Alewife fact sheet

In 1852, historians wrote that the alewives in Maine rivers “were so plentiful there at the time the country was settled that bears, and later swine, fed on them in the waters. They were crowded ashore by the thousands.” Unfortunately dams, pollution and overfishing have taken a big toll on alewife populations. In southern Maine, for instance, Alewife Brook no longer has alewives. Read more about the story of the alewife in a colorful four-page fact sheet called “All about Maine Alewives...” Created by Lois Winter (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/Gulf of Maine Program), Gail Wipplehauser (Maine Department of Marine Resources) and Naomi Schalit (Maine Rivers), the fact sheet details the alewife’s lifecycle, its benefits to rivers, lakes and oceans, and concludes with a call to restore the fish to their original spawning grounds. To obtain a copy e-mail timeseditor@gulfofmaine.org.

Census of Marine Life booklet

The Census of Marine Life has released the booklet “Prototype Biophysical Maps of the Gulf of Maine” that explores the potential uses of new biophysical maps to help resource managers, educators and industry understand the Gulf of Maine as an ecosystem. The publication is a precursor to an electronic “Dynamic Atlas of the Gulf of Maine” that is currently being developed. The Web-based atlas will enable users to map a wide variety of data from different sources to probe resource management issues, uncover ecological patterns and find links between species and their environment. To access a copy of the booklet go to: www.usm.maine.edu/gulfofmaine-census/ and click on “Research.”

Alien invaders in Canada

The global impact of alien species across Canadian landscapes is recognized as a major threat to biodiversity. The problems are exacerbated by the globalization of trade and the inability of current inspection and quarantine regimes to cope with an increasing demand. Alien Invaders in Canada's Waters, Wetlands, and Forests is a collection of papers from experts in several disciplines that discuss and analyze invasive species from a variety of perspectives: invasion pathways, affected sectors, management and control and national and international collaborations. The publication was compiled and edited by Renata Claudi, an expert on macrofouling and aquatic nuisance species, Patrick Nantel, a Canadian Forest Service science advisor and plant ecologist, and Elizabeth Muckle-Jeffs, a communications expert. The book can be ordered through the Government of Canada Publications Web site at http://publications.gc.ca.

New Hampshire’s estuaries

The 2003 State of the Estuaries report produced by the New Hampshire Estuaries Project offers data that suggest New Hampshire’s estuaries are in generally good condition, but are under threat. The 32-page report examines 12 environmental indicators of estuarine health, such as bacteria levels, nitrogen concentrations, toxic contaminant levels, abundance of shellfish and land use in the coastal watershed. The report describes the current status of New Hampshire’s estuaries and suggests trends for the future. It is designed to provide readers an accurate understanding of environmental trends for New Hampshire’s estuarine resources so that they may make wise land use and resource management decisions. Read the full report in pdf at www.nh.gov/nhep/.

Stakeholder perspectives on ocean zoning

The Ecology Action Centre (EAC) recently released a report entitled, Ocean Zoning: Perspectives on a New Vision for the Scotian Shelf and Gulf of Maine, by Penny Doherty, which relates the results of interviews with U.S. and Canadian stakeholders on zoning these large offshore areas. Most of the stakeholders interviewed thought zoning was a viable management tool that should be implemented on the Scotian Shelf and Gulf of Maine, with the provision that it be used in conjunction with other management tools. They also noted that zoning might not be appropriate for some areas or for certain management concerns. A few stakeholders were opposed to zoning because they felt it limited access to the resource, was logistically impossible to implement, or was based on managing for multiple uses rather than maintaining ecological integrity.

Key recommendations of the report include: ensuring that conservation is the driving force for zoning; involving stakeholders in the development and application of the zoning process; and encouraging governments and all stakeholder groups to consider multi-sector zoning to promote conservation and uniform management decisions among different jurisdictions. Copies of the report are available through the EAC: (902) 429-2202 or ocean@ecologyaction.ca.