Terms of Reference

DEPOMOD Predictions for an Aquaculture Site at Cheney Head, New Brunswick

Regional Science Special Response Process (SSRP) – Maritimes Region

June 2012
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Chairperson: Trevor Floyd

Context

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Habitat Management Division (HMD), Maritimes Region is reviewing a request for an increase in production at a marine finfish aquaculture site at Cheney Head, New Brunswick, to determine if it is likely to result in negative impacts to fish and fish habitat and will be providing advice to the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries (NBDAAF) as part of the provincial application process for production increases.

On April 19, 2012, Habitat Management requested that DFO Maritimes Science provide advice on the potential for organic enrichment related to the proposed increase in production at the existing finfish aquaculture site in Cheney Head, New Brunswick.

Objectives

The objective of the SSRP is to provide science advice on the following questions:

1. When running DEPOMOD with resuspension off, what is the area of sensitivity for organic enrichment predicted for the aquaculture based on a stocking level of 500,000 fish at the
   1. maximum daily feed rate?
   2. average daily feed rate?
      
      
2. When running DEPOMOD with resuspension on what is the area of sensitivity for organic enrichment predicted for the aquaculture site based on a stocking level of 500,000 fish at the
   1. maximum daily feed rate?
   2. average daily feed rate?
      
      
3. At what daily feed rate would the carbon deposition rate of 5 g/m²/d be exceeded, and what level of stocking would that support when running DEPOMOD with: 
   1. resuspension off?
   2. resuspension on?
      
      
4. Using feed rates from the Cheney Head site during the time of Tier I monitoring in 2010 and 2011, how do DEPOMOD predictions compare to actual monitoring results when running the model with
   1. resuspension off?
   2. resuspension on?

Expected Publications

• Science Response

Participation

• DFO Science Branch
• DFO Ecosystem Management
• DFO Fisheries and Aquaculture Management