Integrated Management Planning
Placentia Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
Table of Contents
- Complete Text
- Integrated Management (IM)
- Why Placentia Bay?
- Introduction
- Coastal Landforms (Geomorphology)
- Community Based Coastal Resource Inventories
- Shipping Lanes and Water Depth (Bathymetry)
- Plants and Animals
- Fisheries and Aquaculture
- Ecological Reserves and Special Places
- Industry
- Current Status
- References
Plants and Animals
Rockweeds and knotted wrack dominate the rocky intertidal zones of Placentia Bay. Cobble and small boulder habitats may support Corallina algae and/or sour weed.Footnote 17 The abundance and diversity of plant life relate to the sediment type and exposure, and are also indicators of sediment and water quality. In sheltered subtidal areas, filamentous brown, green and red algae, fucoids (such as rockweed) and kelps are present. In deeper waters, there is typically a sporadic occurrence of kelp and short filamentous brown algae.Footnote 4
The productive Labrador Current and the Gulf Stream both influence oceanographic conditions within Placentia Bay and provide rich feeding grounds for marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seals, as well as numerous finfish and shellfish species. The coastal waters also offer cliffs and islands suitable for the nesting of seabirds, waterfowl and raptors. Some of these marine mammals and animals are full time residents of the bay, while others migrate annually or are occasional visitors. Exceptional visitors to the bay include the endangered harlequin duck and the endangered leatherback sea turtle, the largest known reptile in existence today.
Placentia Bay is home to approximately 26 species of seabirds, 13 species of waterfowl, 10 species of shorebirds and seven significant species of raptors. All of these are known to inhabit the bay either seasonally or on a permanent basis, with approximately 28 species being late spring/summer/early fall visitors and at least 15 species breeding there.
The area is home to at least 14 groundfish species including Atlantic cod, lumpfish and winter flounder; nine species of pelagic fish including mackerel, herring and capelin; seven species of shellfish including snow crab, lobster and scallop.Footnote 5 There are approximately 14 marine mammals and one significant reptile that seasonally or permanently inhabit Placentia Bay. The marine mammals and reptile consist of 10 whale species, three seal species, the river otter and the leatherback sea turtle.Footnote 16 The tables presented list some of the marine birds, fish, mammals and reptile species present throughout the bay.
Marine Finfish and Shellfish Present in Placentia Bay
Groundfish
- Cunner
- Radiated Shanny
- Flounder
- Arctic Shanny
- Arctic Eelpout
- Lumpfish
- Ocean Pout
- Wrymouth
- Sculpin
- Winter Flounder
- Skate
- Tomcod
- Atlantic Cod
Pelagics
- Sand Lance
- Smelt
- American Eel
- Brown Trout
- Atlantic Salmon
- Herring
- Capelin
- Mackerel
- Stickleback
Shellfish
- Sea Snail
- Lobster
- Mussel
- Scallop
- Snow Crab
Marine Mammals and Reptiles Present in Placentia Bay
Baleen Whales
- Humpback Whale
- Blue Whale
- Sei Whale
- Fin Whale
- Minke Whale
Toothed Whales
- Long-finned Pilot Whale
- Atlantic White-sided Dolphin
- White-beaked Dolphin
- Common Dolphin
- Harbour Porpoise
Seals
- Harbour Seal
- Grey Seal
- Harp Seal
Other
- River Otter
- Leatherback Sea Turtle
Species | Visitation Period |
Great Cormorant | Summer feeding |
Double-crested Cormorant | Summer feeding |
Black Guillemot | Summer breeding, winter |
Razorbill | Summer breeding/feeding |
Common Murre | Summer feeding |
Thick-billed Murre | Winter/spring feeding |
Atlantic Puffin | Summer feeding |
Northern Gannet | Summer/fall feeding |
Northern Fulmar | Summer/fall feeding |
Greater Shearwater | Spring/summer feeding |
Sooty Shearwater | Spring/summer feeding |
Manx Shearwater | Occasional feeding |
Herring Gull | Year round breeding |
Greater Black-backed Gull | Year round breeding |
Ring-billed Gull | Year round breeding |
Glaucous and Iceland Gulls | Winter |
Dovekie | Winter |
Great and South Polar Skuas | Rare summer |
Parasitic and Pomarine Jaegers | Rare summer |
Black-legged Kittiwake | Summer breeding, uncommon in winter |
Leach's Storm-Petrel | Summer breeding, small numbers |
Common Tern | Year round breeding |
Arctic Tern | Year round breeding |
Species | Visitation Period |
Bald Eagle | Year round breeding |
Osprey | Year round breeding |
Species | Visitation Period |
Common Loon | Summer (freshwater), winter (coastal) |
Red-necked Grebe | Winter |
Canada Goose | Spring/summer/fall breeding |
Black Duck | Summer (freshwater), winter (intertidal) |
Green-winged Teal | Summer/fall |
Common Eider | Fall/winter/spring |
King Eider | Fall/winter |
White-winged, Surf and Black Scoters | Fall migrants, winter |
Oldsquaw | Fall/winter/spring |
Common Goldeneye | Summer |
Common Merganser | Summer |
Red-breasted Merganser | Year round breeding |
Greater Scaup | Fall |
Species | Visitation Period |
Greater Yellowlegs | Spring/summer breeding |
Spotted Sandpiper | Spring/summer breeding |
Purple Sandpiper | Winter |
Least Sandpiper | Late summer/fall breeding (intertidal) |
Wilson's, Northern and Red Phalaropes | Occasional spring/summer |
Whimbrel | Late summer |
Semipalmated Plover | Late summer/fall (intertidal) |
Semipalmated Sandpiper | Late summer/fall (intertidal) |
Ruddy Turnstone | Late summer/fall (intertidal) |
Sanderling | Late summer/fall (intertidal) |
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