THE SABLE GULLY

The Sable Gully is a deep submarine canyon located 200 kilometers from Nova Scotia, to the east of Sable Island, on the edge of the Scotian Shelf. Here the seafloor suddenly drops away over two kilometers. This large and deep undersea valley or canyon was formed thousands of years ago by erosion when sea levels were much lower. It is over 70 kilometers long and 20 kilometers wide. The Gully is one of the most prominent undersea features on the east coast of Canada.

In 1998, DFO, with participation from other government agencies, universities, and non-government organizations, completed a Gully Science Review. The Review was an effort to assemble all the existing information about the Gully, to describe its biological and physical features, and to attempt to describe how the Gully ecosystem functions.

The Science Review was successful in bring together information and analysis from a number of sources, focusing on a variety of biological and physical features of the area. However, the Review also highlighted that there are a number of information gaps in our understanding of the Sable Gully ecosystem.

A Gully Conservation Strategy was developed following the completion of the Science Review. The Conservation Strategy drew upon the information and analysis of the Review and included recommendations to conserve and protect the Gully ecosystem.

In December 1998 the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans responded to those recommendations by announcing the Sable Gully as a "pilot" Marine Protected Area. Essentially, this means that the Sable Gully is being considered as a potential MPA under the Department's MPA program. By increasing our understanding of the Sable Gully ecosystem, we will be able to make better decisions about the management measures that are needed to conserve and protect this unique submarine canyon.

The research funding that we are announcing today will help fill some of the information gaps found in the Science Review. It will be used for a variety of research projects in the Sable Gully area. Over the next two years this project will focus on several broad areas of study. It will include physical oceanography, ocean productivity and benthic ecology.

These studies will include:

• assessing life on the ocean bottom, using underwater video taping techniques developed at BIO
• assessing the circulation and water movements of the area, and
• identifying the species that use this habitat and how they relate to each other

This will include both new field work and a reassessment of previously collected information. This will result in a more comprehensive view of the ecology of the area. It will also provide more information in support of the actions the Department will be taking to conserve and protect the area.