Research Document - 2004/012
A geographically-based, ecosystem management strategy for the offshore regions of the Scotian Shelf/Bay of Fundy
By Wildish, D.J., Stewart, P.L.
Abstract
An approach to an ecosystem-based management strategy for benthic ecosystems in the offshore Scotia/Fundy region is presented, which is based on multi-beam acoustics, bottom photography, and sediment mapping, groundtruthed by conventional benthic macrofaunal sampling to detect characteristic habitats and species richness. The overall management goal is to preserve benthic diversity throughout the region. The information will be used in the general model of Sala et al. (2002) to select a proportion of the total area of Scotia/Fundy to be allocated as marine reserves, where human activities will be limited. Geographic sub-divisions of offshore regions of the Scotian Shelf in Scotia/Fundy region, necessary for the process will be based on approximately forty conservation planning areas of unequal size, and conservation planning units (a total of 350 - 800 of unequal size). Choice of conservation planning units (both based on size and total number) will partly depend on an estimate of dispersal distances of larvae of benthic species. Because the proposed methods cannot be applied immediately, we offer some interim management guidelines designed to limit the effects of human activities, particularly benthic trawling, on benthic diversity in the offshore regions of Scotia/Fundy.
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