The ocean and estuarine ecosystems of both the United States and Canada are under considerable st... more The ocean and estuarine ecosystems of both the United States and Canada are under considerable stress from factors such as pollution runoff, overfishing, coastal development, and the introduction of nonnative species (U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy 2004). Coastal communities use watersheds in numerous ways and depend on them for employment and recreation. It is therefore paramount that citizens, particularly young people, are aware of the importance of protecting and preserving watersheds. The Gulf of Maine Institute (GOMI) is striving to empower youth to take on stewardship roles in their communities. Through its Community Based Initiative (CBI) program, GOMI connects students across international boundaries within the Gulf of Maine bioregion, which includes much of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, all of Maine, and a small part of Quebec. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Background GOMI addresses environmental degradation by working with teams of students, teachers, and community members from around the Gulf of Maine to inspire youth to be stewards of the gulf and its watershed. In preparing young enthusiastic leaders who will take on these stewardship roles in their communities, GOMI provides solid training in environmental sciences and civic engagement. As a result, students become more environmentally aware and actively contribute to environmental initiatives in their hometowns. This bioregional approach helps participants from urban, suburban, and rural communities in Canada and the United States relate to one another as they learn about the interconnectedness of their watershed and their dependence on its continued health. For the past six years, teams of middle and high school students and teachers from around the Gulf of Maine region have participated in the international CBI program. The program requires a commitment of two academic years combined with two summer residential CBI workshops. Participants are recruited via environmental groups and school systems and a team is typically composed of seven students and three adult mentors. Students apply as a team to participate in the program and are not charged any costs for the residential summer institute. The program is run with the help of a dedicated board and many volunteer partners, such as university scientists, public school teachers, members of community environmental groups, and government officials. Interested teams with a problem proposal apply to participate in the GOMI institute. Attempts are made to keep the team mixed with both first- and second-year participants. The second-year students help mentor the first-year students in order to keep some project continuity through the two-year cycle. The CBI summer workshop At the weeklong summer CBI workshop part of the program, student-mentor teams collaborate with other students, teachers, scientists, and community members on problem-based projects; are exposed to environmental stewardship concepts; and develop a project plan to be implemented in their home community. Then, during the academic year, student-mentor teams implement their home-based CBI projects. The main focus of the program is to empower students to be effective leaders as they explore ideas around stewardship and civic engagement in their local and regional environments. The weeklong summer residential workshop is the highlight of the year for the teams and GOMI organizers. At the workshop, teams connect with one another and set and adjust their goals. During this intensive week of workshops and interdisciplinary activities, teams learn * the basis of scientific inquiry; * how their local efforts will promote the health of the entire bioregion; * techniques of project planning, execution, and presentation; * approaches to presenting scientific findings and recommendations to councils or planning boards; and * how to involve larger groups of citizens in their projects. …
Current interests in harnessing tidal energy from Minas Passage, a high flow (up to 6 m/s) channe... more Current interests in harnessing tidal energy from Minas Passage, a high flow (up to 6 m/s) channel in the upper Bay of Fundy, require examination of potential effects of tidal turbines on the environment, including impacts on commonly occurring harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758). To collect baseline data on porpoise presence in the FORCE turbine test site in Minas Passage, two Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) technologies were used: the C-POD (porpoise click logger, Chelonia Ltd) and the icListenHF (digital hydrophone, Ocean Sonics). Prior multi-year PAM studies in the Minas Passage involved C-POD hydrophones housed within streamlined SUB buoys suspended 3m above the seafloor. During high flows, these SUB buoys experienced high variability in tilt. In addition, high-flow induced noise in the Minas Passage exceeded the C-POD’s maximum recordable clicks per minute and thus under-detected harbour porpoise click trains, an effect referred to as lost time. To increas...
The likelihood of fish encountering an MHK device, and therefore the risk posed to fish, depends ... more The likelihood of fish encountering an MHK device, and therefore the risk posed to fish, depends largely on the natural distribution of fish at tidal energy development sites. In temperate locations, such as the Bay of Fundy, seasonal changes in the environment and fish assemblage may alter the likelihood of fish encounters with MHK devices. We examined two one-month hydroacoustic datasets collected in winter 2015 and summer 2016 by an upward-facing echosounder deployed at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy test site in the Minas Passage. Fish density was higher and less variable in winter than in summer, likely due to the presence of migratory vs. overwintering fish. The vertical distribution of fish varied with sample period, diel stage, and tidal stage. The proportion of fish at MHK device depth was greater, but more variable, in summer than in winter. Encounter probability, or potential for spatial overlap of fish with an MHK device, was < 0.002 for winter and summer ...
Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus aggregate to feed from May to October in Minas Basin (45° ... more Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus aggregate to feed from May to October in Minas Basin (45° N; 64° W), a large, cul‐de‐sac embayment of the inner Bay of Fundy. The aggregation consists mainly of migrants from the Saint John, NB and Kennebec Rivers, ME (99%). During 2004–2015, 4393 A. oxyrinchus were taken as by‐catch by commercial fish trawlers or at intertidal fishing weirs, and 1453 were marked and/or sampled and released. Fork length (LF) ranged from 458 to 2670 mm, but 72·5% were <1500 mm. Mass (M) ranged from 0·5 to 58·0 kg. The mass‐length relationship for fish ≤50 kg was log10M = 3·32log10LF − 5·71. Observed growth of unsexed A. oxyrinchus recaptured after 1–8 years indicated fish of 90–179 cm LF grew c. 2–4 cm a year. Ages obtained from pectoral spines were from 4 to 54 years. The Von Bertalanffy growth model predicted K = 0·01 and L∞ = 5209 mm LF. Estimated annual mortality was 9·5–10·9%. Aggregation sizes in 2008 and 2013 were 8804 and 9244 individuals, respectivel...
... In Angel Quintero Rivera&amp;amp;#x27;s judg-ment, these acts of subversion were more exp... more ... In Angel Quintero Rivera&amp;amp;#x27;s judg-ment, these acts of subversion were more expressive of &amp;amp;quot;an attitude of withdrawal from the State [D]efiance took the form of flight, not attack.&amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;quot; To Compare or Not to Compare Why Spanish colonialism as the entry into this interrogation of nation ...
The ocean and estuarine ecosystems of both the United States and Canada are under considerable st... more The ocean and estuarine ecosystems of both the United States and Canada are under considerable stress from factors such as pollution runoff, overfishing, coastal development, and the introduction of nonnative species (U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy 2004). Coastal communities use watersheds in numerous ways and depend on them for employment and recreation. It is therefore paramount that citizens, particularly young people, are aware of the importance of protecting and preserving watersheds. The Gulf of Maine Institute (GOMI) is striving to empower youth to take on stewardship roles in their communities. Through its Community Based Initiative (CBI) program, GOMI connects students across international boundaries within the Gulf of Maine bioregion, which includes much of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, all of Maine, and a small part of Quebec. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Background GOMI addresses environmental degradation by working with teams of students, teachers, and community members from around the Gulf of Maine to inspire youth to be stewards of the gulf and its watershed. In preparing young enthusiastic leaders who will take on these stewardship roles in their communities, GOMI provides solid training in environmental sciences and civic engagement. As a result, students become more environmentally aware and actively contribute to environmental initiatives in their hometowns. This bioregional approach helps participants from urban, suburban, and rural communities in Canada and the United States relate to one another as they learn about the interconnectedness of their watershed and their dependence on its continued health. For the past six years, teams of middle and high school students and teachers from around the Gulf of Maine region have participated in the international CBI program. The program requires a commitment of two academic years combined with two summer residential CBI workshops. Participants are recruited via environmental groups and school systems and a team is typically composed of seven students and three adult mentors. Students apply as a team to participate in the program and are not charged any costs for the residential summer institute. The program is run with the help of a dedicated board and many volunteer partners, such as university scientists, public school teachers, members of community environmental groups, and government officials. Interested teams with a problem proposal apply to participate in the GOMI institute. Attempts are made to keep the team mixed with both first- and second-year participants. The second-year students help mentor the first-year students in order to keep some project continuity through the two-year cycle. The CBI summer workshop At the weeklong summer CBI workshop part of the program, student-mentor teams collaborate with other students, teachers, scientists, and community members on problem-based projects; are exposed to environmental stewardship concepts; and develop a project plan to be implemented in their home community. Then, during the academic year, student-mentor teams implement their home-based CBI projects. The main focus of the program is to empower students to be effective leaders as they explore ideas around stewardship and civic engagement in their local and regional environments. The weeklong summer residential workshop is the highlight of the year for the teams and GOMI organizers. At the workshop, teams connect with one another and set and adjust their goals. During this intensive week of workshops and interdisciplinary activities, teams learn * the basis of scientific inquiry; * how their local efforts will promote the health of the entire bioregion; * techniques of project planning, execution, and presentation; * approaches to presenting scientific findings and recommendations to councils or planning boards; and * how to involve larger groups of citizens in their projects. …
Current interests in harnessing tidal energy from Minas Passage, a high flow (up to 6 m/s) channe... more Current interests in harnessing tidal energy from Minas Passage, a high flow (up to 6 m/s) channel in the upper Bay of Fundy, require examination of potential effects of tidal turbines on the environment, including impacts on commonly occurring harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758). To collect baseline data on porpoise presence in the FORCE turbine test site in Minas Passage, two Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) technologies were used: the C-POD (porpoise click logger, Chelonia Ltd) and the icListenHF (digital hydrophone, Ocean Sonics). Prior multi-year PAM studies in the Minas Passage involved C-POD hydrophones housed within streamlined SUB buoys suspended 3m above the seafloor. During high flows, these SUB buoys experienced high variability in tilt. In addition, high-flow induced noise in the Minas Passage exceeded the C-POD’s maximum recordable clicks per minute and thus under-detected harbour porpoise click trains, an effect referred to as lost time. To increas...
The likelihood of fish encountering an MHK device, and therefore the risk posed to fish, depends ... more The likelihood of fish encountering an MHK device, and therefore the risk posed to fish, depends largely on the natural distribution of fish at tidal energy development sites. In temperate locations, such as the Bay of Fundy, seasonal changes in the environment and fish assemblage may alter the likelihood of fish encounters with MHK devices. We examined two one-month hydroacoustic datasets collected in winter 2015 and summer 2016 by an upward-facing echosounder deployed at the Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy test site in the Minas Passage. Fish density was higher and less variable in winter than in summer, likely due to the presence of migratory vs. overwintering fish. The vertical distribution of fish varied with sample period, diel stage, and tidal stage. The proportion of fish at MHK device depth was greater, but more variable, in summer than in winter. Encounter probability, or potential for spatial overlap of fish with an MHK device, was < 0.002 for winter and summer ...
Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus aggregate to feed from May to October in Minas Basin (45° ... more Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus aggregate to feed from May to October in Minas Basin (45° N; 64° W), a large, cul‐de‐sac embayment of the inner Bay of Fundy. The aggregation consists mainly of migrants from the Saint John, NB and Kennebec Rivers, ME (99%). During 2004–2015, 4393 A. oxyrinchus were taken as by‐catch by commercial fish trawlers or at intertidal fishing weirs, and 1453 were marked and/or sampled and released. Fork length (LF) ranged from 458 to 2670 mm, but 72·5% were <1500 mm. Mass (M) ranged from 0·5 to 58·0 kg. The mass‐length relationship for fish ≤50 kg was log10M = 3·32log10LF − 5·71. Observed growth of unsexed A. oxyrinchus recaptured after 1–8 years indicated fish of 90–179 cm LF grew c. 2–4 cm a year. Ages obtained from pectoral spines were from 4 to 54 years. The Von Bertalanffy growth model predicted K = 0·01 and L∞ = 5209 mm LF. Estimated annual mortality was 9·5–10·9%. Aggregation sizes in 2008 and 2013 were 8804 and 9244 individuals, respectivel...
... In Angel Quintero Rivera&amp;amp;#x27;s judg-ment, these acts of subversion were more exp... more ... In Angel Quintero Rivera&amp;amp;#x27;s judg-ment, these acts of subversion were more expressive of &amp;amp;quot;an attitude of withdrawal from the State [D]efiance took the form of flight, not attack.&amp;amp;quot;&amp;amp;quot; To Compare or Not to Compare Why Spanish colonialism as the entry into this interrogation of nation ...
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