PURPOSE:To quantify impacts of nutrient and sediment loading to plant and animal communities and the environmental conditions that support them in estuaries of the Southern Gulf of St. LawrenceDESCRIPTION:The MEQ monitoring program is being implemented in 35-40 estuaries in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) to support the development of a MEQ measure (threshold) to promote efforts to address nutrient enrichment in estuaries. The two main indicators included in the monitoring program are dissolved oxygen and eelgrass coverage which are used to assess the trophic status of estuaries within the region. The two factors most important for impacting the trophic status of estuaries are nitrogen loading and water residence time, i.e., water circulation. If water residence time is long and/or nitrogen loading is high, nutrient impacts are likely. A peer-reviewed manuscript has demonstrated that these two factors are predictive of the dissolved oxygen regime in the upper estuary and that publication successfully used dissolved oxygen to ascribe trophic status to estuaries. In a companion paper it was also determined that nitrogen loading was negatively correlated with eelgrass coverage. These two papers form the basis of the MEQ monitoring program (see attached). NOTES ON QUALITY CONTROL:Dissolved oxygen loggers require calibration prior to deployment and are checked for drift after retrieval (though drift isn't anticipated given optical sensor technology). In the event that dissolved oxygen loggers weren't cleared at a frequency sufficient to prevent data errors from occurring these data are removed prior to analysis. Additionally, data must be scrubbed of erroneous measurements which are relatively rare and very apparent. An error code of -888.88 is the primary error for dissolved oxygen loggers. Salinity probes rarely provide erroneous data and when they do it is typically the result of fouling.PHYSICAL SAMPLE DETAILS:Water is sampled bi-weekly to monthly using a Niskin water sampler at a depth of 0.5 m from the water surface, from May-November. Samples are processed in the laboratory in duplicate for chlorophyll a and seston within ~8 hours of being collected.SAMPLING METHODS:For each study estuary, dissolved oxygen is monitored continuously with optical dissolved oxygen loggers in the upper and mid-estuary. Tidal amplitude and salinity (NB and NS only) were also monitored at the upper estuary location only. Depth profiles for other water quality variables are taken at the bi-weekly or monthly scale as well as samples for seston (NB and NS only) and chlorophyll a (a proxy for phytoplankton). These parameters are monitored on a 3-year cycle except for two sites in PE and one site in NB and NS which are monitored annually: West and Wheatley, PE, Cocagne, NB and Pugwash, NS, respectively.Data is collected for eelgrass coverage by a collaborator between June-September, ideally during the same year we collect water quality data.Collaborators include the province of PEI’s Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change and the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability.USE LIMITATION:To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

A towfish containing sidescan and video hardware was used to map eelgrass in two shallow northern New Brunswick estuaries. The sidescan and video data were useful in documenting suspected impacts of oyster aquaculture gear and eutrophication on eelgrass. With one boat and a crew of three, the mapping was accomplished at a rate of almost 10 km2 per day. That rate far exceeds what could be accomplished by a SCUBA based survey with the same crew. Moreover, the towfish survey applied with a complementary echosounder survey is potentially a more cost effective mapping method than satellite based remote sensing.Cite this data as: Vandermeulen H. Data of: Bay Scale Assessment of Eelgrass Beds Using Sidescan and Video - Shippagan 2007. Published: November 2019. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/6454594e-c8f9-41c4-801a-db125b8a8875

The assessment of the status of eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds at the bay-scale in turbid, shallow estuaries is problematic. The bay-scale assessment (i.e., tens of km) of eelgrass beds usually involves remote sensing methods such as aerial photography or satellite imagery. These methods can fail if the water column is turbid, as is the case for many shallow estuaries on Canada’s eastern seaboard. A novel towfish package was developed for the bay-scale assessment of eelgrass beds irrespective of water column turbidity. The towfish consisted of an underwater video camera with scaling lasers, sidescan sonar and a transponder-based positioning system. The towfish was deployed along predetermined transects in three northern New Brunswick estuaries. Maps were created of eelgrass cover and health (epiphyte load) and ancillary bottom features such as benthic algal growth, bacterial mats (Beggiatoa) and oysters. All three estuaries had accumulations of material reminiscent of the oomycete Leptomitus, although it was not positively identified in our study. Tabusintac held the most extensive eelgrass beds of the best health. Cocagne had the lowest scores for eelgrass health, while Bouctouche was slightly better. The towfish method proved to be cost effective and useful for the bay-scale assessment of eelgrass beds to sub-meter precision in real time.Cite this data as: Vandermeulen H. Data of: Bay Scale Assessment of Eelgrass Beds Using Sidescan and Video - Bouctouche. Published: November 2017. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/b4c83cd2-20f2-47d8-8614-08c1c44c9d8c

The assessment of the status of eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds at the bay-scale in turbid, shallow estuaries is problematic. The bay-scale assessment (i.e., tens of km) of eelgrass beds usually involves remote sensing methods such as aerial photography or satellite imagery. These methods can fail if the water column is turbid, as is the case for many shallow estuaries on Canada’s eastern seaboard. A novel towfish package was developed for the bay-scale assessment of eelgrass beds irrespective of water column turbidity. The towfish consisted of an underwater video camera with scaling lasers, sidescan sonar and a transponder-based positioning system. The towfish was deployed along predetermined transects in three northern New Brunswick estuaries. Maps were created of eelgrass cover and health (epiphyte load) and ancillary bottom features such as benthic algal growth, bacterial mats (Beggiatoa) and oysters. All three estuaries had accumulations of material reminiscent of the oomycete Leptomitus, although it was not positively identified in our study. Tabusintac held the most extensive eelgrass beds of the best health. Cocagne had the lowest scores for eelgrass health, while Bouctouche was slightly better. The towfish method proved to be cost effective and useful for the bay-scale assessment of eelgrass beds to sub-meter precision in real time.Cite this data as: Vandermeulen H. Data of: Bay Scale Assessment of Eelgrass Beds Using Sidescan and Video -Tabusintac 2008. Published: March 2021. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/d1c58bc6-69d4-47b2-bb19-988f88233900

The assessment of the status of eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds at the bay-scale in turbid, shallow estuaries is problematic. The bay-scale assessment (i.e., tens of km) of eelgrass beds usually involves remote sensing methods such as aerial photography or satellite imagery. These methods can fail if the water column is turbid, as is the case for many shallow estuaries on Canada’s eastern seaboard. A novel towfish package was developed for the bay-scale assessment of eelgrass beds irrespective of water column turbidity. The towfish consisted of an underwater video camera with scaling lasers, sidescan sonar and a transponder-based positioning system. The towfish was deployed along predetermined transects in three northern New Brunswick estuaries. Maps were created of eelgrass cover and health (epiphyte load) and ancillary bottom features such as benthic algal growth, bacterial mats (Beggiatoa) and oysters. All three estuaries had accumulations of material reminiscent of the oomycete Leptomitus, although it was not positively identified in our study. Tabusintac held the most extensive eelgrass beds of the best health. Cocagne had the lowest scores for eelgrass health, while Bouctouche was slightly better. The towfish method proved to be cost effective and useful for the bay-scale assessment of eelgrass beds to sub-meter precision in real time.Cite this data as: Vandermeulen H. Data of: Bay Scale Assessment of Eelgrass Using Sidescan and Video - Cocagne 2008. Published: November 2019. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/431c815e-65f0-477b-9389-060fa41ec955

The province of PEI has been monitoring dissolved oxygen in some Island estuaries since 2015.

This dataset contains the abundance (per m²) and the biomass (mg dry per m²) of macrofauna (≥ 500µm) in eelgrass and adjacent bare soft sediments, collected at sites in the Atlantic of Nova Scotia from 2009 to 2013.Cite this data as: Wong M.C. Data of Benthic invertebrates in seagrass and bare soft sediments in Atlantic Nova Scotia Published May 2020. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/05d5f46a-7f19-11ea-8a4e-1860247f53e3Publications: Wong, M. C., & Dowd, M. (2021). Functional trait complementarity and dominance both determine benthic secondary production in temperate seagrass beds. Ecosphere. 12(11), e03794. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3794Wong, M. C. (2018). Secondary Production of Macrobenthic Communities in Seagrass (Zostera marina, Eelgrass) Beds and Bare Soft Sediments Across Differing Environmental Conditions in Atlantic Canada. Estuaries and Coasts, 41, 536–548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0286-2

The province of PEI has been monitoring dissolved oxygen in some Island estuaries since 2015.

A towfish containing sidescan and video hardware was used to map eelgrass in two shallow northern New Brunswick estuaries. The sidescan and video data were useful in documenting suspected impacts of oyster aquaculture gear and eutrophication on eelgrass. With one boat and a crew of three, the mapping was accomplished at a rate of almost 10 km2 per day. That rate far exceeds what could be accomplished by a SCUBA based survey with the same crew. Moreover, the towfish survey applied with a complementary echosounder survey is potentially a more cost effective mapping method than satellite based remote sensing.Cite this data as: Vandermeulen H. Data of: Bay Scale Assessment of Eelgrass Beds Using Sidescan and Video - Richibucto 2007. Published: October 2017. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/ca7af8ba-8810-4de5-aa91-473613b0b38d

Each summer, environmental community groups collect important data to determine if groupings of fish, shrimp and crab – what is called a community- can be used as an indicator of the health status of bays and estuaries. Sampling was conducted from May through September for the first years then from June through August. In 2018 and 2019, the sampling was conducted just once in each estuary. Community group members and staff sample six stations once a month in their designated estuary.Fish, shrimps and crabs are collected with a beach seine net and later released live back to the water once identified and counted. From this, the community groups provide important information to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, including:- identification and numbers of fish, shrimp and crab species;- water conditions and samples;- information on aquatic plants;- sediment samples.With this information, Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists working with government agencies and universities can conduct analyses to determine the suitability of indicators to assess the health of bays and estuaries.PARAMETERS COLLECTED:Parameters: abundance, species richness, species developmental stage (young-of-the-year or adult), water temperature, water salinity, water dissolved oxygen, dissolved inorganic nutrient (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate), sediment % organic content, sediment % humidity content and sediment mean grain size, % submerged aquatic vegetation coverNOTES ON QUALITY CONTROL:Data entry into Excel and first quality control verification is done by CAMP summer students. A second quality control verification is done by DFO staff. See publ # 2823 attached to this record.In 2018, the historical data was migrated into a relationship database. From this year on, annual data will be entered into the database using a custom application. The application front end has numerous QC elements built-in.SAMPLING METHODS:Please see the following URL for sampling details: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/319437.pdf