NEWFOUNDLAND ORPHAN BASIN EXPLORATION DRILLING PROGRAM Table of Contents 6.0 EXISTING BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT ................................................................... 6.1 6.1 Marine Fish and Fish Habitat ......................................................................................... 6.2 6.1.1 Approach and Key Information Sources ....................................................... 6.2 6.1.2 Trophic Linkages and Community Changes ................................................. 6.3 6.1.3 Key Marine Assemblages ............................................................................. 6.3 6.1.4 Plankton, Plants and Macroalgae ................................................................. 6.4 6.1.4.1 Bacterial Communities / Microbes ................................................ 6.4 6.1.4.2 Phytoplankton ............................................................................... 6.5 6.1.4.3 Zooplankton .................................................................................. 6.6 6.1.4.4 Ichthyoplankton .......................................................................... 6.11 6.1.4.5 Marine Plants and Macroalgae ................................................... 6.12 6.1.5 Pelagic Macroinvertebrates ........................................................................ 6.13 6.1.6 Benthic Invertebrates and Habitat .............................................................. 6.13 6.1.6.1 Corals and Sponges ................................................................... 6.15 6.1.7 Finfish (Demersal and Pelagic Species) ..................................................... 6.19 6.1.8 Species at Risk ........................................................................................... 6.28 6.1.9 Species of Indigenous Significance ............................................................ 6.36 6.1.10 Summary of Key Areas and Temporal Periods .......................................... 6.45 6.2 Marine and Migratory Birds .......................................................................................... 6.46 6.2.1 Approach and Key Information Sources ..................................................... 6.46 6.2.2 Seabirds ..................................................................................................... 6.47 6.2.2.1 Phalaropes ................................................................................. 6.48 6.2.2.2 Gulls and Terns .......................................................................... 6.48 6.2.2.3 Skuas and Jaegers ..................................................................... 6.53 6.2.2.4 Auks, Murres, Puffins, and Guillemots ....................................... 6.56 6.2.2.5 Fulmarine Petrels, Shearwaters, and Gadfly Petrels ................. 6.59 6.2.2.6 Storm-Petrels ............................................................................. 6.62 6.2.2.7 Northern Gannet ......................................................................... 6.64 6.2.2.8 Cormorants ................................................................................. 6.64 6.2.3 Other Marine-associated Avifauna ............................................................. 6.66 6.2.3.1 Waterfowl, Loons, and Grebes ................................................... 6.66 6.2.3.2 Shorebirds .................................................................................. 6.67 6.2.3.3 Landbirds .................................................................................... 6.69 6.2.4 Species at Risk ........................................................................................... 6.70 6.2.5 Summary of Key Areas and Times ............................................................. 6.72 6.3 Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles ............................................................................... 6.78 6.3.1 Approach and Key Information Sources ..................................................... 6.79 6.3.2 Overview of Species Occurrence ............................................................... 6.79 6.3.3 Mysticetes (Baleen Whales) ....................................................................... 6.82 6.3.3.1 Humpback Whale ....................................................................... 6.82 6.3.3.2 Minke Whale ............................................................................... 6.83 6.3.3.3 Sei Whale ................................................................................... 6.83 6.3.4 Odontocetes (Toothed Whales) .................................................................. 6.85 6.3.4.1 Sperm Whale .............................................................................. 6.85 6.3.4.2 Northern Bottlenose Whale ........................................................ 6.85 i NEWFOUNDLAND ORPHAN BASIN EXPLORATION DRILLING PROGRAM 6.3.4.3 Striped Dolphin ........................................................................... 6.87 6.3.4.4 Atlantic Spotted Dolphin ............................................................. 6.87 6.3.4.5 Short-beaked Common Dolphin ................................................. 6.87 6.3.4.6 White-beaked Dolphin ................................................................ 6.87 6.3.4.7 Atlantic White-sided Dolphin ...................................................... 6.89 6.3.4.8 Common Bottlenose Dolphin ...................................................... 6.89 6.3.4.9 Risso’s Dolphin ........................................................................... 6.89 6.3.4.10 Killer Whale ................................................................................ 6.89 6.3.4.11 Long-finned Pilot Whale ............................................................. 6.89 6.3.4.12 Harbour Porpoise ....................................................................... 6.90 6.3.5 Phocids (Seals) .......................................................................................... 6.90 6.3.6 Sea Turtles ................................................................................................. 6.91 6.3.7 Species at Risk ........................................................................................... 6.93 6.3.7.1 Blue Whale ................................................................................. 6.93 6.3.7.2 Fin Whale ................................................................................... 6.93 6.3.7.3 North Atlantic Right Whale ......................................................... 6.94 6.3.7.4 Northern Bottlenose Whale ........................................................ 6.94 6.3.7.5 Sowerby’s Beaked Whale .......................................................... 6.95 6.3.7.6 Leatherback Sea Turtle .............................................................. 6.95 6.3.7.7 Loggerhead Sea Turtle ............................................................... 6.96 6.3.8 Summary of Key Areas and Times ............................................................. 6.96 6.4 Special Areas ............................................................................................................... 6.97 6.4.1 Federal Designations and Their Management ........................................... 6.97 6.4.1.1 Introduction to the Federal Bioregional Network ........................ 6.99 6.4.1.2 Ocean’s Act Marine Protected Areas and Areas of Interest ....... 6.99 6.4.1.3 Preliminary Representative Marine Areas ................................ 6.100 6.4.1.4 Marine Refuges and Lobster Area Closures ............................ 6.101 6.4.1.5 Migratory Bird Sanctuaries ....................................................... 6.102 6.4.1.6 Other Federal Designated Special Areas that are Defined, but Not Protected ..................................................................... 6.103 6.4.2 Provincial Designations and Their Management ...................................... 6.106 6.4.3 International Designations and Their Management .................................. 6.108 6.4.3.1 Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems ................................................ 6.108 6.4.3.2 Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem Closure Areas .......................... 6.108 6.4.4 Other Identified Marine Special Areas ...................................................... 6.109 6.4.4.1 UNESCO Word Heritage Sites ................................................. 6.110 6.4.4.2 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) ..................................................... 6.110 6.4.4.3 Other Protected Marine Areas (General) ................................. 6.111 6.4.4.4 Bonavista Cod Box ................................................................... 6.111 6.4.5 Other Programs ........................................................................................ 6.111 6.5 References ................................................................................................................. 6.112 6.5.1 Personal Communications ........................................................................ 6.112 6.5.2 Literature .................................................................................................. 6.112 ii NEWFOUNDLAND ORPHAN BASIN EXPLORATION DRILLING PROGRAM LIST OF TABLES Table 6.1 Relative Abundance of Dominant Fish Species Caught in the International Young Gadoid Pelagic Trawl during the Pelagic 0-group Survey (1997- 1998) ................................................................................................................ 6.12 Table 6.2 Dominant Invertebrate Taxa in Photographic Surveys