Research Activities

1998 Gully Science Review

The basis for any conservation action begins with an assessment and evaluation of what is known about the environment and ecology of the area. Therefore, as a first step in developing the Gully Conservation Strategy, DFO coordinated a thorough scientific review, beginning in July 1997, to establish the state of knowledge of its environment and ecosystem of The Gully.

More specifically, the objective of the review was to:

"provide a description of the environment and ecosystem(s) of the Gully and surrounding area and frame this information in the context of greater Scotian Shelf system".

Thirty-two scientific experts from DFO, other federal natural resource departments, universities, and other NGOs contributed to the Science Review, which describes what is presently known about the Region's geology, oceanography, benthos, fish, seabirds and mammals. The individual reports: i) describe the sources of scientific information available for the Gully region; ii) provide an interpretation of the data with regard to general as well as unique or special features; and, iii) identify information and data gaps where they exist.

A Maritimes Regional Habitat Status Report was prepared to summarize the findings of the Science Review (9 pages). A meeting was held on February 10 and 11, 1998 to present and assess the Science Review. The results of that session, held by the Regional Advisory Process (RAP), are reported in a Canadian Stock Assessment Proceedings Series document (41 pages). The Science Review was published as a 13 chapter Research Document by the Canadian Stock Assessment Secretariat (abstract only) (281 pages): The Gully: A Scientific Review of its Environment and Ecosystem.

Gully Ecosystem Science Program

The Science Review conducted in 1998 identified many information gaps in our understanding of The Gully ecosystem. In 1999, Fisheries and Oceans Canada funded a two-year research program to help fill some of these information gaps. Funded projects investigated seasonal and tidal circulation, internal waves, nutrients, primary production, zooplankton, benthic habitat and communities. On 2 May 2001, a Gully Science Review meeting was held at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. Participating scientists presented and discussed the available results. A summary of the proceedings is available in the following report:

Advances in Understanding The Gully Ecosystem: A Summary of Research Projects Conducted at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (1999-2001), edited by D. Gordon and D. Fenton. (2002). Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2377: vi + 84p.

Discussion of The Gully also occured in June 2000 at a workshop on the Ecosystem Considerations for the Eastern Scotian Shelf Integrated Management (ESSIM) Area.

Related Science and Research

Cetacean Science at Dalhousie University
http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca

In 2003, the Centre for Offshore Oil and Gas Environmental Research (COOGER) coordinated acoustical and biological studies in conjunction with seismic exploration programs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate distribution and abundance of marine mammals in the Gully and to evaluate their exposure to sounds before and during the deployment of seismic arrays.