00000nam 2200000za 4500 9.839686 CaOODSP 20240405140843 cr ||||||||||| 170713s2017 nfcbd #ob f000 0 eng d 978-0-660-09047-4 CaOODSP eng eng fre n-cn--- Fs97-6/3222E-PDF An evaluation of benthic monitoring baseline assessments completed as part of the regulatory requirements for aquaculture finfish site applications on the south coast of Newfoundland [electronic resource] / by D. Hamoutene ... [et al.]. St. John's, NL : Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Science Branch, Newfoundland and Labrador Region, 2017. v, 25 p. : maps, graphs. Canadian technical report of fisheries and aquatic sciences, 1488-5379 ; 3222 Includes bibliographical references. "In aquaculture impact studies, it is necessary to acquire knowledge of benthic communities prior to the initiation of the activity to determine potential effects on ecosystems. We used baseline environmental survey reports of data collected from 2003 to 2011 by underwater video to document the composition of the seafloor in bays on the South Coast of Newfoundland where aquaculture activities occur. Organisms were identified at high taxonomic levels and were generally sparse and patchily distributed. We observed low natural taxa richness with the presence of barren stations. The dominant groups reported were: anemones, coralline algae, brittle stars, and other algae. Targeted sites and bays have a high level of substrate patchiness and were sometimes located over some sensitive habitats. Groups such as coralline algae score high in their uniqueness and vulnerability despite being classified as low productivity areas. Other habitats such as kelps (mostly present in Little Bay) and sponges (in Little Passage) were also observed. Despite a depth effect, there was a lack of obvious vertical zonation in taxa presence, suggesting that vertical distribution might be also governed by substrates and reflect the patchiness of the area. Recommendations for future baseline surveys are detailed in this document. In particular, baseline surveys have to be designed with explicit consideration of the legislative construct"--Abstract, p. iv. gccst Aquaculture gccst Environmental impact assessment gccst Ecosystems Hamoutene, D. Canada. Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Newfoundland and Labrador Region. Science Branch. Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre (Canada) Canadian technical report of fisheries and aquatic sciences, 1488-5379 ; 3222. (CaOODSP)9.504449 PDF 788 KB https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/mpo-dfo/Fs97-6-3222-eng.pdf