Ecosystem Research Initiative (ERI) in the St. Lawrence Estuary, eastern Canada:

Testing an approach for science support to ecosystem-based management

Claude Savenkoff, Jacques A. Gagné, Peter Galbraith, Jean-François Gosselin, Richard Larocque, Michel Lebeuf, Patrick Ouellet, and Michel Gilbert

(Biarritz, October 18-21, 2011)

Outline of the Presentation

• Canadian national context for Ecosystem Research Initiatives (ERI)

• The Lower St. Lawrence Estuary:– Main characteristics– Human activities and related pressures

• Development and implementation of the ERI– Operational framework in 3 steps

Strait of Georgia (B. C.) /Détroit de Georgie (C.-B.)

Beaufort Sea Shelf (N.W. T.) /Mer de Beaufort (Terr. du N.-O.)

Placentia Bay (Newfoundland) /Grands Bancs (Terre-Neuve)

Northumberland Strait (N. -B.) /Détroit de Northumberland (N.-B.)

Gulf of Maine (N.-E.) /Golfe du Maine (N.-É.)

Lower St. Lawrence Estuary (Qc) /Estuaire du Saint-Laurent (Qc)

7Lake Ontario (C. A. R.) /Lac Ontario (R. C. A.)

Canadian National Context for Ecosystem Research Initiatives (ERIs)

ERI

Gulf ofSt. Lawrence

St. LawrenceRiver

Lower Estuary

• The Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence system is one of the largest estuarine ecosystems in Canada and in the world (240 000 km2)

• Lower St. Lawrence Estuary: Elongated channel with an average length, width, and depth of 200 km, 40 km, and 300 m, respectively

• Seasonal ice cover and vertically stratified water column in 3 layers (except Winter: 2 layers)• Hypoxia in the deep waters (18-25% saturation or 65 µmol O2 L-1 at depth >250 m)

• Freshwater from the St. Lawrence River and other rivers (between 15,000 and 20,000 m3/s).

The St. Lawrence Estuary: Main features

The St. Lawrence Estuary: Main features

• One of ten ecologically and biologically significant areas (EBSA) within the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence marine ecosystem

• Intense tidally-induced mixing between freshwater and saltwater: upwelling at the head of the Laurentian Channel (nutrient pump)

• High phytoplankton and zooplankton production as well as zooplankton aggregation

• High concentrations of juvenile Greenland halibut, witch flounder and thorny skate (believed to be important area for the recruitment of these species)

• Significant area for marine mammals, especially baleen whales (feeding) and the St. Lawrence Beluga (entire life cycle)

• Wide variety of human uses and related stressors (local accumulation of contaminants, increasing hypoxic conditions in deep waters, marine mammal disturbance from intense navigation, freshwater input modulations related to hydroelectric development, etc.)

• Information needed for integrated management and decision making, including one marine park and two anticipated marine protected areas (MPAs)

• General objective of the St. Lawrence Estuary ERI: To develop an operational framework for the coordination of existing and new projects to address several issues related to impacts of human activities on biological and ecological processes in the system in an integrative manner (application of the ecosystem approach)

St. Lawrence Estuary ERI: Human activitiesand related pressures

St. Lawrence Estuary ERI: Operational framework in 3 steps

INTERNAL CLIENTS• Oceans management• Habitat management• Fisheries management• Canadian coast guard• Sustainable aquaculture• Species at risk

EXTERNAL CLIENTS• Industry (fisheries,

aquaculture, energy, etc.)• Other federal departments• Provinces• NGOsISSUES /

QUESTIONS

ERI

1. Planning workshops with scientists and internal/external clients and stakeholders: To identify and agree upon common key priority issues

Step 1. Planning workshops to identify and agree upon common key priority issues

Management Issues and Questions Corresponding Scientific Issues and Gaps

Biodiversity Habitats (critical / essential / key /

sensitive) including benthic ones Critical habitats and their key functions

Local coastal pollution Destruction of coastal habitats St. Lawrence beluga / endangered

species

Merging fisheries / ecosystem management

Coastal zone protection

Forage species / foodwed / trophic links Variability / abundance of forage species including benthic ones

Trophic links Impacts of ship traffic (disturbances,

mortalities) Ship movements and marine mammals

Exchanges, connections between populations / regions

Inputs of marine and fresh waters Links between the estuary and other

components of the St. Lawrence system

Hypoxia Indicators, milestones Productivity indicators

Forage species and blue whales

St. Lawrence Estuary ERI:Consensus on two priorities

Habitats of the St. Lawrence beluga

population

INTERNAL CLIENTS• Oceans management• Habitat management• Fisheries management• Canadian coast guard• Sustainable aquaculture• Species at risk

EXTERNAL CLIENTS• Industry (fisheries,

aquaculture, energy, etc.)• Other federal departments• Provinces• NGOsISSUES /

QUESTIONS

SCIENTIFIC PLANNING

MONITORING RESEARCH

ERI

St. Lawrence Estuary ERI: Operational framework in 3 steps

2. Development of a scientific research and monitoring program (2008-2011) including existing and new projects in support of the two issues addressed

Establishment of two committees:

Call for project proposals addressing the two priorities to initiate the scientific research and monitoring program

Assessment of proposals based on the two priorities:

1. Description of each component (beluga: habitat characteristics; blue whale: structure, abundance, and distribution of pelagic communities)

2. Identification of environmental factors/processes influencing the targeted component, its quality, or seasonal distribution (trophic interactions, physical structures, etc.)

3. Assessment of human activity impacts on the component itself and/or processes that govern its structure and functions

Step 2. Scientific research and monitoring program

– 12-16 projects (funding envelope 200K$)

– Integration of existing research projects and ongoing monitoring programs relevant to the ERI’s objectives

• Leverage budget (increase: 117% in 2008-09, 211% in 2009-2010)• To join efforts in designing and reevaluate sampling programs

– Annual workshops and planning meetings to make sure that the ERI objectives and gaps are properly addressed

• To share and jointly analyse databases, discuss preliminary results, and agree on operational plans for the next sampling season

Step 2. Scientific research and monitoring program

SCIENTIFIC PLANNING

INTERNAL CLIENTS• Oceans management• Habitat management• Fisheries management• Canadian coast guard• Sustainable aquaculture• Species at risk

EXTERNAL CLIENTS• Industry (fisheries,

aquaculture, energy, etc.)• Other federal departments• Provinces• NGOs

MONITORING

ISSUES / QUESTIONS

RESEARCH

ERI

INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT

SCIENTIFIC ADVICE

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT• Integration of knowledge on the

targeted ecosystem component, its ecosystemic iteractions and vulnerability to human activities

SCIENTIFIC ISSUES AND GAPS

3. Integrated scientific assessments and peer-reviewed scientific advices

St. Lawrence Estuary ERI: Operational framework in 3 steps

– Integrated scientific assessments:• 5 day meeting where working research documents based on results

relevant were presented by individual scientists and critically reviewed (March 2011)

• Peer-Review Process (Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat)

Step 3. Scientific assessment and provision of advices

St. Lawrence Estuary ERI: Example of results

Saguenay

fjord

Laurentian Channel

Chenal Laurentien

Pointe-des-Monts

GASPÉ

PENINSULA

ANTICOSTI

Gyre d'Anticosti

– Scientific Advices (in working progress):• Integrate conclusions of peer-review meeting into responses to management

questions raised at the onset of the ERI• Also identify future scientific gaps in relation to the issues being addressed or new

questions emerging from the results

1. Poster: Trophic interactions in the St. Lawrence Estuary: Everybody wants krill

2. Oral: Intermittent connectivity: Interannual variability in the retention of larval capelin (Mallotus villosus) in the St. Lawrence maritime estuary, Canada (P. Ouellet)

3. Poster: Monitoring toxic chemicals in sediments – a case study of the habitat of the St Lawrence beluga (M. Lebeuf)

SCIENTIFIC PLANNING

INTERNAL CLIENTS• Oceans management• Habitat management• Fisheries management• Canadian coast guard• Sustainable aquaculture• Species at risk

EXTERNAL CLIENTS• Industry (fisheries,

aquaculture, energy, etc.)• Other federal departments• Provinces• NGOs

MONITORING

ISSUES / QUESTIONS

RESEARCH

ERI

INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT

SCIENTIFIC ADVICE

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT• Integration of knowledge on the

targeted ecosystem component, its ecosystemic iteractions and vulnerability to human activities

SCIENTIFIC ISSUES AND GAPS

St. Lawrence Estuary ERI: Next steps

STATUS OF THE ECOSYSTEM• Integration of knowledge on

ecosystem structure and functioning, its status trends and impacts of human activities

• Periodical assessments (5-7 years) to provide advice at the scale of whole ecosystem (Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence)

– Use results and outcomes of the St. Lawrence Estuary ERI to test the adequacy of the operational framework for an “Ecosystem Approach” in the scientific support to fisheries and/or ecosystem-based management with similar initiatives in Canada and elsewhere in the world (comparisons)

Collaboration IFREMER-MPO sur la thématique de l’Approche Écosystémique /

IFREMER-DFO collaboration under the Ecosystem Approach Theme

2009-2011