Oceans & Science Branch - Priorities

Aquaculture and Environmental Sciences Division

1. Provide scientific support to our stakeholders in order to optimise mollusc productivity within a healthy environment.
2. Predators, competitors and invasive species: Investigate inter-specific competition between mussels and tunicates, identify factors related to the recruitment of tunicates and other epifaunal species, and study the effects of control measures.
3. Monitoring productivity: Establish long term aquaculture monitoring programs. Investigate the effect of husbandry practices on mollusc productivity. Develop data collection and reporting tools.
4. Population analysis: Develop new survey methods. Apply new methods of analysis. Evaluate the effect of harvesting methods.
5. Benthic ecology: Evaluate the linkage between the benthic assemblage and mollusc productivity to support enhancement and/or restoration activities for molluscan populations.
6. Reproductive and larval biology: Investigate the interactions between mussel aquaculture activities and the physiological fitness, reproductive capacity, and recruitment success of mussels. Evaluate the temporal and spatial variations in scallop spawning and larval development and abundance.
7. Fisheries and Aquaculture Interactions: Evaluate the benefits of oyster restoration, scallop enhancement, and aquaculture in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.

1. Conduct collaborative research on specific shellfish diseases to assess their potential impact on both wild and cultured populations, as well as devise methodologies to circumvent disease-related losses and control disease spread. Examples of such disease studies are: MSX disease of Eastern (native) oysters, haemic and gonadal neoplasias of soft-shell clams, parasite infections of mussels, QPX disease of quahaugs and unexplained mortalities of giant sea scallops and European oysters.
2. Evaluate biomolecular tools such as PCR, RT-PCR, RFLP and ISH for research and regulatory application to fish and shellfish disease screening and specific diagnoses. Examples include MSX, SSO, QPX, Mikrocytos and Bonamia diseases of molluscs as well as ISA and VER-like Nodavirus, Togavirus and VHS-like viruses of finfish.
3. Provide science-based risk assessment advice for evaluation of disease risks posed by introductions of live shellfish into, and between, Atlantic Canadian waters. Provide relevant conditions for licenses issued under the Fisheries Regulations and Fisheries Act to reduce risks posed by live shellfish transfers as well as by exotic animals used for research purposes. This involves membership in the federal-provincial Introductions and Transfers Committees of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Québec, as well as on international assessment committees for the U.S., France (St. Pierre et Miquelon) and Iceland.
4. Provide annual shellfish disease status summaries for submission to the Chief Veterinary Officer for Canada to submit to the Office International des Epizooties (World Animal Health Organization - OIE), and the ICES Working Groups on Pathology and Diseases of Marine Organisms (WGPDMO) and Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO).
5. Provide science lead for contingency plans implemented to control impact and spread of exotic diseases, such as MSX in Canadian shellfish populations. This involves multi-regional and Area Office networking (including National Headquarters), as well as multi-provincial networking. It also involves close working ties to DFO Regional Aquaculture Coordinator, Regulations, Conservation and Protection, and Resource Management.

1. In support of the development of a National Aquatic Animal Health Program (NAAHP), provide scientific and policy advice to amend the existing Fish Health Protection Regulations (FHPR) to become consistent with internationally accepted disease control standards and more efficient and effective at preventing the spread of disease agents.
2. Continue to inspect aquaculture facilities in Atlantic Canada involved in inter-provincial trade of salmonids as stipulated in the existing FHPR until the FHPR sampling procedures have been amended.
3. Continue to gain insight into the health status of wild finfish populations in the Maritime Provinces in order to develop and implement informed and effective Fish Health Policies and Regulations.
4. Collaborate with other government or private agencies to assist in the management and/or research of disease agents that are of concern for the aquaculture industry in the Maritimes.
5. Continue to inventory parasites of marine finfish, and, in collaboration with Aquatic Resources Division, identify species useful in host stock delineation.

1. Provide advice on habitat issues with particular emphasis on oil and gas development and Environmental Effects Monitoring programs of the pulp and paper and mining industries.
2. Develop new and better tools for monitoring marine environmental health of Miramichi Estuary, Richibucto Estuary, Pictou Harbour and others. Continue research projects on developmental abnormalities in fish, susceptibility to endocrine disrupting subtances, and the use of sentinel species and their immune systems to monitor environmental health.
3. Conduct research into harmful algal blooms and conditions under which some species produce the neurotoxin domoic acid. Research projects: toxin production in relation to the alga's life cycle, bacterial involvement in toxin production, domoic acid degradation under natural conditions, phytoplankton bloom dynamics in relation to nutrients in embayments of Prince Edward Island.
4. Investigate the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals on smolting and sea survival in Atlantic salmon.
5. Investigate introduction and spread of exotic nuisance species such as green crab and their impacts on native stocks and fisheries.
6. Plan and implement environmental quality monitoring program for selected near-shore areas with stakeholder involvement.
7. Recruit a research scientist to investigate interactions between aquaculture and the environment and to initiate a program on that topic.
8. Provide scientific advice on habitat issues including oil and gas development, impacts of fish processing plants and Environmental Effects Monitoring programs.

Oceans and Habitat Division

1. Regulatory - Review development proposals ("referrals") to assess their compliance with the Fisheries Act and to determine if there is harmful alteration, disruption, destruction of fish habitat (HADD). Negotiate compensation for HADDs, approve fish passage design and provide expert advice.
2. Provide support to Conservation and Protection Section by conducting investigations and providing advice on violations of the Fisheries Act that relate to fish and its habitat. Provide expert testimony in habitat litigation.
3. Conduct environmental assessments under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) which can be triggered by the Fisheries Act, Navigable Waters Protection Act and/or the National Energy Board Act.

1. Community Outreach and Stewardship - Maintain and strengthen relationships with community conservation groups, First Nations and the general public through various initiatives (e.g. Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability, Atlantic Coastal Action Plan and N.B. Water Classification Program). Help to build capacity in community organisations and participate in community watershed planning processes.
2. Partnerships, Agreements and Protocols - Develop and maintain cooperative arrangements and partnerships on habitat issues with provinces, non-government organisations (NGOs) and industry. Develop and follow up on MoUs with the province of New Brunswick and P.E.I. on habitat management. Develop protocols for collaborative work with NGOs such as Ducks Unlimited.
3. Guidelines, Best Management Practices - Work with industry to design/promote technical guidelines and best management practices to minimise harmful alteration and destruction of fish habitat. Forestry, agriculture and aquaculture are priorities for 2003/04.
4. Habitat Restoration - Review habitat enhancement proposals and conduct habitat improvement activities. Develop a manual of habitat improvement techniques and provide training and technical advice to community groups on habitat enhancement projects. Monitor effectiveness of enhancement projects.
5. Regulatory - Provide engineering and technical advice (e.g. fishway design approvals, instream flow) to other sections of the Oceans and Habitat Division in support of assessments of development proposals and key regional issues.
6. Public Education and Information - Develop communication/educational materials for community organisations, industry, government agencies, NGOs and the general public. Develop lesson plans based on By the Sea modules for use in schools.

1. Strategic Planning and Program Co-ordination - Co-ordinate Regional Oceans & Habitat programs, advance Oceans & Habitat priorities through other federal and provincial agencies, and co-ordinate or provide input for Regional delivery of DFO-wide programs.
2. Emerging Issues - Develop and implement strategic approaches to "emerging" Regional issues (e.g. fish plants effluents, oil and gas industry, invasive species), and manage unique Regional files.
3. Integrated Management Plans - Promote the establishment of stakeholder-driven IM plans that incorporate DFO objectives.
4. Coastal Management Areas (eastern N.B., Gulf N.S. and P.E.I.) - Define and assess CMAs in all three Areas and engage stakeholders.
5. Marine Protected Area (MPA) - Proceed with the designation of Basin Head MPA, implement its operational management plan and identify new Areas of Interest.
6. Geomatics and Information Management - Distribute and implement existing standards for the management of geomatic data and information formats in the areas of Regional IM priority. The group will also facilitate the development of Regional policy in the implementation of these standards and the management of geomatic data.
7. Communication Strategies - Design and implement communication strategies for GOSLIM, MPAs and COS.

Aquatic Resources Division

1. Conduct southern Gulf multi-species survey and herring acoustic survey.
2. Conduct opinion surveys of herring and groundfish fishers.
3. Conduct sampling of commercial catches of fish species and shrimp in Gulf ports of N.B., N.S. and P.E.I. Approximately 350 samples are required.
4. Oversee and analyse data from sentinel surveys conducted by the fishing industry for cod and white hake. Implement changes from the sentinel survey review.
5. Conduct stock assessments for marine fish species and produce stock status reports.
6. Describe stock status and provide advice on marine fish biological issues at advisory committee meetings, at FRCC hearings or in response to ad hoc requests from fishery managers.
7. Conduct research on stock identification and stock structure of marine fish through tagging studies, genetic analyses, morphometric analyses, local fleet acoustics and parasite analyses.
8. Conduct research on cod growth and bioenergetics, ecosystem issues related to marine fish, species-at-risk and relative fishing efficiency of research vessels.
9. Maintain Branch server and marine fish databases, conduct data entry for section and ensure data backups. Acquire and maintain software and hardware.

1. Continuation of Atlantic salmon smolt production estimates from the Northwest Miramichi and Southwest Miramichi branches and the estimation of marine smolt and adult return rates - the first ever for these rivers in over three decades.
2. Continue Atlantic salmon smolt and juvenile production programs on the Margaree River (N.S.) and the Restigouche River (N.B.) to evaluate freshwater productivity.
3. Publication of previous years analyses of seasonal, annual and geopraphic characteristics of run-timing of Atlantic salmon to rivers of eastern Canada.
4. Continue year four of five year American eel biology research. Finalise the life table model of age and growth of American eel for derivation of fisheries management reference points. Continue analysis of characteristics in exploited versus unexploited populations, and telephone surveys of eel fishermen for development of a catch and effort time series.
5. Continued monitoring of striped bass population of southern Gulf with extension of survey coverage into the Gulf of Nova Scotia to assess the extent of bass distibution in those estuaries and rivers.
6. Continue stochastic modelling of water temperatures based on air temperatures - basis of a PhD thesis topic and research on minimum flows in streams and consequences of climate change.
7. Finalise size-selective marine survival study of Atlantic salmon smolts based on scale characteristics.
8. Transfer and archive N.B. aquatic resources data onto the N.B. Aquatic Resources Data Warehouse at the Canadian River Institute at UNB.

1. Trawl Survey - Carry out annual trawl survey in order to provide basic data for stock evaluation and research activities in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) and eastern Nova Scotia (ENS).Carry out special trawl survey in order to study catchability, selectivity and efficiency of the Nephrops trawl. This will serve to improve the population dynamics modelling capabilities in sGSL.
2. Fishery Monitoring - Monitor fisheries activities in order to evaluate general results of fishery (detect stock responses resulting from exploitation in sGSL and ENS.) Monitor soft-shelled crab incidences and provide daily and weekly results of data analysis so new recruits to the fishery are well protected in sGSL and ENS.
3. Population Dynamics Modelling - Biomass estimation, male and female crab abundance by categories (immature, adolescent and adult) as well as their respective geographical distribution in sGSL and ENS. Modelling of snow crab population dynamics in sGSL.
4. Biological Research - Increase capacity to monitor all biological elements of the population, such as population reproductive output (e.g. fecundity, mating success, sex ratio, stock-recruitment relationship) and density-dependent effects (e.g. growth characteristics, global distribution and movement) in sGSL. Study diet and snow crab habitat (role of cannibalism on population fluctuation). Undertake biological research of toad crab (Hyas) population in sGSL.
5. Communication and Administration - Continue to improve relations between science and industry by distributing pertinent information on biology, fishery and other snow crab information in sGSL and ENS.

1. Analyse existing data to determine sampling regime required to obtain representative size compositions.
2. Validate exploitation rates using different methods including SCUBA diving, change-in-ratio, catch-effort, tagging and the trawl survey.
3. Analyse the relationship between abundance, catches and habitat.
4. Develop indices of abundance of pre-recruits and fishable biomass by analysing SCUBA diving data and catch rates of index fishermen.
5. Conduct comparisons of lobster trap types to determine the relative change in efficiency.
6. Conduct a trawl survey in LFA 25 to: calculate mortality rates, size-based changes in catchability and study seasonal movements.
7. Design and organize databases for lobster sampling, index-fishermen and biological data and produce reports for individual fishermen.
8. Analyse rock and toad crab logbooks and landings statistics in order to provide basic information to managers and produce an assessment of the fishery.
9. Expand the network of 25 coastal water temperature sampling sites in collaboration with the Coast Guard. Provide the database to the national registry.
10. Improve one-on-one communication with the industry by providing feedback to fishermen and their communities on research and sampling programs.
11. Organise an ICES workshop on female lobster maturity as a reference point to manage the fishery.