Science Response 2018/005

Delineating Important Ecological Features of the Evangeline-Cape Blomidon-Minas Basin Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA)

Context

In 2012, a number of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) were identified in the Bay of Fundy through a Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Maritimes Region Science Advisory Process, including the Evangeline - Cape Blomidon - Minas Basin area (DFO 2012, Buzeta 2014). The area captures features with characteristics that fit with DFO’s criteria for EBSAs (Buzeta 2014).

The Evangeline - Cape Blomidon - Minas Basin EBSA (hereafter referred to as the Minas Basin EBSA) was recognized as important in several reports documenting unique and significant habitat features in the Bay of Fundy region (Buzeta et al. 2003, Buzeta 2014). The Minas Basin EBSA encompasses a very large area, containing the Minas Channel, Minas Passage, Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay marine regions of Nova Scotia, hosting a variety of habitats important for diverse coastal and marine fauna. Buzeta (2014) described the spatial and temporal aspects of many of these features in general terms. Subsequently, further research has generated additional information pertaining to some of the features. While identification as an EBSA is not a legal designation, information on ecological features within the area can be used in sustainable management of marine resources and activities. To ensure the most up-to-date information on the important documented features of the Minas Basin EBSA are available for management decisions, DFO Oceans and Coastal Management Division, Maritimes Region, requested DFO Science advice on the important ecological features of the Minas Basin EBSA and their extent. As not all the features occur year-round, it was also important to document the seasonality of the features.^{Footnote 1}

A consultant was hired to review recent literature, consult government data holdings (DFO, Canadian Wildlife Service and Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources) and, where possible, prepare maps that identified and delineated significant EBSA features. A Science Response process was used to review this report and provide a summary of available information on the defined ecological features of the EBSA.

This Science Response Report resulted from the Science Response Process March 1, 2017, on the Science Response to the Delineation of Important Ecological Features in the Evangeline-Cape Blomidon-Minas Basin Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA).

Additional publications from this meeting will be posted on the DFO Science Advisory Schedule as they become available.

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