NR-MAR-02-15E

NEW PROJECT TO MAP WHERE FISH SPAWN

October 24, 2002

Dartmouth - The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Maritimes Region, today announced a project to create a detailed atlas of fish-spawning areas on the Scotian Shelf off the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia.

Currently, there is no single comprehensive source of marine spawning information for the Scotian Shelf. Through this project, DFO will identify and map both spawning areas and key nursery and larvae concentration areas for commercial fin fish and shellfish species. It will also indicate the times of year when spawning occurs.

This project stems from increased petroleum exploration activity off Nova Scotia. The environmental assessment (EA) for any exploration proposal must identify potentially harmful environmental effects, as well as strategies to reduce or eliminate those effects. For EA processes, and for ocean planning generally, the atlas will be useful to scientists, managers, regulators, industry, consultants, fishers, other groups and individuals.

Most information for the atlas will be extracted from existing literature and DFO databases, supplemented by information from consultants and species specialists. Work will get under way immediately and should be completed by early 2004.

The costs of developing the atlas will be paid for by the Environmental Studies Research Fund (www.esrfunds.org). The fund is a joint effort of industry and government and is managed by a 12-member advisory board. Its activities are financed through annual levies on the leases that oil companies hold for the right to explore frontier areas.

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