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Research Document - 2014/001

Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area (MPA): Data Assessment

By A. Cooper, M. Abbott, K. Allard, B. Chang, S. Courtenay, P. Doherty, M. Greenlaw, E. Ipsen, T. Koropatnick, B. Law, R. Losier, J. Martin, D. Methven, and F. Page

Abstract

The Musquash Estuary is located 20 km southwest of Saint John, New Brunswick. On December 14, 2006, the lands and water in the Musquash Estuary up to mean low water were designated a Marine Protected Area (MPA) through regulations pursuant to Canada’s Ocean Act. Fifteen indicators have been proposed in the framework to monitor the conservation objectives that have been established for managing the MPA and Administered Intertidal Area.

A range of protocols and strategies have also been proposed to monitor each of the identified indicators. Although management actions are currently being undertaken to regulate human activities in the protected area, an understanding of the baseline state of the ecosystem in the estuary is required in order to determine the success of Fisheries and Oceans Canada management actions. This document presents a summary of the current research and monitoring activities undertaken by individual researchers, stakeholder groups and interested government departments within the Musquash MPA and surrounding area. These results were used to assess whether the research and monitoring activities to date in the MPA have provided an adequate baseline upon which to base future monitoring activities and whether the indicators are likely to be effective in assessing ecosystem change. Results indicate that sampling activities to date have provided adequate baseline data on fish assemblages, benthic diversity, sediment characteristics, and physical oceanography for the Musquash Estuary. Current commercial and recreational fishing data is not at a scale that is useful for monitoring. Although the spatial and temporal extent of natural variation has yet to be determined for the proposed monitoring indicators, the results of the baseline data collection should be incorporated into a monitoring plan, as the foundation for future monitoring activity.

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