Research offers deep dive into health of Saint John Harbour ecosystem
New public data is offering new depths of understanding about ecosystems beneath and along Saint John Harbour.
Information from the last five years is now online for projects completed within the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program.
“This program isn’t really about measuring good versus bad, but rather measuring how the harbour is right now at this time,” says Bethany Reinhart, a biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
“The partners we’re working with represent Indigenous organizations, the marine fishing industry, environmental non-profits, academics, and the government. And these are all collecting data on everything from water quality, to fish species, invasive species, seabirds, wetlands, contaminants, and micro plastics.”
The Fundy North Fishermen’s Association is collecting data on Bay of Fundy surface currents to create a model predicting where any oil spill might travel.
“Management decisions and conservation are the goal here,” says Reinhart.
The Atlantic Coastal Action Program – or ACAP Saint John – is tracking seal populations and movements at six different sites on a bi-weekly basis during low tide.
The organization is collecting new data and comparing it to the most recent information collected by Dr. Jack Terhune at the University of New Brunswick in the 1990s.
“We were able to actually study the seals all year round, whereas in the 1990s, the seals actually migrated in the winter,” says Shauna Sands, the conservation coordinator for ACAP Saint John. “So, we’re still seeing seals 12 months out of the year compared to Dr. Terhune’s study where he noted the seals left in December and came back in May.”
'PERFECT LOCATION'
Several locations across the region were considered for the program.
“There would be several great sites in the Maritimes for this work,” says Reinhart. “But the Saint John Harbour is sort of a perfect location for this.”
Reinhart says diverse industrial activity in the harbour, along with the area’s unique tidal patterns, made Saint John a smart site for study.
“It’s also understudied,” says Reinhart. “There were a lot of gaps in the data.”
“There are good and bad things about the Saint John Harbour and it really depends on what you’re looking at, and what you’re measuring and where you’re looking. If you’re measuring contaminants in Marsh Creek versus Bay Shore Beach, you’re going to have really different results. It’s a really complex and dynamic system in Saint John Harbour.
The program’s other Canadian locations include Port of Vancouver and Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Iqaluit in Nunavut, the St. Lawrence Estuary in Quebec, and Placenta Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
1 person killed and 23 injured in a bus crash in northern Maryland, police say
One person was killed and 23 others were injured when a bus crashed early Sunday on Interstate 95 in northern Maryland, police said.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
Chemical spill could be cause of stinky water in Puslinch, Ont., new report says
People living in Puslinch, Ont. may have the answer to why their water smelled so bad last year.