The Bay of Fundy is a large embayment on the east coast of Canada, approximately 270 km long and covering an area of more than 12,000 km2, that is an integral part of a complex hydrographic system that includes the Gulf of Maine. The Bay is best known for its highest tides in the world, but also represents one of the most productive ecosystems known. It contains and sustains a great variety of fishery and wildlife resources and provides habitat for a number of rare or endemic species, such as the right whale. Surprisingly, there is no single up-to-date source that provides information related to the species biodiversity of the Bay. This website is aimed towards filling this gap. Authoritative information on marine species needs to be easily available to allow for the rapid interpretation of the results of environmental surveys. From lists of species recorded in a site assessment survey or monitoring program, it is possible to determine the type of habitat and whether the fauna and flora appear altered by pollution or other disturbances. Species are valuable for direct commercial reasons (e.g. fisheries, rockweed, stock for aquaculture), for their information value (i.e. as "indicators"), and for education and scientific use. Species are the most widely used indicator of biodiversity, and governments are required to study and protect it, as well as educate the public about it, under the Convention on Biological Diversity. However, the management of biodiversity is compromised by the poor accessibility of authoritative validated information on species. Textbooks rapidly go out of date and specialist books can be expensive, and communication between specialists is not complete. Thus people may incorrectly identify a species, and/or use incorrect names for species, leading to confusion over what species was actually reported.
A prime requisite to protecting the natural environment and promoting the sustainable use of resources is a thorough knowledge of the species inhabiting that environment, i.e. the biodiversity of the ecosystem. Without that knowledge, protection and use management are likely to be ineffective or fail. The first step is a species list of the ecosystem. The list must incorporate the most up-to-date names and be available to disparate managers of the system to avoid miscommunication and errors. Additional information, such as publication sources for identification, species habitat and distribution, and the importance of species ecologically or commercially, is critical to making intelligent management decisions for protection and sustainable use. This project has undertaken the task of accumulating this information into a database available to managers of the environment and its resources. Database: Sources and taxonomic coverage Various resources were used in the creation of the database, including published literature and experts for specific taxa. Groups covered include diatoms, dinoflagellates, marine algae, most invertebrate groups, fishes, shore birds, and marine mammals for a total of circa 2380 species. The taxonomic names are based on three resources: Marine algae, with the exception of dinoflagellates, diatoms, and blue-green algae, are based on "NEA keys to Benthic Marine Algae of the Northeastern Coast of North America from Long Island Sound to the Strait of Belle Isle, 2nd edition (1998)"; dinoflagellates and diatoms, invertebrates, shore birds, and marine mammals are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) website, http://www.itis.usda.gov. The fishes are based on the website FishBase, http://www.fishbase.org/home.htm. Additional information provided on the taxonomy, biology and ecology of taxa includes scientific authority, synonyms, common names, reproduction, diet, predators, habitat, abundance, importance and others (e.g. discrepancies on nomenclature or taxonomic status). The status and completeness of the database is a work in progress. There is a lack of knowledge in certain regions and on particular groups within the Bay of Fundy. This applies, for example, to the infauna of the deep waters of the Bay. Upcoming exploratory research projects at the ARC are aimed to address this issue. As well, more literature research will have to be conducted in filling gaps of certain taxonomic groups, such as Protozoa, Tardigrada and Rotifera, that are not widely studied in the Bay. Partnerships: Over the past three years, various organizations and individuals have contributed to the production of the database and further creation of an on-line searchable interface. The foundation of the project would not have been possible without the sponsorship by the New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government (ETF). The hosting of the site was made possible through the Centre of Marine Biodiversity (CMB) based on technical help from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). Staff from the ARC, a department of the Huntsman Marine Science Centre (HMSC) that is sponsored by DFO, were responsible for the creation of the database and website development. Staff included Amanda McGuire (phase 1), Angela Martin (phase 2) and Don Welshman (website development, phase 3). Scientific authority was guided by Dr. Gerhard Pohle over all three phases, with Lou Van Guelpen in phase I. Special thanks go to Dr. Mark Costello for scientific input into the databases. Contacts: In regards to questions that may arise in browsing the database, queries can be sent to the project managers at arc@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca . Queries should be addressed to Gerhard Pohle or Lou Van Guelpen.
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Introduction:
The Atlantic Reference Centre (ARC), a museum for the identification and archiving of marine species in Atlantic Canada, has a wealth of knowledge based on its collection holdings, staff training, experience, research and library facilities. The present project draws together key aspects of this knowledge with that of other partners (see below) into a database that allows rapid retrieval of information on species found, or likely to occur, in the Bay of Fundy.