The Official Newsletter of the Atlantic Society of Fish and Wildlife Biologists VOLUME 51, ISSUE I April 2015 ASFWB Fall AGM in Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland Left: Group shot before heading out on the field trip. Right: Student Award winners Louis Charron and Emily Kissler with president Mark Pulsifer (Photos: Kate Goodall) A small but mighty contingent topics including the impact of raised by the silent auction for of biologists headed to Terra moose on forests in the scholarship fund. Nova National Park in late Newfoundland, the perceptions The AGM ended off with a field October for the 51st ASFWB of nuisance wildlife among trip to Park Harbour, South Annual General Meeting. The farmers in Nova Scotia and Broad Cove, and Minchins event kicked off with a special New Brunswick, and the Cove. ice breaker hosted by Kirby. restoration of watershed Attendees were treated to local processes on Base Gagetown. A special thank you goes out to cuisine including cod Student award winners were everyone who participated, and “britches”, crab, moose, and Emilie Kissler who spoke on those involved in planning and snowshoe hare along with the impacts of moose on coordinating the event, some local beverages. The Newfoundland forests and especially Kirby Tulk. musical talents of many a Louis Charron who spoke on biologist were showcased well balsm fir forest restoration Stay tuned for more info on the into the wee hours of the following excessive moose 52nd AGM which will be in morning. browse. Nova Scotia next fall! The following day nine talks A fun time was had by all at were delivered on a variety of the banquet and $350 was Don’t miss this! Above: Chef Insects of Hypopagea 3 Kirby using a table saw as a Eelgrass Mapping 7 cooking surface, look out Gordon Ramsey! Profile: Bon Portage Island 17 (Photo: Kate Upcoming Events 21 Goodall) PAGE 2 BIOLINK VOLUME 51, ISSUE I The David J. Cartwright Scholarship 2015 ASFWB Executive The David J. Cartwright Memorial Scholarship was established by President the ASFWB in 1991, following the untimely death in a vehicle Stephanie Walsh accident of David J. Cartwright in October 1990. Dave was a [email protected] member and strong supporter of the ASFWB for many years and contributed to wildlife management in Atlantic Canada as Past President Furbearer Biologist with the NB Department of Natural Resources Mark Pulsifer & Energy. [email protected] The 1-year scholarship is awarded annually and is open to full- Secretary/Treasurer time students on the Fredericton campus of the University of New Lee Millett Brunswick (UNB) entering the final year of Forestry (Wildlife [email protected] Option) or Science (Biology Option). Potential candidates should have combined scholastic ability with a demonstrated interest in wildlife management. The scholarship is awarded by UNB on the VP Membership recommendation of the Faculty of Forestry and the Faculty of Garry Gregory Science. The ASFWB serves as donor of the scholarship, which is [email protected] variable in the amount awarded. The award was established in the fall of 1994, and was first disbursed in 1996. VP Programming Glen Parsons A note from this years recipient, Bethany Nordstrom: [email protected] VP Student Affairs Christine McLauchlan [email protected] Newsletter Editors Danielle Quinn [email protected] Holly Lightfoot [email protected] Web Site Manager Greg Johnson [email protected] The ASFWB Biolink is published twice a year. Articles and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Society or its members. Thanks to all who have contributed photos and articles. Visit our website at: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca /environment/ASFWB/ VOLUME 51, ISSUE I BIOLINK PAGE 3 The Insects of Hypopagea Written by R. F. Lauff other ponds… there’s no sense mating with your “Hypo-what?” That is the siblings, after all. In understandable first question I stillwater systems, get when people hear the word there are four families for the first time. It is of beetles which understandable because the dominate; these are the word has never before Predaceous Diving appeared, at least not in Beetles, Whirligigs, English. It’s Greek. And it’s Crawling Water Beetles Greek because, well, in science, and Water Scavenger we use a lot of Greek (and Beetles. Of these, only Latin). Hypopagea literally the whirligigs would be means under ice, and the familiar to the casual insects which I was working observer. These are the with were the ones in frozen- beetles which are over ponds. rapidly jetting around on the surface of ponds, The diversity of aquatic insects often in large groups. is huge. Some spend only their The bugs include the juvenile stages (eggs, nymphs) Water Scorpion, Giant under water. Examples of Water Bugs, these are the mayflies, Backswimmers and dragonflies, damselflies and Water Boatmen. stoneflies. Aquatic beetles and An example of the diversity of winter active true bugs spend most of their insects caught under the ice in Antigonish area When I talked with my ponds. (Photo: R.Lauff) lives under water, even as friend Paul MacLean adults. At some point, the about my summer insect work, adults take flight to disperse to kinds of beetle, at least six he related a story to me about species of bug, and a few other having to chop a hole species including caddisflies through the ice on his and mayflies. Who knew? pond to get some water; he noticed, he said, that a This work opens up a host of Giant Water Bug swam other questions. How do they up to the hole. Like feed when the lighting is so everyone else, I always dim, or completely dark? Do thought the aquatic they feed? How do the adults, insects went dormant in which don’t have gills, the winter, but Paul’s breathe? Are there species observation got me which prefer being active in thinking… what else is the winter? Perhaps over the out there? So this past next few years we’ll be able to winter, my colleague answer these questions, and Barry Taylor, my student more. Luc Daut and I sampled eleven ponds to see what R. F. Lauff is based out of St. would come into our Francis Xavier University in traps. It turned out that Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Student Lucas Daut freeing up the ice around we caught more than 20 a trap to remove. (Photo: R.Lauff) VOLUME 51, ISSUE 1 BIOLINK PAGE 4 Helping Wild Salmon Thrive Written by Krystal Binns The Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation (ASCF) was created to promote enhanced community partnerships in the conservation of wild Atlantic salmon and its habitat in Atlantic Canada and Québec. ASCF was formed in 2007 with a $30 million endowment from the federal government. Between 2008 and 2014, it has helped to fund over 200 conservation projects. So far, funding efforts by the ASCF have resulted in nearly 900,000 m2 of restored habitat, 43 million m2 of opened access to habitat and 28,000 individuals have benefitted from salmon education initiatives within Atlantic Canada and Québec. Entering into their 9th granting year, the ASCF is pleased to announce that more than $1.1 million dollars in grants will be awarded in 2015. A total of 61 high quality, salmon conservation projects will be funded in the Atlantic Provinces and Québec. the goal of doing so in perpetuity. Building on this success, the ASCF also shares its conservation knowledge via webinars and its The ASCF has proven to be an website. Later this year, the ASCF will be unveiling a new addition effective source of funding for to their website, the “Salmon Hub”. The Hub will be the new go-to community volunteer web location for information on river restoration and salmon organizations, First Nations conservation. and aboriginal organizations, universities and municipalities Krystal Binns is the Conservation Program Coordinator for the Atlantic in conserving, restoring and Salmon Conservation Foundation. protecting wild Atlantic salmon and its habitat with h For more information visit: www.salmonconservation.ca PAGE 5 BIOLINK VOLUME 51, ISSUE I Winter Bird Surveying This February Environment Canada Biologists Julie Paquet and Rob Ronconi conducted surveys for Purple Sandpipers and Harlequin Ducks along the shores of Nova Scotia as part of a study of high tanker traffic areas. Along with some great photos of Nova Scotian islands, the crew detected over 3000 Purple Sandpipers spread out over 143 locations and tallied more than 160 observations of Harlequin Ducks totalling over 1100 individuals. Above: A flock of Purple Sandpipers Photos: Julie Paquet, EC-CWS. photographed for easier counting back in the office. Left: Cape Sable Island (Barrington Co.). Standing at 101 ft the Cape Sable Light is the tallest lighthouse in Nova Scotia Right: Outer Bald Tusket Island (Yarmouth Co.). This island was once Above: Scaterie Island (Cape Breton declared a micronation; the Co.). Scaterie Island has been Principality of Outer designated as an Important Bird Area. Baldonia even had its own At just over 67km2, the island is thought flag (green background to be home to a population of Bicknell’s with a tuna; Wikipedia). Thrush (Threatened COSEWIC 2009) The island is now owned by and a colony of Leach’s Storm Petrels. the Nova Scotia Bird Society. Fieldwork capturing swarming Myotis bats in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick from 2009 to 2011, describing the population genetics of bats, analyzing the social interactions of swarming bats, and writing it up were all part of the process for Lynne Burns en-route to a PhD. from Dalhousie University in July 2014. Now Lynne begins a new chapter in her life.