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Science Advisory Process on Does eel grass meet the criteria as an Ecologically Significant Species?

March 4 to 5, 2009

Champlain Coastal Inn, Dieppe, NB

Context

Canada’s Oceans Act promotes an Ecosystem Approach to the integrated management of human activities. Integrated management plans must include objectives intended to protect the ecosystem. A such, enhanced protection should be provided to species and community properties that are particularly significant to maintaining ecosystem structure and function. The identification of Ecologically Significant Species (ESS) is a tool for calling attention to a species or community property that has particularly high ecological significance. ESS is one of the four conservation priorities to be considered in the development of conservation objectives.

The estuary and coastal areas have been exposed to extensive human activities. The initiative to develop coastal tools to facilitate integrated management would benefit from the identification of ESS. A species/group that has received attention in recent years are the aquatic macrophytes which are common within the subtidal zones of coastal areas. One species in particular, eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) provides three dimensional structure considered important to biodiversity and productivity and as such potentially corresponds to a category type 2 ESS as described by DFO (2006).

In order to consider eel grass as an Ecologically Significant Species, the following conditions must be met:

  1. By its structure (i.e. as emergent from the seafloor), it creates habitat that is used preferentially by other species,
  2. It physically support(s) other biota, and provides either settlement substrate or protection for this associated community, and
  3. It is abundant enough and sufficiently widely distributed to influence the overall ecology (e.g.: biodiversity) of that habitat.

DFO Oceans has requested advice on whether eel grass (Zostera marina L.) meets the criteria as an Ecologically Significant Species. The proposed meeting is zonal in scope as eelgrass are found throughout eastern Canada.

Objectives

The objectives of the meeting are to review the functional role of eelgrass within the estuarine and coastal ecosystem. The review should include an assessment of the quantity of the species present, the temporal variation in its distribution and abundance, the quality of the structural habitat being provided, and the significance of the structural habitat to the overall ecosystem structure and function.

Specifically, the following will be considered:

  1. summary of physical, chemical requirements of eelgrass including thresholds for growth and survival if available,
  2. spatial distribution of eelgrass within eastern Canada,
  3. temporal variation in eelgrass abundance and factors contributing to the variation, if possible,
  4. evidence of preferential use and function of eelgrass habitat by other aquatic organisms,
  5. role of eelgrass in the overall ecology of the aquatic habitat, and
  6. conclusion on whether eelgrass can be considered an ESS under the pre-defined criteria.

Outputs

A CSAS proceedings report describing the information reviewed, the discussions and conclusions for each term of reference.
If the meeting concludes that eelgrass can be considered an ESS under the criteria defined in DFO (2006), then a Science Advisory Report will be produced.
Supporting documents in the form of Research Documents, or other publication series, in support of an advisory report based on information brought to the meeting.

Participation

Participation at the meeting may include:

 

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