Taking Action to Protect our Ocean

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DFO Maritimes Region
Taking Action to Protect our Ocean
December 9, 2004
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• Introduction Neil A. Bellefontaine, Regional
  Director General
• Science Michael Sinclair, RD Science
  
• Climate Change Research
• Scotian Shelf Research
• Oceans and Habitat Management Faith Scattolon,
  ARDG
• Sable Gully Marine Protected Area
• Lophelia Coral Conservation Area
• Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Les Burke,
  RD FAM
• Fisheries Economic Profile
• Aquaculture Economic Profile

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MANDATE The lead federal government department
responsible for developing and implementing
policies and programs in support of Canada's
economic, ecological and scientific interests in
oceans.
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Example Research on Climate Change and the
Scotian Shelf
Science
Fisheries Research Marine Environmental
Research Hydrography Oceanography
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Upper Ocean Circulation in the North Atlantic
and Eastern Arctic Oceans
The Labrador Current transports Arctic and
subpolar water south along the Atlantic Canadian
coast

• Formation of deep water during winter cooling
  in the Labrador Sea is
• a major source for the mid-depth waters of the
  global ocean and
• a driving force for the global oceans conveyor
  belt for heat

Labrador Sea
Labrador Current

• Global Warming
• Polar melting
• Fresher lighter surface water
• No deep-water formation?
• No conveyor belt ?
• Glacial periods ?

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Time-Depth Variability of Salinity and
Temperature in the Labrador Sea (from OWS Bravo
BIO surveys)
Yashayaev et al. (OSD)

• Decadal-scale changes to depths of 3000m
• Overall freshening since 1970, except last few
  years
• Intermittent multi-year periods with modification
  of mid-depth waters due to winter cooling mid
  1960s, late 1970s, early 1990s
• Cooling in early 1990s but warming since

Salinity
Temperature
A complex, changing system
1960
1980
2000
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Moored Measurements of Volume and Freshwater
Transports from the Arctic to the Atlantic Ocean

• Barrow Strait / Lancaster Sound
• Current-Meter Moorings since 1998

BIO in Lancaster Sound Other BIO Lead or
Participation Others
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Moored Instrumentation across Lancaster Sound,
2003-04
ULS
South
ICYCLER Site
North
Tide Gauge Upward-Looking Sonar Acoustic Current
Profiler
ICYCLER A new moored profiler to measure
Freshwater Transport below sea ice.
Prinsenberg et al. (OSD)
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Plankton dynamics and water column
properties on the Eastern Scotian
Shelf
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Oceans and Habitat Management

• Habitat Management Program (Fisheries Act,
  Canadian
• Environmental Assessment Act and stewardship)

Oceans Management Program (Canadas Oceans Act
Canadas Oceans Strategy and the Oceans Action
Plan -- Health of the Oceans and Integrated
Oceans Management for Sustainable Development)
Examples Sable Gully Marine Protected Area
Lophelia Coral Conservation Area
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Gully Marine Protected Area
Legal designation in May 2004. Protection for a
unique canyon ecosystem (2360 km2) with diverse
species and habitats.
Prohibits activities that disturb, damage,
destroy or remove living marine organisms or
their habitats. Working with regulators such as
Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board to
manage adjacent activities. Some hook and line
fisheries allowed in the outer zones.
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Gully Marine Protected Area
www.mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/e/essim/essim-gully-e
.html

• Fisheries Management measures and
• multi-agency surveillance strategies
• have been implemented.
• Canadian Hydrographic Service has
• charted the MPA.

• Canadian Coast Guard has issued a Notice to
  Mariners.
• Multi-stakeholder Gully Advisory Committee in
  place.
• Draft MPA Management Plan is being prepared.
• Gully MPA has provided a valuable learning
  experience for oceans management in offshore
  Canadian waters.

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Lophelia Coral Conservation Area

• September 2003 discovery of a Lophelia pertusa
  coral reef complex in
• the Laurentian Channel.
• The reef was damaged and the damage was
  attributed to fishing gear.
• There is bottom fishing activity in the area
  trawl (redfish) and longline
• (halibut).
• A DFO-Industry Working Group was established to
  assist in the
• design of a fisheries closure.
• There was also discussion of the closure with
  ESSIM participants, as
• part of broader coral conservation planning
  efforts.

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• Lophelia Coral Conservation Area

• Variation order closing the
• reef and a small buffer
• around it was put in place in
• June 2004.
• The order prohibits all bottom
• fishing (pelagic fisheries can
• continue).
• The area closed is about 15
• km2
• Recovery of the reef may
• take decades.

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Fisheries and Aquaculture Management
FISHERIES DFOs role is to conserve and protect
Canada's fishery resource and, in partnership
with stakeholders, assure that it is used in a
sustainable manner.
AQUACULTURE DFO is the lead federal agency for
aquaculture and acts as both a regulator and
enabler of the aquaculture sector, consistent
with its role as a department of sustainable
development.
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The Changing Fishery All Species Scotia Fundy
Fisheries Sector
1990 Total Landed Value 438 M
2003 Total Landed Value 830 M
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Highlights in the Fishery- Scotia Fundy
Fisheries Sector (Shellfish)
Scallops
(000,000)
tonnes (000)
Snow crab
tonnes (000)
(000,000)
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Highlights in the Fishery - Scotia Fundy
Fisheries Sector (Shellfish)
Lobster
tonnes (000)
(000,000)
Shrimp
tonnes (000)
(000,000)
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Aquaculture in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick

• A growth industry in NS, valued at over 40
  million in 2003.
• The NB industry was worth 212 million in 2003.
• Provides over 2000 direct jobs in Scotia Fundy
  Fisheries Sector.
• Primary species
• salmon
• trout
• mussels
• oysters
• halibut
• cod

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Taking Action to Protect Fisheries Resources and
Habitat

• Developing priorities in fisheries enforcement.
• Targeting patrols.
• Working to obtain higher penalties.

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Presentation Summary
DFO Maritimes Region Managing the Oceans
through
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Thank you Questions