Sea watch

Researchers from the Marine Institute and Fisheries and Oceans Canada recently spent 31 days at sea monitoring and gathering data within three federal marine conservation areas off Newfoundland and Labrador

The five-year project is supported by more than $11.2 million from the federal government’s Ocean Management Contribution Program for marine conservation efforts across Canada. The team returned to St. John’s in mid-September on board the 31-metre research vessel Patrick and William operated by RS Marine.

“It’s a multi-pronged, collaborative mission to monitor and gather biological, habitat, mapping and oceanographic information at conservation areas starting with three areas – the Northeast Newfoundland Slope, Hopedale Saddle and Funk Island Deep,” said Dr. Jonathan Fisher, chief scientist of the project and research chair in marine fisheries ecosystems dynamics at the Marine Institute (MI).

“All the information gathered is shared between MI and Fisheries and Oceans Canada so we can evaluate how these marine habitats are structured and changing over time.”

The data will help in developing long-term monitoring plans for marine conservation areas.

Learn more in the Gazette.