Sources of Water Contributed to the Bay of Fundy by Surface Circulation

1960 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean F. Bumpus
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Annual Cycle ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Eastern Side ◽  
Surface Circulation ◽  
Surface Drift

The returns from the 35,000 drift bottles launched in the Gulf of Maine area since 1919 have been analyzed to determine the annual cycle of surface drift. The source of surface flow into the Bay of Fundy expands from a minimum during January in the offing of the eastern side of the bay to a maximum in May which includes most of Georges Bank, the Gulf of Maine and the southwestern Scotian Shelf, then commencing in September gradually contracts toward the minimum.Secular variations in the removal of surface water from the Bay of Fundy, indicative of changes in the Maine eddy, were noted during 1957 and 1958.

Advancing an Ecosystem Approach in the Gulf of Maine

2012 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Fishing Industry ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
The West ◽  
Management Guidance ◽  
Natural Foods

<i>Abstract</i>.—The Gulf of Maine (GoM) may have defined borders to some, but to the Canadian fishing industry, it carries a flow of larvae, nutrients, and other resources that help sustain the fishery from Georges Bank to the West Scotian Slope to the Bay of Fundy and all points in between. The GoM provides a source of wealth to people and communities, as well as supplying what may be one of the last natural foods on the planet. The fishing industry has been using the GoM for centuries, yet it is only recently that monitoring and data gathering has been taking place. In my opinion, we can extract much more value from the fisheries than we presently do. If the fisheries resource of the GoM is not delivering its full potential, who is ultimately responsible and accountable? In the past decade, transboundary groundfish resources from Georges Bank have been successfully managed through the Transboundary Management Guidance Committee. We can improve decision making even further in a greater ecosystem context, recognizing that decisions have to be made with the information available. An ecosystem approach to fisheries proposes a pragmatic view based on assessing the risk of not meeting agreed objectives.

Advancing an Ecosystem Approach in the Gulf of Maine

2012 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Monitoring Programs ◽  
Zooplankton Dynamics ◽  
Biological Environment

<i>Abstract</i>.—Zooplankton communities perform a critical role as secondary producers in marine ecosystems. They are vulnerable to climate-induced changes in the marine environment, including temperature, stratification, and circulation, but the effects of these changes are difficult to discern without sustained ocean monitoring. The physical, chemical, and biological environment of the Gulf of Maine, including Georges Bank, is strongly influenced by inflow from the Scotian Shelf and through the Northeast Channel, and thus observations both in the Gulf of Maine and in upstream regions are necessary to understand plankton variability and change in the Gulf of Maine. Large-scale, quasi synoptic plankton surveys have been performed in the Gulf of Maine since Bigelow’s work at the beginning of the 20th century. More recently, ongoing plankton monitoring efforts include Continuous Plankton Recorder sampling in the Gulf of Maine and on the Scotian Shelf, U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service’s MARMAP (Marine Resources Monitoring, Assessment, and Prediction) and EcoMon (Ecosystem Monitoring) programs sampling the northeast U.S. Continental Shelf, including the Gulf of Maine, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program on the Scotian Shelf and in the eastern Gulf of Maine. Here, we review and compare past and ongoing zooplankton monitoring programs in the Gulf of Maine region, including Georges Bank and the western Scotian Shelf, to facilitate retrospective analysis and broadscale synthesis of zooplankton dynamics in the Gulf of Maine. Additional sustained sampling at greater-than-monthly frequency at selected sites in the Gulf of Maine would be necessary to detect changes in phenology (i.e. seasonal timing of biological events). Sustained zooplankton sampling in critical nearshore fish habitats and in key feeding areas for upper trophic level organisms, such as marine mammals and seabirds, would yield significant insights into their dynamics. The ecosystem dynamics of the Gulf of Maine are strongly influenced by large-scale forcing and variability in upstream inflow. Improved coordination of sampling and data analysis among monitoring programs, effective data management, and use of multiple modeling approaches will all enhance the mechanistic understanding of the structure and function of the Gulf of Maine pelagic ecosystem.

scholarly journals Interaction between the Tidal and Seasonal Variability of the Gulf of Maine and Scotian Shelf Region

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 3279-3298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Katavouta ◽  
Keith R. Thompson ◽  
Youyu Lu ◽  
John W. Loder
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Surface Current ◽  
Maximum Speed ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Linear Superposition ◽  
Dynamical Interaction ◽  
The North ◽  
Shelf Region

AbstractAs part of a broader study of ocean downscaling, the seasonal and tidal variability of the Gulf of Maine and Scotian shelf, and their dynamical interaction, are investigated using a high-resolution (1/36°) circulation model. The model’s seasonal hydrography and circulation, and its tidal elevations and currents, are compared with an observed seasonal climatology, local observations, and results from previous studies. Numerical experiments with and without density stratification demonstrate the influence of stratification on the tides. The model is then used to interpret the physical mechanisms responsible for the largest seasonal variations in the M2 surface current that occur over, and to the north of, Georges Bank. The model generates a striation pattern of alternating highs and lows, aligned with Georges Bank, in the M2 surface summer maximum speed in the Gulf of Maine. The striations are consistent with observations by a high-frequency coastal radar system and can be explained in terms of a linear superposition of the barotropic tide and the first-mode baroclinic tide, generated on the north side of Georges Bank, as it propagates into the Gulf of Maine. The seasonal changes in tidal currents in the well-mixed area on Georges Bank are due to a combination of increased sea level gradients, and lower vertical viscosity, in summer.

The distribution of right whales and Zooplankton in the Bay of Fundy, Canada

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 1411-1420 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. D. Murison ◽  
D. E. Gaskin
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Calanus Finmarchicus ◽  
Eubalaena Glacialis ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Transition Zones ◽  
Right Whale ◽  
Right Whales ◽  
Two Peaks ◽  
Copepod Biomass

Temperature, salinity, density of Zooplankton patches, and the abundance of right whales (Eubalaena glacialis glacialis) were measured concurrently during summer and autumn of 1983 and 1984 over the Grand Manan Basin, outer Bay of Fundy. Right whales appeared to exploit patches of copepods at densities greater than about 820/m3 (170 mg m−3). Patches were composed primarily of stage V Calanus finmarchicus at depths ≥ 100 m during daylight hours. Patch densities were similar in 1983 and 1984. Potential right whale feeding areas increased in extent from late July to October, with at least two peaks of copepod biomass occurring in 1984. Right whales appear to exploit euphausiid patches in the bay only incidentally; the whales departed in 1984 when euphausiid biomass was at a maximum. The topography of the basin, prevailing summer currents, and orientation of transition zones from mixed to stratified water all combine to facilitate accumulation of copepods from the Scotian Shelf and Gulf of Maine in the central lower Bay of Fundy. This area provides an important feeding ground for this stenophagous whale species.

scholarly journals Pollock (Pollachius virens) stock structure in the Canadian Maritimes inferred from mark-recapture studies

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 749-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Neilson ◽  
Wayne T. Stobo ◽  
Peter Perley
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Management Unit ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Stock Structure ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Current Management ◽  
Mark Recapture ◽  
Novel Method

Abstract The current management unit for pollock on the Canadian Atlantic coast is large compared with other gadoid resources, and includes the Scotian Shelf, the Bay of Fundy, and the Canadian portion of Georges Bank. Based on an analysis of mark-recapture studies conducted in the Canadian Maritimes and off southwestern Newfoundland and a review of other published studies providing data relevant to stock identification, the stock structure of pollock in Canadian Atlantic waters was re-assessed. The analysis also includes a novel method for using the spatial distribution of standardized fishing effort to predict the distribution of tag returns. It is concluded that three stocks co-occur within the current management unit. The larger population components exist in the western Scotian Shelf (including the eastern Bay of Fundy) and on the eastern Scotian Shelf. There is a coastal population in the western Gulf of Maine that overlaps into Canadian waters, but its size is likely to be relatively small. There is a need to revise the current management unit boundaries to protect the eastern Scotian Shelf stock, which on the basis of growth rate data, appears to be the least productive component of the pollock resource in Canadian Atlantic waters.

Further Study of Larval Herring (Clupea harengus L.) in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine

1960 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 933-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. N. Tibbo ◽  
J. E. Henri Legaré
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
Spawning Grounds ◽  
Southwest Coast ◽  
Spawning Areas ◽  
Northern Edge

Plankton surveys in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine in 1958 and 1959 indicated that the largest herring spawning areas in this region are on the northern edge of Georges Bank and off the southwest coast of Nova Scotia. The drift of larvae from the spawning grounds as indicated by increasing size and by the direction of non-tidal surface currents suggest that Bay of Fundy herring stocks are supplied chiefly from the Nova Scotia spawnings.

Herring Movements in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine, 1957 and 1958

1961 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. McKenzie ◽  
S. N. Tibbo
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Far East ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Tidal Power ◽  
Straight Line ◽  
Apparent Relationship ◽  
Passamaquoddy Bay ◽  
Straight Line Distance ◽  
Surface Drift

During 1957 and 1958, 137,469 herring were tagged in the southern part of the Bay of Fundy and the western part of the Gulf of Maine. These fish were immature and ranged in mean total length from 9.9 to 20.0 cm and in age from 1 to 3 years. Recovery of 3,582 (2.6%) tagged individuals showed that herring moved in and out of Passamaquoddy Bay irregularly throughout the summer and autumn with some tendency to concentrate at the head of this bay. Outward movement reached a peak in July when there was a considerable movement eastward towards Point Lepreau. Herring moved into Passamaquoddy from as far south as Grand Manan and from as far east as Point Lepreau. Little interchange of herring took place between the Passamaquoddy area and the coasts of Maine and Nova Scotia. The greatest straight-line distance from release to recovery points was 55 miles. More than half of the recaptures were made within 2 miles of the tagging sites and nearly two-thirds within 5 miles. About 28% of the recaptures were made within 1 week after tagging and 63% within 2 weeks. The average time before recapture was 12 days in 1957 and 17 days in 1958. The longest time between release and recapture for both years was 165 days. Drift bottles released with tagged herring showed no apparent relationship between herring movements and surface drift. The results of tagging support a general conclusion that the proposed Passamaquoddy tidal power structures will have no significant effect on the herring fisheries of the Passamaquoddy area.

Dispersal of American Lobsters, Homarus americanus, Tagged Off Southern Nova Scotia

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 1842-1844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Continental Slope ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Homarus Americanus ◽  
Georges Bank ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
German Bank ◽  
Long Distance Movement

Of the 5281 American lobsters (Homarus americanus) tagged and released off McNutt Island, South Nova Scotia, during 1983–87, 15.8% were captured within 3 yr of release. Although most immature (99%) and mature (86%) lobsters were caught < 18.5 km from release, mature lobsters moved a greater mean distance (25.8 km) than immature lobsters (3.6 km). Of the lobsters that moved > 30 km eight moved south to the continental slope near Browns Bank and 11 moved west of Cape Sable to the inshore areas of southwestern Nova Scotia, the midshore area of German Bank and offshore to Browns Bank and Georges Bank. This and other studies of tagged lobsters indicate that there is some movement of lobsters east and west of the Cape Sable area, the southern tip of Nova Scotia, suggesting some mixing between lobster stocks off eastern Nova Scotia and southwestern Nova Scotia. The long distance movement and mixing of mature lobsters suggests that attempts to use tagging information in locating biological boundaries between lobster stocks in the Gulf of Maine, adjoining Continental Shelf, Scotian Shelf and inshore areas of southwestern Nova Scotia and southern end of eastern Nova Scotia may be a difficult task.

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