Challenges in Environmental Management in the Bay of Fundy-Gulf of Maine Proceedings of the 7th Bay of Fundy Science Workshop, St. Andrews, New Brunswick 24–27 October 2006 Editors G. W. Pohle, P. G. Wells and S. J. Rolston BoFEP Technical Report No. 3 March 2007 Acknowledgements This publication should be cited as: G. W. Pohle, P. G.Wells, and S. J. Rolston (Eds). 2007. Challenges in Environmental Management in the Bay of Fundy-Gulf of Maine. Proceedings of the 7th Bay of Fundy Science Workshop, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, 24–27 October 2006. Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership Technical Report No. 3. Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership, Wolfville, NS. 309p. For further information, contact: Secretariat, Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research Box 115 Acadia University Wolfville, Nova Scotia B4P 2R6 © Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership, 2007 ISBN 978-0-9783120-0-8 ii Acknowledgements Dedication We dedicate this Fundy Proceedings to the memories of three scientifi c colleagues and friends who recently passed away. They spent their careers striving to protect coastal watersheds and marine living resources and habitats. Susan A. Snow-Cotter (1961-2006) Massachusetts Offi ce of Coastal Zone Management, Boston, Massachusetts John Gibb (1946-2007) Environment Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Ransom Myers (1952-2007) Killam Chair in Ocean Studies, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia The Editors iii Acknowledgements iv Acknowledgements Contents Preface xv Acknowledgements xvi Workshop Organizers xvii Sponsors xviii Awards Presented at the Workshop xix About the Key Sponsors of BoFEP xx The Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership Huntsman Marine Science Centre Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment Environment Canada KEYNOTE ADDRESSES Physical Environmental Variability in the Bay of Fundy-Gulf of Maine and its Relevance to Environmental Management F. H. Page 3 Homage to Penelope: Unravelling the Ecology of the Bay of Fundy System G. R. Daborn 12 Facing the Challenges in Enviromental Management: A Twelve Thousand Year Perspective H. M. Akagi and gkisedtanamoogk 23 PAPER PRESENTATIONS Session 1: Biodiversity and Ecology: Discovery Corridor Initiative The Gulf of Maine Discovery Corridor Initiative P. Lawton 29 Benthic Communities in the Discovery Corridor–Preliminary Results from the 2005 Discovery Cruise E. L. Kenchington and J. Vickers 30 Biodiversity of Macroinvertebrate Communities Within Deep Water Soft Sediments of the Gulf of Maine’s Jordan Basin A. Birch and G. Pohle 31 Benthic Biodiversity in Southwest New Brunswick, Bay of Fundy: Examination of Relationships Between Factors and Species M-I. Buzeta, J. C. Roff, A. A. MacKay, S. M. C. Robinson, R. Singh, W. B. Strong, T. Chopin, and J. D. Martin 32 v Contents Ecology of Passive Pockmarks in Passamaquoddy Bay D. J. Wildish, H. M. Akagi, D. L. McKeown and G. W. Pohle 33 Session 2: Environmental Issues Enhancing Information and Knowledge of the Bay of Fundy E. G. Toms, R. E. Cordes, J. Gao, T. Mackenzie, S. J. Rolston, P. R. Hinch, B. H. MacDonald, and P. G. Wells 37 Persistent Industrial Marine Debris: The Relationship between Marine Debris and Coastal Industrial Activities in Charlotte County New Brunswick C. A. Smith 40 Sedimentation in the Greater Bay of Fundy: A Research Agenda E. Kosters, K. Butler, G. Fader, T. Milligan, K. Muschenheim, R. Parrott, and D. van Proosdij 41 New Brunswick’s Coastal Areas Protection Policy: Meeting Challenges in the Coastal Fringe P. Jordan and M. Janowicz 42 Population Dynamics of the Intertidal Amphipod Corophium volutator: Spatial and Temporal Variation M. A. Barbeau and D. J. Hamilton 48 Session 3: Biodiversity and Ecology: Regional Initiatives Session Three Summary J. Sowles 52 The Gulf of Maine Census of Marine Life Program and an Appeal for Bay of Fundy Participation L. S. Incze and P. Lawton 53 Zoogeography and Changes in Macroinvertebrate Community Diversity of Rocky Intertidal Habitats on the Maine Coast T. J. Trott 54 Re-Evaluation of Signifi cant Areas Identifi ed in the Bay of Fundy: New Criteria, Different Picture? M.-I. Buzeta, R. Singh, and D. D. Duggan 74 Internal Waves Mediate Trophic Relationships and Biodiversity on a Small Offshore Bank L. S. Incze, P. Stevick, S. Kraus, N. Wolff, S. Rosen, A. Baukus 75 An Initiative to DNA Barcode Fishes of the Canadian Atlantic L. Van Guelpen, S. Clifford, P. Bentzen, and E. Kenchington 76 Session 4: Climate Change and Adaptation Session Four Summary G. Lines and K. Hughes 78 vi Contents Atlantic Storm Surge and Tsunami Warning System C. T. O’Reilly, P. N. MacAulay and G. S. Parkes 79 Developing a Real Time Water Level (RTWL) System for Atlantic Canada P. N. MacAulay and C. T. O’Reilly 80 Climate Change Indicators for the Gulf of Maine C. Wake, E. Burakowski, K. McKenzie, G. Lines, T. Huntington, and W. Burtis 91 Atlantic Water Resources and Climate Change: C-CIARN Atlantic C. Gagnon 94 Sea Surface Temperature Changes and Biogeographic Ranges of Commercial Marine Species G. L. Chmura, L. Van Guelpen, G. W. Pohle, S. A. Vereault, and E. A. Flanary 96 Session 5: Salt Marshes: Physical Environment Sessions Five and Seven Summary 98 Methane Accumulation in Sediments of a Northern Salt Marsh, Musquash Estuary, New Brunswick A. M. Pitcher, J. Ollerhead, and D. C. Campbell 99 Spatial and Environmental Variability of Pools on a Natural and a Recovering Salt Marsh in the Bay of Fundy P. E. Noël and G. L. Chmura 100 Moving from Ideas to Action: Are Current Policies Promoting Salt Marsh Restoration in the Bay of Fundy? J. Graham 101 Session 6: Resource Management Session Six Summary M. Rechia and S. Barker 104 Effi cient and Effective Transboundary Governance? A Working Example in the Shared Waters of the Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine M. C. Westhead 105 Development of a Nutrient Guidance Framework for Nearshore Canadian Waters M. Brylinsky 106 Community-Based Resource Management: Promoting Ecological Health and Lasting Livelihoods in the Annapolis Basin D. Sullivan 107 vii Contents Review of the Management of Rockweed (Ascophyllum Nodosum) Harvesting in New Brunswick after a Decade of its Initiation R. A. Ugarte 108 Lobster Habitat Evaluation: Integrating Marine Ecological and Marine Geomatics Approaches in Support of Integrated Coastal Zone Decision Making P. Lawton, R. Singh, and M. B. Strong 117 Session 7: Salt Marshes: Biological Environment and Restoration Sessions Five and Seven Summary 120 Salt Marsh Restoration as an Adaptation Strategy to Future Climate Change and Sea Level Rise in the Bay of Fundy, Canada J. Ollerhead 121 Salt Marsh Species Zonation in the Minas and Cumberland Basins: Using Lidar to Examine Salt Marsh Vegetation K. Millard, T. Webster, H. Stewart, D. Colville and A. Redden 122 Vegetation Distribution at John Lusby, a Recovering Salt Marsh in the Cumberland Basin E. A. Flanary and G. L. Chmura 125 Effects of Nutrient Enrichment on Fundy Salt Marsh Vegetation G. L. Chmura 134 An Evaluation of the Ecological Responses Associated with the Salt Marsh Restoration Project in Musquash, New Brunswick, Canada D. M. Meadus, A. Maxie, D. Hamilton, and J. Ollerhead 135 Session 8: Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy Mapping: Integration of Biological Information into Seafl oor Mapping Session Eight Summary B. Todd and K. Killerain Morrison 138 The Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative: A Regional Collaborative Effort S. L. Ellis, S. A. Snow-Cotter, B. J. Todd, P. C. Valentine, M. C. Tyrrell, T. T. Noji, V. G. Guida, A. L. Beaver and J. D. Case 139 Multibeam Sonar Mapping of the Bay of Fundy Sea Floor R. D. Parrott, J. E. Hughes Clarke, B. J. Todd and G. Rockwell 140 Using Bottom Type and Water Depth Information to Predict Bycatch Species in a Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) Fishery S. J. Smith, V. E. Kostylev, B. J. Todd and C. Frail 141 viii Contents GOMMI’s Approach to Groundtruth Surveys, Data Analysis and Interpolation for Benthic Mapping M. C. Tyrrell and S. L. Ellis 142 Session 9: Monitoring and Management: Community-based Programs Session Nine Summary P. Nash 144 Should Research on Marine Environment Use the Traditional Knowledge of the Fishing Communities? K. L. Stanton, R. W. Morsches and A. Mahtab 145 Marine Habitat Management – Options for Conservation Partnerships M. Janowicz , K. Smukler and P. Taylor 151 The Gulf of Maine Institute (GOMI) J. P. Terry 158 Canada’s National Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Pollution (NPA): The National Programme of Action Atlantic Team: Filling the Gaps in Action on Land-based Sources of Marine Pollution D. Tremblay, M. Janowicz and J. Huston 163 Nearshore Marine Monitoring: The Results of a National Workshop on Coordination F. Hazel, S. St. Jean, S. Courtenay, M. Doyle, A. Sharpe and P. G. Wells 169 Session 10: Sea Bird Ecology, Prey and Contaminants Session Ten Summary R. Ronconi and P. Hicklin 174 Changes in the Seabird Community of Machias Seal Island, 1995–2006 A.W. Diamond 175 Comparing Adult and Chick Diet in Two Alcid Species Using Stable Isotope Analysis A. L. Bond and A. W. Diamond 176 Mercury Levels in Migrating Semipalmated Sandpipers, Calidris pusilla (L.), on Staging Grounds in the Bay of Fundy A. S. Didyk, P. A. Arp, N. Bourgeois, and M. D. B. Burt 180 Use of Alternate Forging Strategies and Food Resources by Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) on mudfl ats in the Upper Bay of Fundy M. G. Ginn and D. J. Hamilton 181 Effect of Density of the Gastropod Ilyanassa obsoleta on Distribution and Movement of the Amphipod Corophium volutator D. Drolet and M. A. Barbeau 183 ix Contents Session 11: Monitoring and Management: Ecosystem Approaches Science for Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management in the Bay of Fundy S.