Baseline data on intertidal mudflat and subtidal cobble communities on the Northwest Fundy Shore.

The Coastal Environmental Baseline Program will be expanding its site to focus on the Northwest Fundy Shore for 2023-2027. This program funds baseline data collection on ecological gaps and components that are considered to be priorities by program partners. Information on benthic communities is important for understanding the current state of the ecosystem in the Northwest Fundy Shore region. Benthic species are important components of food webs and comprise a large amount of the biodiversity in coastal ecosystems. In addition, benthic species support important economically important fisheries (e.g. American lobster). The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada has a requirement to generate new ecological baseline data related to invertebrate communities from intertidal mudflats and shallow subtidal cobble bottom within the Northwest Fundy Shore. The work will involve the following: 2.1 Scope of work: 2.1.1 Objective 1: Quantify biodiversity and spatial and temporal variation in infaunal invertebrate communities and physicochemical characteristics of sediment at intertidal mudflat sites. 2.1.2 Objective 2: Quantify biodiversity and spatial and temporal variation in shallow subtidal cobble communities using cobble-filled bio-collectors. 2.2 Tasks: 2.2.1 Objective 1: 2.2.1.1 Sampling 10 mudflat sites for infaunal communities and sediment and water physicochemical characteristics in fall 2023. 2.2.1.2 Species-level identification for infaunal invertebrates and sediment analysis in 2023-2024. 2.2.1.3 Interim reporting on 2023-2024 activities March 2024. 2.2.1.4 Sampling 10 mudflat sites for infaunal invertebrates and sediment and water physicochemical characteristics twice in Spring/early Summer and Fall of 2024. 2.2.1.5 Species-level identification of infaunal invertebrates and sediment analysis in 2024-2025. 2.2.1.6 Interim reporting on 2024-2025 activities March 2025. 2.2.1.7 Data analysis and final reporting on objective 1 in 2026-2027.

2.2.2 Objective 2: 2.2.2.1 Deploy 5 bio-collectors with temperature loggers at each of 15 study sites in July of 2024 and retrieve in October. 2.2.2.2 Bio-collectors will be processed to examine organisms >10 mm in size (fishes and larger invertebrates) in 2024. 2.2.2.3 Interim reporting on 2023-2024 activities March 2024. 2.2.2.4 Deploy 5 bio-collectors with temperature loggers at each of 15 study sites in July of 2025 and retrieve in October. 2.2.2.5 Bio-collectors will be processed to examine organisms >10 mm in size (fishes and larger invertebrates) in 2025. 2.2.2.6 Interim reporting on 2025-2026 activities in March 2026. 2.2.2.7 Data analysis and final data report 2026-2027.

2.3 Deliverables and Acceptance Criteria: 2.3.1 Interim reports that describe activities completed and data available to date March 2024, March 2025, and March 2026. 2.3.2 Final report that describes baseline data collected under each objective March 2027. 2.3.3 Data will be uploaded to the St. Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO) website yearly as it is finalized. Proof of upload or an update on the progress of data upload must be provided to the project authority each March for the duration of this contract.