Research Document 2019/025
Biophysical and Ecological Overview of the Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest (AOI)
By Jeffery, N.W., Heaslip, S.G., Stevens, L.A., and Stanley, R.R.E.
Abstract
The Biophysical and Ecological Overview of the Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest (AOI) summarizes what is known about key physical and biological components of the Eastern Shore Islands ecosystem. These key attributes and description of their ecosystem function can be used to inform the development of Conservation Objectives and management measures, should the study area be established as a Marine Protected Area under Canada’s Oceans Act. The Eastern Shore Islands is a unique and complex archipelago system that has low human impact and a high degree of naturalness. Diverse habitat types consisting of bedrock, cobble, and sandy substrates, Eelgrass (Zostera marina), Rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum), kelp beds, mud flats, and salt marshes are associated with the more than 200 nearshore islands encompassed within the AOI boundaries. These habitats provide important nesting, foraging, and overwintering habitat for large numbers of marine birds, including two endangered species – the Roseate Tern (Sterna dougalli) and Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). Eelgrass and kelp beds provide important habitat for juvenile groundfish in this region, including Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) and Pollock (Pollachius virens). Subtidal Rockweed beds in the AOI have higher species richness and abundance of associated fish and invertebrates compared to southern Nova Scotia and areas devoid of Rockweed. The Eastern Shore Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus)spawning area, an important component of the coastal spawning component, overlaps with the western portion of the AOI. Rivers and estuaries leading into the study area provide important migratory habitat for diadromous fishes including American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) and Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar; assessed as Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)), which migrate through the AOI to reach feeding and spawning areas. American Lobster (Homarus americanus), found throughout the study area, support an important commercial fishery in the Eastern Shore. Other invertebrates common to the area include molluscs, echinoderms, crustaceans, tunicates, and polychaetes that are associated with high habitat heterogeneity. Within the Eastern Shore Islands AOI, Harbour Seals are present and there are two inshore colonies of Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus), but otherwise the area has no recorded significant habitat for other marine mammal species. The area is highly natural, with lower levels of contaminants in the water and sediments, lower human impacts, and fewer invasive species than southern Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy. The diversity and complexity of this highly natural habitat, in conjunction with juvenile fish nurseries and extensive marine bird foraging grounds, make this a unique and important ecosystem to the Scotian Shelf Bioregion. Though the full extent of biological diversity has yet to be quantified, it is likely that the unique habitat characteristics of the AOI are associated with a distinctive and diverse assemblage of bird, fish, and invertebrate species.
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