Workshop Sponsors This workshop is the sequel to a similar workshop carried out on March 14th-15th 2000. Like the preceding workshop, it was conceived and developed by the staff of the Habitat Management Division of Fisheries and Oceans. The Halifax Harbour Solutions Project of the Halifax Regional Municipality, co-sponsored both year 2000 and 2001, by graciously offering their support in the delivery of the agenda and committing to defray all printing costs. Steering Committee The Steering Committee was composed of Brian Thompson, Division Manager, Habitat Management Division, DFO; Jim Ross, Unit Head Habitat Management Division, DFO; Andre Ducharme and Gary Turner, Consultants and former employees of DFO; Brian Nicholls, Chair, Consultant and former employee of DFO and Dr Tony Blouin, Assistant Director, Halifax Harbour Solutions Project, Halifax Regional Municipality. In addition, to discuss the Workshop goal and the strategy to achieve that goal, a meeting of key scientific staff from DFO, NRCan, HRM and their consultants was organized. The meeting took place on January 26th, 2001 and those present were: Brian Nicholls, Chair, DFO retired (Telecom, Edmonton, Alberta) Barry Hargreave, DFO, Scientist Paul Boudreau, DFO, Scientist Tony Blouin, HRM, Assistant Director, Halifax Harbour Solutions Project Gordon Fader, DFO, Scientist Brian Petrie, DFO, Scientist Phil Yeats, DFO, Scientist Ken Mann, DFO, Scientist Gary Turner, Co-Editor, DFO, retired Andre Ducharme, Co-Editor, DFO, retired i Preserving the Environment of Halifax Harbour Workshop #2 Co-edited by Andre Ducharme and Gary Turner A gathering of stake-holders from 3 levels of government, Academia, industry, and public interest groups to: review the state of environmental knowledge in Halifax Harbour, identify information gaps in the light of future large developments and identify required actions for the preservation and restoration of fish and wildlife habitats and aesthetic values in Halifax Harbour. Held at the Main Auditorium, Bedford Institute of Oceanograghy, 1 Challenger Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada March 14th – 15th 2001 Sponsors: Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Halifax Regional Municipality (The Harbour Solutions Project) ii The “Preserving the Environment of Halifax Harbour Workshop # 2", is a registered book of proceedings. Suggested citation format for articles within this book follows: Mann, Ken, 2001. Summation of Available Knowledge: What else do we need to know?: (pages) Copyright by Fisheries and Oceans, Canada and Halifax Regional Municipality, 2001 CAT: Fs3/2001E ISBN: 0-662-30219-2 Printed in Halifax, Nova Scotia 2001 iii Contents Opening Welcome from BIO Jacob Verhoef, Director, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), NRCan ..................2 Introduction to Workshop DFO’s Aspirations for Fish Habitat in Halifax Harbour: Realities and Opportunities Jim Ross, Biologist, Habitat Management Division, DFO ............................... 3 Objectives of Workshop #2 Brian Nicholls, Workshop Chair, DFO – retired ........................................7 Part 1 – The State of Environmental Knowledge Highlights of Previous Workshops on Halifax Harbour (1989…) Don Lawrence, Research Scientist, Science Branch, DFO ..............................11 Historical Perspective of Metal Contaminants in Halifax Harbour Dale Buckley, Emeritus Scientist, NRCan .......................................... 18 Contaminants in Halifax Harbour Phil Yeats, Scientist, Marine Chemistry Section, DFO .................................26 Halifax Harbour: The Geology and Evolution of Marine Habitat Gordon Fader, Scientist, Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), NRCan .................30 The Fish Fauna of the Harbour Andrew Hebda, Curator, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History .......................45 The Benthic Fauna Susan Belford, Consultant, Jacques-Whitford ........................................55 Other Wildlife and Their Habitats Tony Lock, Scientist, Environment Canada ..........................................61 Questions and Answers ..........................................................67 iv Part 2 – Spectrum of Harbour Activities Major Development Projects of the Past Alan Ruffman, Consultant, Geo-marine Associates ....................................70 Cumulative Infilling Activities Clarence Spencer, Scientist, Environment Canada .....................................71 Major Future Development Projects David Bellefontaine, Director, Port Authority .........................................76 Major Future Development Projects Bill Campbell, Director, Halifax Waterfront Development Board ..............................90 Questions and Answers ......................................................................92 v Part 3 – Measurable Impacts on Fish Habitat The Benthic Habitat of the Halifax Harbour Ecosystem - What has been lost? Annamarie and Bruce Hatcher, Dalhousie / Canfish ...................................95 Changes in Planktonic Microbiota Bill Li, Research Scientist, Science Branch, DFO ....................................105 Halifax Harbour: What do we know and what do we need to know? Ken Mann, Scientist Emeritus, DFO ...............................................122 Questions and Answers .........................................................126 vi Part 4 – Achievable Goals Halifax Harbour Solutions Project: Update Tony Blouin, Assistant Director, Halifax Harbour Solutions Project .....................128 The Hamilton Harbour Case: Lessons Learned Victor Cairn, Resource Manager, DFO (Hamilton, Ontario) ...........................132 Eliminating Sources of Contaminants Roger Percy, Scientist, Environment Canada ........................................133 Halifax Regional Municipality Pollution Prevention Program John Sibbald, HRM, Environmental Services and Engineering Approvals ............. 141 Community Perspective on Preserving the Environment of Halifax Harbour Patricia Manuel, Professor, Nova Scotia College of Arts and Design .................... 143 Protecting the Visual Relationship Between Halifax Harbour and the Urban Area Simpson McLeod, HRM Planning Dept. - Retired ................................... 150 Recovering Lost Habitats Bob Rutherford, Biologist, Oceans & Coastal Management Division,DFO ................156 Summary of Workshop # 1 Recommendations Brian Nicholls, Workshop Chair, DFO - retired ...................................... 160 Questions and Answers ........................................................ 162 vii Part 5 - Workshop: Developing Recommendations Introduction ................................................................. 166 A Vision Statement for the Future of Halifax Harbour ............................. 166 Recommendations for the Preservation of the Environment of Halifax Harbour ........ 166 Major Developmental Recommendations ......................................... 167 Specific (Pro-active) Recommendations .......................................... 167 Concluding Statement on the Future of Halifax Harbour ................................. 168 viii Poster Presentations The Fisheries of Halifax Harbour Andre Ducharme and Paul Rozee ................................................. 170 Bedford Basin, Nova Scotia: An Interpretation of Seabed Materials, Features and Processes on Multibeam Bathymetry Gordon Fader, Robert Miller, Bruce MacGowan .................................... 175 Shoreline Classification and Coastal Resources of Halifax Harbour Area Roger Percy ................................................................. 177 *** Note: Other posters listed in Agenda, Appendix 1, and shown at Workshop were not available for inclusion in Proceedings. ix Appendices A - Workshop Agenda ......................................................... 188 B - Group reports ............................................................. 194 C - Workshop Participants ..................................................... 207 D - Workshop Presenters ....................................................... 216 x Opening Welcome and Introduction to the Workshop Welcoming Address Jacob Verhoef On behalf of the Federal Departments of the issues that we are dealing with nowadays Fisheries and Oceans and Natural Resources, it are very complex, and we need to look at them is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you to from all perspectives prior to making any of the the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO). key decisions that set future directions. Over the next two days you will be attending the Workshop on Preserving the Environment I am also very pleased that this second of Halifax Harbour. A quick look at the agenda workshop is being held at the Bedford Institute for the Workshop shows at once that you have of Oceanography. This Federal Research a busy and full schedule. In addition to that, I Center houses a significant amount of am very impressed to see the range and scope knowledge and information, as is evidenced by of the presentations. They range from a review the number of Workshop presenters that are of where we are, to a presentation on now working at BIO or have worked here in the contaminants in both the water column and its past. It is very gratifying to see that information surroundings. There are presentations on: the and knowledge is being utilized as part of such fauna of Halifax Harbour; a review of major an important workshop as the present one. It is development projects now, in the past and in my sincere hope that you will have a very the future, one on problems in other regions