Documenting the Sea Around Us
Although we find ourselves in the 21st century, seemingly better
equipped and informed than ever before, ecological knowledge, particularly
of the marine realm, at times feels lacking. In Canada, a number
of recent initiatives, such as the ratification of the United
Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the federal-provincial Accord
for the Protection of Species at Risk, the Species at Risk Act,
and the Sea Around Us project attribute a special significance
to marine biodiversity. The various initiatives at documenting
the underwater world highlight the need for more information regarding
lesser-known species. Certainly the high cost of conducting marine
surveys affects our ability to fully document biodiversity. Ship
time is precious and the researcher may be faced with the daunting
task of rapidly identifying many species, some of which are not
often captured in standard fishing gear. And yet, much information
might be obtained to help us understand marine biodiversity and
ecology if more specific identifications could be reported from
scientific and observer surveys.
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Introduction • A Complementary
Tool
With this in mind, the Species at Risk and Biodiversity team of the
Maurice Lamontagne Institute decided to produce a field tool to assist
biologists in identifying and comparing the marine species of fishes
and invertebrates that may be encountered in the Estuary and Northern
Gulf of St. Lawrence. Members of the team participated in a number
of scientific missions in 2001 and 2002, resulting in the collection
of many specimens and images that were then reviewed for identification
by consulting taxonomic keys and biologists. It should be noted that
the Marine Species Identification Guide for the St. Lawrence is
not intended to serve as a complete inventory, nor as a taxonomic
key for all species. It is best used in conjunction with taxonomic
references, as listed in the Bibliography.
This Guide was first produced in 2003 as a CD-ROM:
Nozères, C., and M. Bérubé.
2003. Marine Species Identification Guide for the St. Lawrence. Maurice
Lamontagne Institut, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2003. Fs23-423/2003-MRC.
ISBN 0-662-67214-3.
This Web site is an adaptation of the revised content of the CD-ROM
allowing for a broader access via Internet. It represents also the
most up-to-date version of the Guide.
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Introduction • Taxonomy
Even in today’s connected world, with access to numerous references
and observations, it can be a heady task to be fully confident at
identifying whatever may be in hand. In part this is because taxonomy
is a particular field of science, with legal protocols that can vary
between certain groups of organisms, depending on history and biology
(Minelli 2003). Thus we have controversies regarding the designation
of certain species such as the sand lances (Ammodytes spp.),
the attribution of families within the codfishes, or cases of synonymy
such as Parathemisto for Themisto spp. Latin names
can at times vary, but the common names are even less consistent,
some of which are presented here for convenience and not from actual
usage. This is especially the case with the incredibly diverse crustaceans.
Wherever possible, the most recent Latin name was assigned to the
identified specimen, with the principal references being drawn from
Fishbase, Robins and Ray 1986, Scott and Scott 1988, Squires 1990,
and the FAO Fisheries Synopses. Along with the necessity of consulting
original documents or reprints of taxonomic descriptions, the ease-of-use
of the world-wide web and the interest in biodiversity initiatives
have resulted in the proliferation of web resources, most of which
vary in their coverage and intended purpose. See: Useful
Links.
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Introduction • Specimens
This Guide is principally a documentation of the mid-sized, open-water
fishes and crustaceans as may be typically encountered in the lower
maritime Estuary and Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. The vast diversity
of other fauna, both small and large species, and particularly
from coastal zones is only partially represented here. This is
partly because many guidebooks already exist for these organisms,
and also because our specimens were mostly acquired during scientific
trawling missions, whereupon the kinds of organisms observed are
biased in terms of the fishing gear employed (principally shrimp
and otter-trawls).
Notably, this Guide has incomplete representations for the echinoderms,
the molluscs, the crustacean, and the cnidarians (jellyfishes). New
species will be included in subsequent updates of this Guide.
The conditions experienced while acquiring specimens have meant
that the photos can vary in appearance, depending on equipment, lighting,
and specimen condition (live or frozen). Furthermore, several species
exhibit a wide variability of natural colour forms, and the user
is cautioned not to make identifications solely on the basis of colour,
of either the photos found here, or of what may be encountered in
the field.
In addition to photos, the location of specimens can provide useful
information. Survey data, mainly from missions on the CCGS Alfred
Needler from 1990 to 2002, were used to present simplified distribution
maps for the Estuary and Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. However,
a number of species in this Guide do not have standard records available
for this region. See: How to use
the Guide.
Introduction • Technical
notes
The pictures for this Guide were all taken with digital cameras,
principally the 1.3 MP (megapixel) Sony® Cybershot® P-30
and the 5.0 MP Nikon® Coolpix® 5000.