Coastal & Estuarine Science Society ‘ACCESS’ Conference and Annual General Meeting will be held in Charlottetown, PEI between the 12th and 13th of May. The Coastal and Ocean Information Network Atlantic (COINAtlantic) / ACZISC will hold its 77th Meeting on the 11th of May with a focus on applications of remote sensing to estuarine mapping, and a field demonstration of coastal habitat mapping with drones on the 14th of May. The Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition (C-SGSL), which will hold its AGM on the 12th of May, and a field demonstration of techniques for monitoring eelgrass communities on the 14th of May.

12. Coastal Zone Canada Conference June 12-16, 2016

The Coastal Zone Canada Association’s 12th biennial conference, Coastal Zone Canada 2016 (CZC 2016) “Coastal Futures; Resilience through Collaboration”, will take place in Toronto, Canada, 12-16 June 2016 at the Chestnut Convention Centre, University of Toronto. More info.

13. Nominations Sought for GOMCME 2016 Awards

The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment is now accepting nominations for their 2016 awards to recognize volunteers, professionals, businesses, and organizations for outstanding efforts to promote a healthy Gulf of Maine ecosystem. The Council is seeking award nominees from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Submit a nomination by 31 March 2016. Awards will be presented in June at a special ceremony in Fredericton, New Brunswick. More details.

14. NB Mapping Project Resolution Enhanced

The GeoNB Map Viewer now includes 20 cm resolution orthophotos from 2011, 2012, and 2013 for more than half of New Brunswick’s coastline. This update completes a 20 cm resolution orthophotos record for the entire coast of New Brunswick. GeoNB is the Province of New Brunswick’s gateway to geographic information and related value-added applications.

The primary goals of GeoNB are:

  • Providing all users with easy access to geographic data, value-added applications and maps
  • Reducing duplication and costs through collaboration and the sharing of geographic data and infrastructure
  • Promoting and increasing the use of geographic data and maps

15. Gulf of Maine Continues Warmer than Normal

The binational Climate Network of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment has issued its December 2015 “Gulf of Maine Region Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook” [PDF format]. It reports that Gulf of Maine sea surface temperatures remained much warmer than average last fall and several powerful storms swept across the region. The Outlook offers a two-page snapshot with recent weather events and anomalies; regional weather impacts; and a forecast for the coming three months.

16. Sandpiper Poop DNA Reveals Catholic Diet

The researchers behind a forthcoming study in The Auk: Ornithological Advances have shown that Semipalmated Sandpipers on their annual stopover in Canada’s Bay of Fundy eat a far broader diet than anyone suspected–and they did it by analyzing poop. Analysis of stomach contents had led researchers to believe that Semipalmated Sandpipers in the Bay of Fundy rely on an amphipod species called Corophium volutator as their major food source. However, the new study of feces by Travis Gerwing, Myriam Barbeau, Diana Hamilton, Jason Addison, and Jin-Hong Kim of the University of New Brunswick shows that the sandpipers’ diet knits together several adjacent food webs–freshwater insects that wash down onto the beach in streams and eggs of ocean-going fish deposited on the shore by tides get eaten alongside organisms that live in the beach’s intertidal zone. Full article.

 

C. Fundy/GOM and other News:

1. New Book on Salmon in Maine

The President’s Salmon, by Catherine Schmitt, Published by Down East Books/Rowman & Littlefield, July 2015. This book is an environmental history of the Penobscot River in Maine, told through the 80-year tradition of fly fishermen giving the first Atlantic salmon caught in the river each year to the President of the United States. The book examines each president’s seafood preferences, relationship with the outdoors, and support for policies that affected rivers, salmon, and the people who depended on them. Alternating chapters cover the river’s history, including its geologic origins, Native American presence, logging, and hydropower development, as well as the natural and cultural history of Atlantic salmon. More details…

 2. Fisheries in a Warming Gulf of Maine

An article in the 13/11/2015 Weekend Focus section of the Halifax Chronicle Herald entitled: “Warming waters and the Gulf of Maine’s fate” reviews some of the studies suggesting warming in the Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy and discusses some of the possible consequences for fisheries in the region. It notes that the Gulf is amongst the fastest warming marine areas in the world, with 2012 being almost 2°C warmer than the average for the past three decades. While scientists foresee significant ecosystem change they feel that a total collapse is unlikely. The ongoing research should, however, ” raise red flags for [fisheries] managers”. The article concludes that “The changes in the Gulf of Maine are ultimately fuelled by the global climatic trends that strengthen and direct the Labrador Current and Gulf Stream” and that “there are limits to even the adaptability of the species in the Gulf of Maine.” Com-lete article.

3. Drilling Moratorium on Georges Bank Extended

CBC News reports that Nova Scotia is extending the Georges Bank moratorium on oil and gas exploration and drilling. The fishing bank has been off limits since 1988. This extends the protection until at least 2022. Ottawa passed a similar protection bill last June. Such exploration comes under the joint jurisdiction of the provinces and federal government.  Full report.

4. Updates on Tidal Energy in Fundy

A number of recent articles have dealt with various aspects of the ongoing development of tidal power in the Bay of Fundy, including:

 For more news about Fundy tidal energy developments visit the Fundy Energy Research Network (FERN) Website.

5. Offshore Wind Farm Planned for Fundy

In December the Chronicle Herald carried an article entitled: “Beothuk unveils plan for $4b wind farm off Yarmouth”. The St. John’s, N.L., company wants to build a giant wind farm off the coast of Yarmouth to supply power to New England. Beothuk Energy Inc. unveiled its plan for the $4-billion project Monday. The 120-turbine venture would be built in shallow water about 20 kilometres off the coast. The Beothuk CEO wouldn’t say exactly where the 1,000-megawatt wind farm would be located. The turbines would sit on a gravity base in water depths of less than 30 metres, he said.

6. Alton Natural Gas Plan Still Controversial

The Plan by Alton Natural Gas to flush the salt out of three large underground deposits near Stewiake, dump the resulting brine in the Shubenacadie River and use the caverns to store natural gas under pressure is still raising valid concerns about the environmental impacts of the plan. The Nova Scotia government seems to have largely brushed aside these concerns and has given the project the green light anyway. For an overview of the threats posed by leaking storage facilities in the US read the article in International Business Times:
California Methane Leak: Here’s Where Over 400 US Natural Gas Storage Facilities Are Located 

Other articles touching upon the local project include:

7. US Expands Designated Critical Habitat for Right Whales

In January 2016 US Federal Regulators expanded the designated critical habitat areas for Right Whales off southern and northern portions of the East Coast. The expanded critical habitat will include all American waters in the Gulf of Maine. Previously, the right whales’ designated critical habitat in the region included only Cape Cod Bay and a larger area just north of the Great South Channel between Cape Cod and Georges Bank. Feds expand critical whale habitat to include entire Gulf of Maine [Bangor Daily News]

8. Linking Canada’s Ocean policy with Ocean Science

A paper written by 19 Canadian marine scientists entitled “Canada at a Crossroads: The imperative for realigning ocean policy with ocean science”, published in the January 2016 issue of the journal Marine Policy claims that Canada’s ocean policy has diverged from ocean science over the past decade. Erosion in government science capacity and communication jeopardizes ocean policy. It suggests that “Canada, like other countries, must base its ocean policy and decision-making process on strong ocean science capability. In particular, government scientists must be supported in their efforts to contribute to our understanding of marine social-ecological systems and their sustainability”. Full report.

9. Treating Wastewater with Constructed Wetlands

The Canadian Water Network published a report entitled “Development of Knowledge Translation Tools to Foster the Uptake of Constructed Wetland Technologies to Treat Rural Wastewaters” by Chris Kinsley of Guelph University. It describes research studies conducted in Ontario and Truro, Nova Scotia by researchers from Guelph and Dalhousie that evaluated the use of constructed wetlands to treat common sources of rural wastewaters; namely, domestic wastewater, dairy farm wastewater and sludge from septic tanks. Full report. The project also included the development of fact sheets, videos and a design manual. For more information visit www.orwc.uoguelph.ca .

10. Lawsuit Over Ownership of Rockweed

In January Maine Biz and Quoddy Tides reported on a pending civil lawsuit about illegal rockweed harvesting in Maine involving Acadian Seaplants. It raises questions about who actually owns the rockweed growing in the intertidal zone. It notes that “qwnership of intertidal rockweed has not yet been firmly established by the court system, an ambiguity that has produced escalating ill will between landowners and harvesters”.

Related stories:

11. Energy East Pipeline Debate Heats Up

The proposal to move Alberta’s environmentally unsustainable tar sands oil to the east coast via refurbished and new pipelines for shipment overseas continues to engender fierce debate. Recent articles focusing on various aspects of the project include:

12. 40th Anniversary of Groundhog Day Gale

Forty years ago, in February 1976 a massive storm swept across southwestern NS and the Bay of Fundy. With winds of Category 2 hurricane strength, the so called “Groundhog Day Gale” caused power outages and flooding over a wide area. “Many who lived through the Groundhog Gale say it was the storm of that century, and then some.”  CTV News report.

D. Administrivia

Fundy Tidings is circulated Quarterly to 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 mailing list, e-mail a request to seapencom@gmail.com .

Note: The views expressed in this newsletter may not necessarily reflect
those of BoFEP or its partner organizations.

For more news items about BoFEP, its partners and the Bay of Fundy
periodically check the BoFEP Website
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