Science Advisory Report 2012/053
Science Advice for Identifying Indicators for Monitoring Arctic Marine Biodiversity in Canada
Summary
- The objectives of this science peer review process were to: 1) refine an existing “long list” of parameters and indicators recommended in the Circumpolar Biodiversity Marine Program -Marine Plan (CBMP-MP) for monitoring of Arctic marine biodiversity, 2) recommend a feasible temporal sampling scheme based on information available for individual indicator analyses, and 3) investigate the availability of existing usable data and identify information gaps which can inform future monitoring and research efforts.
- Biodiversity parameters are identified and marine biodiversity indicators are recommended for each of the following focal ecosystem components (FEC): microbes and phytoplankton, metazoan zooplankton, sympagics (i.e., sea-ice biota), benthic organisms (including corals and sponges), seabirds, fishes, and marine mammals (including polar bears).
- Biodiversity parameters to be monitored for microbes and phytoplankton, metazoan zooplankton, and sympagics (i.e., sea-ice biota) include: species richness, abundance, biomass, community composition, biogeography, and boundary shifts. Proposed indicators are listed for each key parameter.
- Biodiversity parameters to be monitored for benthos include: species richness, abundance and biomass. More specifically, key parameters to be monitored for corals and sponges include: species richness (within habitat), abundance, biomass, physiological stress, reproductive success, and anthropogenic disturbance. Proposed indicators for both benthos and corals and sponges are listed for each key parameter.
- Knowledge of marine macrophytes in the Arctic is poor; however, kelp can provide important habitat for food, spawning, and protection and is therefore potentially important to overall ecosystem structure. Three indicators are being recommended for future monitoring in the Canadian Arctic: species richness, abundance, and biomass; however a working paper outlining current work in this field and further examination of the possible indicators is still necessary.
- Biodiversity parameters to be monitored for fishes include: species richness/community composition, abundance, biomass, health and condition, diet, genetics, notable and/or unusual events or observations, boundary shifts, biogeography, and harvest statistics. Proposed indicators for fishes are listed for each key parameter.
- Biodiversity parameters to be monitored for seabirds include: colony size, survivorship, reproductive success, chick diet, harvest statistics, and phenology. Proposed indicators for seabirds are listed for each key parameter.
- Biodiversity parameters to be monitored for marine mammals (including polar bears) include: habitat use, abundance, harvest statistics, population dynamics, health and condition, diet, genetics, and notable and/or unusual events or observations. Proposed indicators for marine mammals are listed for each key parameter.
- Temporal resolution of reporting on status and trends of indicators cannot be determined until existing data are examined more closely. Trends in indicators may be difficult to interpret when sampling is carried out at different times of the year; this can lead to a mismatch between sampling and phenology. For long-term monitoring, it is advantageous to involve communities scattered across the north because this allows for participatory research and/or monitoring involving community members present in the area year round. Collaborative monitoring also allows for collection and inclusion of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK).
- The following areas are recommended for inclusion as new priority subregions for monitoring or extensions of the six previously defined areas because of their importance to one or more trophic levels: 1) Canada Basin, 2) Sanikiluaq/Belcher Island area, 3) Labrador Shelf, 4) Ungava Bay, 5) eastern Southampton Island, and 6) Prince Regent Inlet including Creswell Bay, Eclipse Sound, and Admiralty Inlet.
This Science Advisory Report is from the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat, National peer-review process was held February 6-8, 2012 at the Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg, Manitoba on Identifying Indicators for Monitoring Arctic Marine Biodiversity in Canada. Additional publications from this process will be posted as they become available on the DFO Science Advisory Schedule.
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