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Canadian Census of Marine Life:
Three Oceans of Biodiversity
Workshop Report
Ottawa, 29-31 October 2004
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 1
Table of Contents
Executive Summary …………...………………...………………………..………………………3
Introduction ……………...………………………………………………..………………………5
Overview ……………………...………………………………………………….……………….6
Summary of Background Presentations ……...…………………………………...………………6
Summary of Subgroup Discussions ………………………………………………………….….10
Subgroup Session I (within population, multi-species, and seascape hierarchies) …….……...10
Subgroup Session II (across population, multi-species, and seascape hierarchies) …….……..11
Subgroup Session III (emergent research themes) …………………………………….………13
The Path Forward ………………………………………………………………………………..16
Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………………...…17
Appendix A. Workshop Attendees and Contact Information ……………………...…………....18
Appendix B. Workshop Agenda ………………………………………………………………...20
Appendix C. Canadian Census of Marine Life Workshop Steering Committee …..……………22
Appendix D. Canadian National Census of Marine Life Steering Committee …..……………...23
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 2
Executive Summary
Canada has a particularly critical role to play in the global Census of Marine Life
(CoML) given that the country has the longest coastline in the world and also abuts three
different oceans, each with unique characteristics and habitats. A workshop of 55 participants
that included many highly-regarded Canadian marine ecologists was held in Ottawa (29-31
October 2004) to plan a coordinated program for Canada in the international initiative CoML.
The agenda included a historical context of marine biodiversity initiatives in Canada,
presentations on current CoML-related projects in Canada, and group discussions to identify
research priorities for a major new initiative. Significant results of the meeting include the
identification of research priorities for a new Canadian CoML proposal and the election of a
steering committee to help direct a national research agenda on marine biodiversity.
Canada has multiple commitments to maintain marine biodiversity, as evident in the
signing of the Convention of Biological Diversity (1992), the FAO Code of Conduct for
Responsible Fishing (1995), Canada’s Oceans Act (1997), the Species at Risk Act (2004), and
ratification of the Law of the Sea (2004). These efforts will require better knowledge of
biodiversity for issues such as designing marine protected areas (MPAs) and other conservation
initiatives. In 2000, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) established the Centre for
Marine Biodiversity (CMB), which organized a workshop in 2002 to identify broad objectives
for Canadian research in marine biodiversity and then drafted “Three Oceans of Biodiversity: A
Canadian National Plan 2004-2009”. The goal of the Ottawa workshop was to build on and
refine the broad ideas developed at the 2002 meeting.
Although there has not yet been a concerted effort to coordinate Canadian CoML
research, there are current CoML initiatives that have Canadian involvement, including the
Future of Marine Animal Populations (Ransom Myers), the Pacific Ocean and Shelf Tracking
(POST) Project (David Welch), The Gulf of Maine Biodiversity Discovery Corridor (Peter
Lawton), and the Arctic Ocean CoML (Russ Hopcroft).
Information on several emerging technologies particularly relevant to CoML research
was presented, including New Technologies for Observing Marine Life (David Farmer), DNA
Barcoding (Paul Hebert), the Gulf of Maine Biogeographic Information System (Bob Branton),
Ocean Telemetry (Ron O’Dor), and Cabled Observatories in Canada (Verena Tunnicliffe).
A proposed framework (Paul Snelgrove) for a coordinated Canadian CoML initiative was
based on developing scientific criteria for the conservation of marine biodiversity. There
was general support for organizing a major initiative around this approach, assuming that the
potential for management applications and the importance of taking inventory of biodiversity
resources were acknowledged as priorities. In order to stimulate discussion, a summary was
presented of key ecological issues on biodiversity processes at the three biological organizational
levels: seascape (John Roff), multi-species (Ken Frank), and population/genetic (Paul Bentzen)
diversity.
The first discussion session identified important issues within each level of biological
organization. The second session discussed how these issues linked across the three levels. The
third session revolved around four research themes (described below) that were identified as high
priority in the previous sessions.
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 3
Research theme I: What are the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem
functioning? Three major types of interactions between ecosystem functioning and marine
biodiversity were identified: the relationship between metrics of productivity and metrics of
biodiversity, the relationship between large-scale physical processes and functional diversity, and
the relationship between physical structure in habitats and biodiversity. Technologies can
provide synoptic maps of physical structure in marine ecosystems that, combined with theory
allowing prediction of how marine biodiversity should vary with those structural factors, can be
used to develop testable hypotheses.
Research theme II: What is the nature of cryptic diversity, the spatial distribution of
biodiversity, and temporal changes in biodiversity? A proposal was made to undertake ‘The
Great Canadian Ocean Exploration’ to sample all the kingdoms in a geographically broad-based
study to form a baseline on biodiversity using DNA barcoding and taxonomy, and thus address
issues such as climate change. Important aspects of this project would be standardization of
procedures, support and development of museum capacity for voucher specimens, and
identification of taxonomic expertise both within Canada and internationally.
Research theme III: How can we utilize studies of spatial and temporal variability within
and between habitats to model and predict broader biodiversity patterns for other geographical
areas, habitats, and times? Relationships between biodiversity and driving processes, such as
disturbance or environmental stress, could be examined through spatial analysis on a range of
scales in order to generate predictive models. In order to determine how the main processes that
structure biodiversity vary with spatial scale, there is a pressing need for a unified and
interdisciplinary approach to study scaling in physical and biological processes that encompasses
specific, testable hypotheses. More theoretical research is required to design novel models,
which will subsequently require additional field research for validation.
Research theme IV: How are disturbances related to biodiversity? A community-based
approach is needed to evaluate the effects of broadly defined disturbances, such as physical,
chemical, or trophic disruptions, on marine biodiversity. An important sampling approach is the
comparison between natural and human-impacted areas and between disturbed and undisturbed
areas. Five possible areas of major interest are: trawling effects, climate change, acoustic
pollution, eutrophication, and overexploitation.
There was strong consensus among the workshop participants that a major multidisciplinary proposal should be initiated and would receive substantial support from the marine
scientific community. There was enthusiasm for biodiversity research in all three of Canada’s
oceans, but there was recognition that addressing these issues in Arctic ecosystems is particularly
crucial. This proposal would interface with ongoing CoML projects but generate a significant
new effort that would build on these efforts. Funding strategies for this initiative were discussed
and representatives from some of the key funding agencies provided input on relevant programs.
An important organizational result of this workshop was the election of a national steering
committee to help organize and direct Canada’s research efforts on Census of Marine Life issues,
including a chair to represent Canada at the International Census of Marine Life meeting in
December. The steering committee was charged with developing a proposal strategy over the
coming months in consultation with other members of the scientific community.
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 4
Introduction
Canada has a particularly critical role to play in the global Census of Marine Life
(CoML) given that the country has the longest coastline in the world and also abuts three
different oceans, each with unique characteristics and habitats. There are emerging legal
instruments related to the conservation of Canada’s marine biodiversity, as presented by Mike
Sinclair (Department of Fisheries and Oceans - Bedford Institute of Oceanography). Canada is a
signatory of the Convention of Biological Diversity (1992) that led to the linking of conservation
of biodiversity to the emerging concept of Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM). The FAO
Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing (1995) also enhances the conservation aspects of
fisheries management. Canada’s Oceans Act (1997) requires that Canada establish integrated
management with broad conservation objectives. The Species at Risk Act (2004) established
obligations for the conservation of biodiversity at the species and population levels. There is a
policy framework emerging at both the national and international levels that translates
conceptual material from environmental legislation involving biodiversity into operational terms.
These efforts will require better knowledge of biodiversity for issues such as designing marine
protected areas (MPAs) and other conservation initiatives.
In 2000, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) established the Centre for
Marine Biodiversity (CMB), which organized a workshop in 2002 to identify broad objectives
for Canadian research in marine biodiversity and then drafted “Three Oceans of Biodiversity: A
Canadian National Plan 2004-2009”. The conceptual framework of the discussions was a threeby-three matrix that presents Canada’s goals to inventory, monitor, and conserve biological
diversity at three levels of biological organization: ecosystems, multi-species, and populations.
The plan has five goals: 1) Complete and maintain a National Marine Biodiversity Registry with
metadata compiled by region and taxon and following international standards, 2) Document the
marine species of Canada including their distribution with an emphasis on Arctic marine species,
species living below 300 m depth, and microfauna, 3) Apply existing and developing
technologies and sampling designs to identify, collect, measure, and enumerate marine
biodiversity, 4) Characterize factors influencing biological diversity, and 5) Understand the role
biodiversity plays in the functioning of marine ecosystems.
The overarching goal of the International Census of Marine Life is to assess and explain
the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life (Census of Marine Life, presented by Ron
O’Dor). Challenging questions of the project are: 1) What did live in the oceans? 2) What does
live in the oceans? 3) What will live in the oceans? and 4) How to access and visualize data on
living marine resources? Numerous ongoing CoML projects were discussed, as well as the
implementation efforts of varied countries and regions for organizing CoML research projects.
The goal of this Ottawa workshop is to build on and refine the broad ideas developed at
the 2002 White Point meeting. Specifically, we will use the broad umbrella topic of
conservation strategies to develop a major research initiative and/or several smaller projects that
will involve a census of marine life in Canada’s three oceans – Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic.
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 5
Overview
The workshop, held at the Ottawa Sheraton Hotel on 29-31 October 2004, was attended
by 55 invited scientists from academia and government (Appendix A). The workshop agenda
(Appendix B) included a series of plenary presentations that provided a theoretical framework on
biodiversity and research needs, and ongoing Canadian participation in CoML projects. In
addition, there were subgroup discussions and subsequent plenary summary presentations on
three themes: 1) identification of research priorities in support of conservation of marine
biodiversity, 2) refining research thematic questions to establish major research questions and
identify intersections across hierarchies, and 3) discussion of proposal/initiative planning based
on the identified major research themes. The workshop was organized by the Canadian CoML
Workshop Steering Committee (chaired by Mike Sinclair and Paul Snelgrove; see Appendix C
for list of members). Funding for the workshop was provided by a Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Special Research Opportunities Grant, the
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Note: Presentations given at the meeting are available at the Centre for Marine
Biodiversity website (www.marinebiodiversity.ca).
Summary of Background Presentations
Research Priorities for the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity in Canada's Three
Oceans (presented by Paul Snelgrove, Memorial University of Newfoundland), represents the
outcome of a meeting held at Bedford Institute of Oceanography in August (Paul Bentzen, Ken
Frank, Ellen Kenchington, John Roff, Mike Sinclair and Paul Snelgrove) whose goal was to
develop a framework rationale for a large biodiversity program in Canada. The Census of
Marine Life offers an opportunity to address biodiversity-related questions that tend to be large
in spatial scale and require multi-investigator and multi-disciplinary approaches. In addition, a
large program would be able to centralize and coordinate biodiversity research efforts in the
country that are currently fragmented. A focus on process-oriented studies was presented, with
two main issues: 1) the regulation of biodiversity and 2) the role of biodiversity in ecosystem
functioning. Numerous issues to consider when defining overarching themes were discussed,
including scientific and social concerns and practical aspects. One suggestion of a research
priority was for studies that provide a stronger scientific basis for marine conservation, including
MPAs, fishing practices, mapping tools, and ecosystem function. A framework for a research
program on conservation and biodiversity processes at the three hierarchical levels of seascape,
multi-species, and population/genetic diversity was presented with the final goal being the
development of a national research initiative on marine biodiversity.
Seascape Level Diversity (presented by John Roff, Acadia University). Seascape and
habitat type mapping offer a powerful tool to address fundamental CoML questions, such as
‘How is marine biodiversity distributed and what factors control its distribution?’ The approach
is to map the geophysical characteristics (e.g., temperature, salinity, depth, water colour,
currents, substrate type, animal distribution) of the marine environment in order to define
representative areas, or seascapes. An example is to assemble historical data on ~100 benthic
and 70 pelagic seascape types, with each type defined by its components, for the Gulf of Maine
and Scotian Shelf. The result is ‘Seascape Ecology’ that defines habitats at multiple scales using
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 6
geophysical variables acting as indicators or surrogates of community types. Important research
issues include determining how many different kinds of representative habitats exist and how
that is related to species diversity, as well as species diversity within representative habitat types.
The strategy for marine conservation, then, is to protect as many elements of marine biodiversity
as possible; for marine systems, several large and many small protected areas may be needed.
Multi-species Level Diversity (presented by Ken Frank, DFO - Bedford Institute of
Oceanography). One of the main goals of biodiversity research is to understand how natural
systems work and how biodiversity is structured. The cod collapse in the northwest Atlantic
offers a unique example of a system that has changed dramatically over a period of several
decades. Species-area relationships (SAR) may then be examined in the context of this broadscale change in a dominant taxon, and the associated changes in habitat structure (fragmentation
effects) and species richness. One key resource is historical data sets in systems that are known
to have changed dramatically through fishing impacts in order to examine how these impacts can
change biodiversity patterns, which in turn can help in understanding the maintenance of
biodiversity.
Population and Genetic Level Diversity (presented by Paul Bentzen, Dalhousie
University). A major underlying question in population genetics is cryptic biodiversity and the
underlying processes. Three main aspects of cryptic diversity are: 1) Pleistocene vicariance and
Holocene dispersal, 2) contemporary population subdivision, and 3) locally adapted populations,
with a focus on what is needed to address each of these issues. In order to investigate
historically-based genetic diversity, it is necessary to sequence mitochondrial DNA of about 100
individuals from each of numerous taxa across their entire ranges (i.e., phylogeographic
analyses). For studies of contemporary population subdivision, there is a compelling need for
comparative studies across taxa, life history types (dispersal) and hydrographic features; large
sample sizes, temporal replication, many molecular markers to differentiate weak isolation signal
from sampling noise; and collaborations with physical oceanographers to refine models of larval
drift. In order to study locally adapted populations, three different approaches (common garden,
candidate genes, and genome scans) must be considered. Information from all three levels
(phylogeography, contemporary gene flow and adaptation) will be broadly complementary and
all three approaches should be pursued.
Although there has not yet been a concerted effort to coordinate Canadian CoML
research, there are current CoML initiatives that have Canadian involvement. Research updates
on a number of these projects were presented and are summarized below.
The Future of Marine Animal Populations project (FMAP, presented by Ransom Myers,
Dalhousie University) takes a global view to predict what will happen to marine animal
populations. Four major benefits of the FMAP project are improved efficiency of other COML
components, optimal use of data, understanding marine ecosystems, and predicting future
scenarios. Examples include studies on worldwide distribution and trends for tuna and billfish,
sharks, pelagic stingrays, and prey fish. The FMAP project aims to develop methods to look at
animal populations globally, with meta-analytic state-space models in development, since global
views are needed for progress in predicting the future of marine animal populations.
The Pacific Ocean and Shelf Tracking Project (POST, presented by David Welch, DFO Pacific Biological Station) has overall goals for its 2004 large-scale demonstration of pioneering
the idea of a permanent sensor array for monitoring shelf populations and creating the demand
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 7
for the new data that are the output of the array. The long-term objective of the POST project is
a telecommunications network for the seabed that will allow detailed monitoring of patterns of
movement of shelf fauna. Initial work has focused on tagging and tracking salmon smolts using
arrays in coastal British Columbia. By deploying 137 nodes in 6 major lines of 20 km each over
a broad swath of the Pacific shelf and tagging ~1000 salmon smolts, a near-complete census of
the fate of individual animals was achieved. POST provides a technical means to establish a
precise history of each tagged animal, and therefore of individual stocks and species. Linkages
to marine biodiversity include: establishing correspondence between populations and marine
migration behaviours, seasonality of movements and habitat use; and verifying the ice age
refugia/marine migration pathway/conservation crisis hypothesis.
The Discovery Corridor Concept and its Applicability to the Gulf of Maine (presented by
Peter Lawton, DFO - St. Andrews Biological Station). A biodiversity discovery corridor is
defined as a swath of ocean bottom and the water column above it, encompassing a variety of
ecologically interlinked seascapes or habitats that may support a range of biodiversity and
previously unknown species and processes. Corridors represent connected areas and locations, a
variety of seascapes, a range of productivity, gradients in physical environment and disturbance,
the ability to study scaling of processes within boundaries, cross-disciplinary potential, and the
focusing of research efforts. Specifically, the Gulf of Maine Pilot Corridor, developed through
several regional workshops held from September 2003 to October 2004, has diverse
biogeographic regions, potential for Canadian and US research involvement, significant existing
data, considerable outreach potential, and important management linkages. The proposed
mission statement is: Promote inventory, monitoring, research, and outreach activities on
biodiversity across a representative range of habitats in the Gulf of Maine, to increase
understanding of, appreciation for, and conservation of, marine biodiversity in this large ocean
management area. Stated program objectives include: an inventory of species and seascapes
within the corridor, training in systematics, promotion of biodiversity research and conservation,
establishment of monitoring program to look at long-term change, and outreach (data sharing,
education, and general public).
The Arctic Ocean CoML (ArcCoML, presented by Russ Hopcroft, University of Alaska)
is an emerging network of collaborating researchers from multiple countries with Arctic
interests, including Canada. The project aims to investigate Arctic biodiversity in the ice,
pelagic, and benthic realms, and includes nekton. ArcCoML has a multi-national steering group
and project office and plans to identify and accumulate available data, fully analyze samples that
are already available and provide taxonomic training, fill geographic, taxonomic and temporal
gaps through new collections, synthesize all collected information, and ensure a strong
biodiversity component to the International Polar Year (IPY). Arctic biodiversity is especially
important due to the urgency of climate change issues, geographic, taxonomic and data gaps that
need to be addressed, and the need for standardized sampling methodology.
Three Oceans Telemetry (presented by Ron O’Dor, Census of Marine Life) is a proposal
to implement a tracking system in Canada’s oceans to monitor animal movement. This project
would link with the existing POST project in the Pacific and involve potential US collaboration
to cover the North Atlantic seaboard. In addition, because of land mass distributions within the
Arctic Ocean, there are only 117 km of open sea that would have to be instrumented in order to
track animals between the Pacific and the Atlantic. Besides the biological implications, the
project would also collect significant physical oceanographic data.
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 8
Information on several emerging technologies particularly relevant to CoML research
was presented. Summaries of those presentations are given below.
The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research Working Group (SCOR WG 118,
presented by David Farmer, University of Rhode Island) is a panel that has examined ‘New
Technologies for Observing Marine Life’. The group has focused on optical detection,
acoustical approaches, tagging, and chemical sensors for tracking, with an emphasis on species
identification as a major challenge. Advances in optical detection include platforms such as
towed, profiling or drifters, sensors such as photo-microscopy or laser sheet, analysis techniques,
and holography with 3 µm resolution. Acoustical approaches, either proven or in the future,
include multi-spectral, multi-static, combining optics and acoustics, and passive acoustics.
Tagging techniques have applications such as migration, distribution/stock structure, abundance,
physiological ecology, trophic relations and ecosystem effects, anthropogenic effects, and
recruitment processes. Chemical sensors for tracking are being developed with the goal of
following plankton or fish schools using their chemical traces.
The Barcoding of Life (presented by Paul Hebert, University of Guelph) barcodes DNA
using a single mitochondrial gene (COI, cytochrome c oxidase I) to enable species
discrimination. Approximately 7000 species have been barcoded using this short sequence and
the technique has been found to effectively discriminate species in varied geographic settings
and taxonomic groups achieving >99.99% resolution (with only Cnidarians as a possible
problem). The Barcoding of Life Database (BOLD) and website were discussed, where all
sequences are linked to voucher specimens.
Data management, including The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) and
the Gulf of Maine Biogeographic Information System (GMBIS, presented by Bob Branton, DFO
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography), represent key technologies for the CoML. The goals of
the data management program are to ensure that biodiversity data are authoritative in describing
specimens, discoverable with a searchable catalogue system, accessible to the global community,
and interoperable by visualizing and analyzing data from several different sources. OBIS is an
interface to marine species data from all over the world and includes Regional OBIS Nodes
(RONs), such as the archetype portal at the Centre for Marine Biodiversity (DFO - BIO).
GMBIS is a dynamic atlas using knowledge from existing data bases.
Multiple New Infrastructure Initiatives within Canada offer tremendous potential for the
CoML and biodiversity research, including cabled observatories (presented by Verena
Tunnicliffe, University of Victoria). Projects include the two British Columbia projects VENUS
(Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea) and NEPTUNE (Northeast Pacific Time-series
Undersea Networked Experiments) and also the Newfoundland Bonne Bay Observatory. The
scientific objectives of VENUS include developing a full model of fluxes through the busiest
seaway in North America, tracking fish and marine mammal responses to climate and ocean
events, and investigating the stability of Canada’s largest river delta. NEPTUNE Canada has
five major research goals: plate tectonic processes and earthquake dynamics, dynamic processes
of fluid fluxes and gas hydrates in the sea bed, regional ocean/climate dynamics and effects on
the marine biota, deep-sea ecosystem dynamics, and engineering and computational research.
Cabled observatories can offer a Canadian Biodiversity Programme sampling opportunities, a
long-term monitoring database, and public outreach. Opportunities for biodiversity studies
include sampling remote deep-sea benthos and mesopelagic species during installation and
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 9
servicing, studying temporal trends in diversity and community composition, and experimental
manipulations.
Summary of Subgroup Discussions
The participants self-selected into one of three subgroups: Seascape, Multispecies/Community or Population/Genetic Diversity to discuss the questions listed below within
the selected hierarchy. After two hours of subgroup discussion, the participants reassembled and
a member of each subgroup presented a summary of their discussions to the plenary session.
Subgroup Session I (within population, multi-species, and seascape hierarchies) – Issues to
address
1. Does the idea of conservation strategies work for you?
2. If not, does your group have a better idea?
3. Have the important issues for your hierarchical group been identified?
4. What key people are missing who might play a key role in a project?
5. What are the important interactions that you see with other hierarchical components?
Seascape (leader: John Roff, rapporteur and presenter: Mark Zacharias)
This group first discussed the distinction between conservation and management, then
moved on to science questions from a ‘conservation that will inform management’ viewpoint. In
response to whether a conservation strategy would be appropriate, they responded ‘yes’, but that
it required more direction, since they envisioned distinct time horizons of 5 years and 10-14
years. In response to the request for an alternative approach to a conservation framework, they
suggested that Canada should have its own unique project and approach. For example, the
descriptive seascape approach is different than other countries. For important seascape issues,
they discussed a systematic approach across Canada (east, west and Arctic) that would be multiscale, predictive, and look at the land-sea interaction and connectivity. Three levels were
considered: the what/who, the why/there, and pattern. The consensus was to focus on processoriented issues. Important researchers who were not well represented at the meeting included
habitat mappers, geologists, taxonomists, physical oceanographers, modelers, geochemists,
disturbance ecologists, remote sensing and GIS specialists, and also generalists. Key interactions
with other hierarchies included hypothesis testing, the link to genetics, connectivity/isolation in
terms of genetic, population and habitat, prediction of species distributions, species-habitat
associations, ground truthing, life histories, dispersal, migration, recruitment, disturbance
regimes, land-sea interactions, pelagic-benthic coupling, multi-species associations,
taxonomy/morphometrics, value-added to general population community studies, abiotic
structures biotic, temporal framework (history), distinctive areas, and technologies and models.
Multi-species/Community (leader and presenter: Ken Frank, rapporteur: Leah Bendell-Young)
This group determined that the conservation strategy framework required different
starting points for each ocean: for the Arctic it would be largely descriptive, but for the Atlantic
and Pacific, it would be possible to address processes. It is important to note that inventory and
process-oriented research cannot encompass everything in Canada’s oceans, and it is therefore
necessary to decide on initial steps and how to build on them. In response to whether an
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 10
alternative framework to a conservation strategy would be preferable, there was concern that
more taxonomic expertise is needed, and that there must be a match between structure and
function or process (not just stamp collecting). In terms of whether there are key issues that
require particular attention at the species/community level, there was concern for the Arctic, that
it is especially important for funding, and that there is a compelling need to document Arctic
baseline conditions. Of groups not well represented at the meeting, a particular need was seen
for physical oceanographers, geophysicists, geochemists, data managers, and para-taxonomists.
Regarding cross-hierarchy linkages, there is a continuum between species and population
genetics aspects and also linkages to seascape and ecosystem issues.
Population/Genetic (leader and presenter: Paul Bentzen, rapporteur: Ian Bradbury)
This group emphasized that an effective conservation strategy is impossible without a
clearer understanding of biodiversity in Canada’s oceans and addressed the need for a new,
compelling research plan. They considered that the ‘easy’ funding envelopes are too limiting
and that a large-scale project is needed to compete with physics and chemistry for real funding.
The suggested research plan was “Discover Life in Canada’s Oceans”, which involved sampling
1000 locations during 4 seasons with 3 collection types (trawl, benthic grab, water) and 1000
organisms from each sample. This strategy would result in 12 million organisms (and associated
environmental and hydrographic data) that would then be barcoded (mtDNA COI sequenced),
vouchered and sent to museums. The proposed budget would be on the order of $50 million
(with $12 million for the actual barcoding). Major questions that would be addressed include:
How many species? How many genotypes? How many ecotypes? Justifications of the plan
include: obtaining baseline information (climate change impact), determining accuracy of
process-oriented studies (are ecologically studies misidentifying species?), investigating
unknown species present (bioprospecting), bolstering Canada’s taxonomic expertise (using
Iceland’s BIOICE as precedent), and testing biogeographic theory (e.g., Hubble’s Neutral
Theory). This proposed research initiative became known as the “1000 Points of Life” in further
discussions.
Subgroup Session II (across population, multi-species, and seascape hierarchies) – Issues to
address
For this second session of subgroup discussions, participants were assigned to a particular
group, with all the groups discussing the same questions (listed below) across hierarchies. After
more than two hours of discussions, the groups reconvened and, again, a member of each
subgroup presented a summary of their discussions to the plenary session.
1. Now that the within-hierarchy questions have been identified, what are the questions that
emerge across hierarchies?
2. What are the major interactions among hierarchies?
3. How realistic are these questions to address?
4. Additional guidance provided by steering committee: Degree to which a biodiversity
corridor could add to Canada’s program
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 11
Group 1 (leader and presenter: Ron O’Dor, rapporteur: Connie Lovejoy)
The themes of biodiversity are closely tied together by discovery, distribution,
disturbance, management, and outreach. One compelling focus is on diversity and disturbance,
with the Arctic Ocean being central, because it is relatively undisturbed and there is a climate
imperative. It was noted that disturbance includes physical (e.g., volcanoes, slumping),
biological (e.g., introductions) and anthropogenic (e.g., trawling) factors. East and west coast
surveys are also needed to provide a background of past and current marine biodiversity changes.
The major question to be addressed is: How is biodiversity related to species and their discovery,
distribution, and disturbance? Additional planning is needed to decide east and west coast
locations and Arctic sites or cruise tracks and mooring locations. The Discovery Corridor idea
was praised, but exploratory meetings will be required to agree on the sites. There was general
agreement that these approaches are compatible with seascaping, barcoding, and creating
databases such as OBIS.
Group 2 (leader: Paul Hebert, rapporteur: Penny Barnes, presenter: Bruce Hatcher)
The major scientific questions emerging across hierarchies are: 1) How well does the
environment predict the pattern and rate of change of marine biodiversity? 2) Do our existing
models accurately portray mechanisms? and 3) How do the main processes that structure marine
biodiversity vary with spatial scale? When addressing the major interactions among hierarchies,
the main issues are how marine biodiversity contributes to the flux of material in living and nonliving vectors (cycles, cascades, connectivity) and the amplification and attenuation of
disturbance effects on marine biodiversity up and down hierarchies and scales. It was concluded
that the emerging questions are realistic to address, because the required theory is developing
rapidly and we have the technology and disciplinary expertise, but only lack funding. The
concept of a discovery corridor was thought to be a useful and efficient means of focusing
research activity and could parallel the 1000 Points of Life with at least one corridor in each
ocean. However, it was cautioned that the discovery corridor should not come at the expense of
existing research initiatives, research foci in charismatic and threatened ecosystems, and
committed local community interests. This group also explored the idea of using a business plan
model and identified the product, output, and clients for the project.
Group 3 (leader and presenter: Julian Dodson, rapporteur: Claudio Dibacco)
Major research issues arising from this subgroup are: 1) the importance of cryptic
diversity and hence barcoding to define operational taxonomic units, and the importance of local
adaptation and population vs. phenotypic plasticity in understanding how trophic levels are
organized, 2) spatial distribution of biodiversity as a function of physical structure in pelagic and
benthic systems, 3) the influence of biodiversity on the productivity/biomass relationship, 4) how
to measure resilience as a function of biodiversity at different levels, 5) establishment of baseline
data (census and pattern of biodiversity as a means of attracting other research interest), and 6)
the problem of extrapolating from localized studies to larger areas. The discovery corridor
concept was thought to be useful on the coasts, but probably not in the Arctic. When debating
the issue of defining science vs. defining the package for funding, the consensus was that science
must come first.
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 12
Subgroup Session III (emergent research themes)
On the final day of the workshop, Paul Snelgrove defined the following groups of
research theme questions resulting from the subgroup discussions of the previous day.
Specifically, questions of a similar nature were grouped together in order to develop a limited
series of themes that could be addressed by focus groups.
Research Theme I: What is the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning?
Are productivity/biomass relationships related to biodiversity?
Research Theme II: How much cryptic diversity exists? What is the spatial distribution of
biodiversity? How does biodiversity change temporally (baseline data)?
Research Theme III: How well does the environment predict the pattern and rate of change of
marine biodiversity? How do the main processes that structure marine biodiversity vary
with spatial scale? Can we extrapolate from smaller areas to larger areas? Do our
models accurately portray mechanisms?
Research Theme IV: How are disturbance and resilience related to diversity? How is resilience
linked to species diversity, distribution, and disturbance?
The workshop participants then selected their theme group of interest and met for about
two hours to discuss the following questions:
1. For your research theme, how and where might you go about doing it?
2. What researchers are missing?
3. Does this theme link to any ongoing CoML projects that we’ve heard about?
4. Do you see your theme as part of a larger initiative or a proposal of its own?
5. Which of you will champion this question (i.e. take the lead on writing needed for group
or individual proposal)?
Research Theme I (leader: David Farmer and Julian Dodson, rapporteur: Bill Li, presenter:
Bruce Hatcher)
Participants: Leah Bendell-Young, Gaston Desrosiers, Claudio Dibacco, Julian Dodson, John
Dower, David Farmer, Bruce Hatcher, Bill Li, Stephane Plourde
What is the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning? Are
productivity/biomass relationships related to biodiversity?
This group defined three major types of interaction between ecosystem function and
marine biodiversity (of which production/biomass relationships are an example). The first
concept is that, with current data and technology (and improving technologies such as remote
sensing), we can characterize the marine environments of Canada’s three oceans very accurately,
in terms of quantity and temporal and spatial patterns of primary production, secondary
production in the water column, and benthic-pelagic coupling. This concept can be summarized
as the relationship between metrics of productivity and metrics of biodiversity. The second
concept is the relationship between large-scale physical processes and functional diversity, where
species diversity or richness is but one measure. A more interesting measure is in the diversity
of tasks or functions that are performed. An example hypothesis is that in systems of a certain
age we would predict greater redundancy than in other systems. The third concept is the
relationship between physical structure in habitat and biodiversity. Examples are the relationship
between topographic complexity and the number of species and the functional relationship
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 13
between patch size/dynamics and scales of complexity and various measures of biodiversity. It
was noted that cryptic biodiversity is of particular importance in understanding functional
biodiversity. In summary, this group recognizes the value of technologies to give us synoptic
maps of oceanographic, physical structure in our marine ecosystems. We have a great body of
theory that allows us to predict how marine biodiversity should vary with those physical,
structural factors and the group had no problem developing testable hypotheses that would be
addressed with the combination of oceanographic studies and 1000 Points of Life.
Research Theme II (presenter: David Welch, rapporteur: Jean-Marc Gagnon)
Participants: Mary Arai, Paul Bentzen, Ian Bradbury, Bob Branton, Jean-Marc Gagnon, Irena
Kaczmarska-Ehrman, Henry Lear, Gary Saunders, David Welch
How much cryptic diversity exists? What is the spatial distribution of biodiversity? How does
biodiversity change temporally (baseline data)?
This group proposed the “Great Canadian Exploration” to discover how much cryptic
biodiversity exists. The expedition strategy is to sample all the kingdoms and be sure to address
Canadian Throne Speech themes such as sovereignty, the Oceans Act, an ecosystem approach,
invasive species, and resource use in deeper water. The requirements for cryptic biodiversity
sampling are that it: be geographically broad-based, be carried out over an El Nino cycle, form a
baseline on biodiversity to address climate change, define standardized procedures, develop a
research framework to sort and send samples, develop museum capacity for voucher specimens,
and carry on a gap analysis of where the holes are. The items to accomplish quickly are to
establish if species from different oceans are truly the same or genetically different and to look in
under-sampled regions and unusual species groups. To achieve integration, we need to identify
nodes based on taxonomic expertise (including linkages to BIO-ICE), develop a cyber-facility
for online access, and support/develop provincial and national archival facilities. The next steps
are to identify bridge funding to develop the expedition proposal and develop a CFI proposal to
augment museum capacity.
Research Theme III (presenter and rapporteur: Vladimir Kostylev)
Participants: Ken Frank, Vladimir Kostylev, Peter Lawton, Scott McKinley, John Roff, Mike
Sinclair, Mathis Stoeckle, Peggy Tsang, Mark Zacharias
How well does the environment predict the pattern and rate of change of marine biodiversity?
How do the main processes that structure marine biodiversity vary with spatial scale? Can we
extrapolate from smaller areas to larger areas? Do our models accurately portray mechanisms?
This group discussed how to design a logical way to describe marine biodiversity, with a
major task being establishing limits to predictability of marine biodiversity. A main research
objective will be a study of spatial and temporal variability within and between habitats. This
will be done as a proof of concept, in order to allow predictions for other geographical areas,
habitats and times, and relate this to other models, e.g., describing climate change. The proposal,
then, is to test relationships between biodiversity and driving processes, such as disturbance or
environmental stress through spatial analysis on a range of scales. In order to understand
mechanisms and test hypotheses, experimental work (natural experiments in the field) is needed.
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 14
To address the issue of how the main processes that structure biodiversity vary with
spatial scale, a number of practical problems, each of which can become a separate research
topic, were listed:
– What is the scale at which biodiversity can be described and modeled?
– What is the linkage between temporal and spatial scales in processes such as adaptive
radiation of species or natural succession of communities?
– What is the importance of geographical scale in natural variability?
– What is the importance of animal size for scaling distribution, dispersal, patchiness, etc.?
– What is the relationship between spatial and temporal scales of management and pattern
and pace of biodiversity?
– What are the spatial and temporal scales of predictability for biodiversity?
The group discussed that marine ecologists have a number of models describing structure
and function of marine communities and their relation to the physical environment, many of
which are contradictory and should be tested through experimental work. Scientific discovery is
rooted in various types of modeling (conceptual, graphical, numerical, etc.) and models are
destined to change and evolve. More theoretical research is required for designing novel models,
more field research for testing them.
This group proposed that the future project should be firmly rooted on the existing
knowledge and "windows of enlightenment" – areas where we have high-resolution bathymetric
mapping, good historical data on oceanography, primary productivity, etc. The project should be
technology intensive, employing tools like sidescan, multibeam, continuous video recording
systems, and new laser technologies for broad-scale surveying of marine ecosystems. The
project should run simultaneously in three oceans. The group considered links to other CoML
projects, such as POST, VENUS, NAGISA (Natural Geography in Shore Areas), GOMMI (Gulf
of Maine Mapping Initiative), and the Baha to Bering project between the US and Canada.
Research Theme IV (presenter: Verena Tunnicliffe, rapporteur: Sally Leys)
Participants: Phil Archambault, Penny Barnes, Matt Boeckner, Jim Boutillier, Russ Hopcroft,
Ellen Kenchington, Sally Leys, Connie Lovejoy, Verena Tunnicliffe
How are disturbance and resilience related to diversity? How is resilience linked to species
diversity, distribution, and disturbance?
This group discussed physical, chemical, and trophic disturbances or disruptions and
advocated the same kind of community approach for all. The idea of corridors or 1000 Points of
Life were both thought to fit with this. An important sampling approach is the comparison
between natural and anthropogenic areas and between disturbed and undisturbed areas. Five
possible areas of major interest were identified. The first is trawling effects – identifying
differences in diversity and functionality of communities in affected and unaffected areas (or
comparing natural ice scour in the Arctic with trawling effects). The second is climate change
with a particular emphasis on the Arctic. The third is acoustic pollution – studying mammals,
fish, etc. with a link to the POST program. The fourth is eutrophication – looking at long-term
effects, aquaculture, urban run-off, Arctic, St. Lawrence Seaway, deep-sea sponges, and by-catch
dumping, for example. The fifth is over exploitation – with examples looking at sea otters on the
West coast and cod on the East coast. The group recognized that there would be differences in
how long it would take to remove the different effects (acoustic would be quick, for example).
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 15
There is also a need to look at interactions with the public, current programs, and partners in
government, for example.
Summary of Subgroup Session III (emergent research themes)
Research theme I: What are the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem
functioning? Three major types of interactions between ecosystem functioning and marine
biodiversity were identified: the relationship between metrics of productivity and metrics of
biodiversity, the relationship between large-scale physical processes and functional diversity, and
the relationship between physical structure in habitats and biodiversity. Technologies can
provide synoptic maps of physical structure in marine ecosystems that, combined with theory
allowing prediction of how marine biodiversity should vary with those structural factors, can be
used to develop testable hypotheses.
Research theme II: What is the nature of cryptic diversity, the spatial distribution of
biodiversity, and temporal changes in biodiversity? A proposal was made to undertake ‘The
Great Canadian Ocean Exploration’ to sample all the kingdoms in a geographically broad-based
study to form a baseline on biodiversity using DNA barcoding and taxonomy, and thus address
issues such as climate change. Important aspects of this project would be standardization of
procedures, support and development of museum capacity for voucher specimens, and
identification of taxonomic expertise both within Canada and internationally.
Research theme III: How can we utilize studies of spatial and temporal variability within
and between habitats to model and predict broader biodiversity patterns for other geographical
areas, habitats, and times? Relationships between biodiversity and driving processes, such as
disturbance or environmental stress, could be examined through spatial analysis on a range of
scales in order to generate predictive models. In order to determine how the main processes that
structure biodiversity vary with spatial scale, there is a pressing need for a unified and
interdisciplinary approach to study scaling in physical and biological processes that encompasses
specific, testable hypotheses. More theoretical research is required to design novel models,
which will subsequently require additional field research for validation.
Research theme IV: How are disturbances related to biodiversity? A community-based
approach is needed to evaluate the effects of broadly defined disturbances, such as physical,
chemical, or trophic disruptions, on marine biodiversity. An important sampling approach is the
comparison between natural and anthropogenic areas and between disturbed and undisturbed
areas. Five possible areas of major interest are: trawling effects, climate change, acoustic
pollution, eutrophication, and overexploitation.
The Path Forward
Funding opportunities in Canada (presented by Paul Snelgrove) that might be appropriate
for a Canadian Census of Marine Life initiative include NSERC Strategic Project Grants (SPG),
Special Research Opportunities (SRO), Research Network Grants (RNG) and Networks of
Centres of Excellence (NCE). There is currently a funding moratorium on RNG and DFO is
facing considerable budget cuts to its science branch, including ship-time availability. People
felt that the scope of the project that would be necessary is beyond that of SPG, though smaller
subsidiary projects could fit within this framework. Verena Tunnicliffe spoke briefly on the
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 16
Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) infrastructure program, as well as the possibility of a
cabinet submission (such as has been used with SeaMap, the Seabed Resource Mapping
Program). Scott McKinley (University of British Columbia) discussed some details of the NCE
program, based on his experience as Executive Scientific Director of Aquanet. Another idea
related to funding opportunities was Ram Myers’s suggestion that the 200-mile limit and legal
issues related to the Law of the Sea necessitate a deadline for defining the edge of Canada’s
economic zone. As a result, this policy-driven issue could be an important catalyst for CoMLrelated activities in areas such as the nose and tail of the Grand Banks and the Arctic, in
particular.
At the conclusion of the workshop, a Canadian CoML Steering Committee was elected to
help direct a national research agenda on marine biodiversity. The elected members were: Paul
Snelgrove (chair), Phil Archambault, Jean-Marc Gagnon, Ellen Kenchington, Connie Lovejoy,
Ransom Myers, John Roff, and Peggy Tsang (affiliations are given in Appendix D). In addition,
it was determined that representatives from Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Environment
Canada, Parks Canada, and National Research Council would be identified and approached to
join the Steering Committee. The chair of the committee will represent the Canadian CoML at
the International CoML meeting in Paris in December and present the results of this workshop.
The steering committee was charged with developing a proposal strategy over the coming
months in consultation with other members of the scientific community.
Conclusions
There was strong consensus among the workshop participants that a major multidisciplinary proposal should be initiated and would receive substantial support from the marine
scientific community. There was general support for organizing a coordinated Canadian CoML
initiative based on developing scientific criteria for the conservation of marine biodiversity,
assuming that the potential for management applications and the importance of taking inventory
of biodiversity resources were acknowledged as priorities. This proposal would interface with
ongoing CoML projects (e.g., GMBIS, POST) but generate a significant new initiative that
would build on these efforts. There was enthusiasm for biodiversity research in all three of
Canada’s oceans, but there was recognition that addressing these issues in Arctic ecosystems is
particularly crucial. Funding strategies for this initiative were discussed and representatives
from some of the key funding agencies provided input on relevant programs; however no clear
path forward was identified given the uncertain status of several key programs and funding limits
on others. The Steering Committee will move forward and will use this Workshop Summary
Report to generate interest in a coordinated Canadian program. The time is ripe for a major
program in marine biodiversity. There is considerable interest in marine biodiversity research,
not only in the science community, but in government, as well. The International CoML, the
International Polar Year, and the legislation discussed earlier create urgency for the program
envisioned at the workshop by the scientific community. The Steering Committee must take
advantage of this momentum to generate the widespread support and enthusiasm needed for a
multi-disciplinary program to document and understand the biodiversity in Canada’s three
oceans and how biodiversity links to ecosystem functioning.
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 17
Appendix A. List of attendees to the workshop, held at the Ottawa Sheraton Hotel. Also listed are their affiliations and e-mail
addresses.
Last Name
Arai
Archambault
Ausubel
Barnes
Bendell-Young
Bentzen
Boeckner*
Boutillier
Bradbury*
Branton
Cunningham
Desrosiers
Dibacco
Dodson
Dower
DuRand
Farmer
Frank
Gagnon
Hatcher
Hebert
Hendrickson
Hopcroft
Hutchings
Kaczmarska-Ehrman
Kenchington
Kostylev
Lawton
First Name
Mary
Philippe
Jesse
Penelope
Leah
Paul
Matthew
Jim
Ian
Robert
Cliff
Gaston
Claudio
Julian
John
Michele
David
Kenneth
Jean-Marc
Bruce
Paul
Ole
Russell
Jeffrey
Irena
Ellen
Vladimir
Peter
Affiliation
DFO - Pacific Biological Station
DFO - Institut Maurice-Lamontagne
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Malaspina Unversity-College
Simon Fraser University
Dalhousie University
University of Alberta
DFO - Pacific Biological Station
Dalhousie University
DFO - Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Duke University
Université du Québec à Rimouski
University of British Columbia
Université Laval
University of Victoria
Memorial University of Newfoundland
University of Rhode Island
DFO - Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Canadian Museum of Nature
University College of Cape Breton
University of Guelph
Environment Canada
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Dalhousie University
Mount Allison University
DFO - Bedford Institute of Oceanography
NRCan - Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic)
DFO - St. Andrews Biological Station
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 18
E-mail
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Lear
Leys
Li
Lovejoy
Marcotte
McKinley
Metaxas
Myers
O’Dor
Paradis
Plourde
Powles
Pugh
Roff
Saunders
Sharp
Sinclair
Sloan
Snelgrove
Stoeckle*
Sundby
Tortorelli
Tsang
Tunnicliffe
Welch
Zacharias
Henry
Sally
Bill
Connie
Norman
Scott
Anna
Ransom
Ron
Sylvain
Stéphane
Howard
David
John
Gary
Rawni
Michael
Norm
Paul
Mathis
Bjorn
Joseph
Peggy
Verena
David
Mark
DFO - Ottawa
University of Alberta
DFO - Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Université Laval
Natural Sciences Engineering Research Council of Canada
University of British Columbia
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Census of Marine Life Secretariat
DFO - Institut Maurice-Lamontagne
DFO - Institut Maurice-Lamontagne
DFO - Ottawa
Private consultant, Ottawa
Acadia University
University of New Brunswick
Natural Sciences Engineering Research Council of Canada
DFO - Bedford Institute of Oceanography
Parks Canada, Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve
Memorial University of Newfoundland
University of Victoria
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Environment Canada
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre
University of Victoria
DFO - Pacific Biological Station
Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management
* Denotes Ph.D. student
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 19
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Appendix B. Final agenda for the Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of
Biodiversity Workshop held at the Ottawa Sheraton Hotel, 29-31 October 2004.
Final Agenda
Friday, October 29
8:00 – Continental Breakfast
8:30 – Welcome and Introduction to Workshop (Mike Sinclair)
8:40 – Overview of CoML (Ron O’Dor)
8:55 – Background on Canada and the Census of Marine Life (Mike Sinclair)
9:10 – Workshop Structure - Research priorities for the conservation of marine biodiversity in
Canada's Three Oceans (Paul Snelgrove)
Framework for Research Program on biodiversity processes at the three hierarchical levels:
9:30 – Seascape & community diversity (John Roff)
10:00 – Species diversity (Ken Frank)
10:30 – Break
11:00 – Population /genetic diversity (Paul Bentzen)
11:30 – Discussion and breakout group assignments (Mike Sinclair and Paul Snelgrove)
12:00 – Buffet lunch
13:00 – Breakout Session I – Identification of research priorities in support of conservation of
marine biodiversity. Groups (self assigned) address a single level within the seascape to
population hierarchy
15:00 – Break
15:30 – Plenary with group reports
17:00 – Dinner on own
17:00 – Short meeting of Steering Committee
Saturday, October 30
8:00 – Continental Breakfast
8:30 – Recap of Day 1 (Paul Snelgrove)
Summaries of present Canadian contributions to CoML
8:40 – Future of Marine Animal Populations (Ram Myers)
8:50 – Field Programs - POST (David Welch)
9:00 – Gulf of Maine (Peter Lawton)
9:10 – Arctic – Russ Hopcroft
9:20 – Three Oceans Telemetry – Ron O’Dor
Technologies
9:30 – Physical (David Farmer)
9:40 – DNA Barcoding (Paul Hebert)
9:50 – GMBIS and OBIS (Bob Branton)
10:00 – Related Initiatives in Canada (Verena Tunnicliffe)
10:10 – Break
10:30 – Marching orders to theme breakout groups (Mike Sinclair and Paul Snelgrove)
10:40 – Breakout Session II (individuals will be assigned to groups) to establish major research
questions and identify intersections across hierarchy
12:00 – Buffet lunch
13:00 – Breakout Session II to refine research thematic questions
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 20
15:00 – Break
15:30 – Plenary and group reports
16:30 – Summary of funding envelopes (Paul Snelgrove)
16:45 – Establishment of a National Steering Committee on Marine Biodiversity, discussion of
approach for establishing proposal leadership (Mike Sinclair)
17:00 – Steering Committee meeting
19:00 – Banquet at Sheraton
Sunday, October 31
8:00 – Continental Breakfast
8:30 – Summary of where we are (Paul Snelgrove)
9:00 – Breakout Session III based on major research themes – self-assignment to groups
10:45 – Break
11:00 – Plenary with group reports, planning ahead
12:00 – Meeting closure (Mike Sinclair)
Breakout Session I (within hierarchies) – Issues to address
Group Leaders: John Roff, Ken Frank, Paul Bentzen
Rapporteurs: Mark Zacharias, Leah Bendell-Young, Ian Bradbury
1. Does the idea of conservation strategies work for you?
2. If not, does your group have a better idea?
3. Have the important issues for your hierarchical group been identified?
4. What key people are missing who might play a key role in a project?
5. What are the important interactions that you see with other hierarchical components?
Breakout Session II (across hierarchies) – Issues to address
Group Leaders: Julian Dodson, Paul Hebert, Ron O’Dor
Rapporteurs: Claudio DiBacco, Connie Lovejoy, Penny Barnes
1. Now that the within-hierarchy questions have been identified, what are the questions that
emerge across hierarchies?
2. What are the major interactions among hierarchies?
3. How realistic are these questions to address?
4. Additional guidance to be provided by steering committee
Breakout Session III (theme groups)
Group Leaders: TBA
Rapporteurs: TBA
1. For your research theme, how and where might you go about doing it?
2. What researchers are missing?
3. Does this theme link to any ongoing CoML projects that we’ve heard about?
4. Do you see your theme as part of a larger initiative or a proposal of its own?
5. Which of you will champion this question (i.e. take the lead on writing needed for group
or individual proposal)?
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 21
Appendix C. Canadian Census of Marine Life Workshop Steering Committee.
Dr. Mike Sinclair (meeting co-chair), Director, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, DFO,
[email protected]; Expertise: fisheries ecology
Dr. Paul Snelgrove (meeting co-chair), Canada Research Chair in Boreal and Cold Ocean
Systems, Ocean Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland,
[email protected]; Expertise: biodiversity of marine sedimentary fauna
Dr. Jim Boutillier, Shellfish Division, DFO, Nanaimo, [email protected];
Expertise: marine invertebrate population dynamics
Ms. Karen Brown, Assistant Deputy Minister, Environment Canada, Ottawa,
[email protected]; Expertise: environment and federal policy
Dr. Julian Dodson, Biology Department, Laval University, Quebec City,
[email protected]; Expertise: population and evolutionary biology of fishes
Dr. Paul Hebert, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Biodiversity, Department of Zoology,
University of Guelph, [email protected]; Expertise: Evolutionary biology
Dr. Ransom Myers, Killam Chair of Ocean Studies, Biology Department, Dalhousie University,
[email protected]; Expertise: Population dynamics and conservation of fishes
Dr. Ron O’Dor, Senior Scientist for Census of Marine Life, Consortium for Oceanographic
Research and Education, Washington, DC, [email protected] (Permanent address,
Department of Biology, Dalhousie University); Expertise: ecology of cephalopods
Dr. Sylvain Paradis, DFO, Ottawa, [email protected]; Expertise: federal policy/oceans
Dr. John Roff, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Science and Conservation, Acadia
University, [email protected]; Expertise: ecology and conservation of marine habitats
Dr. Verena Tunnicliffe, Canada Research Chair in Deep Ocean Research, Biology Department
and School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, [email protected];
Expertise: biodiversity of hydrothermal vents and benthic ecosystems
Dr. Ellen Kenchington (ex-officio member), Executive Director, Centre for Marine Biodiversity,
DFO - BIO, [email protected]; Expertise: marine ecology and
biodiversity
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 22
Appendix D. The Canadian National Census of Marine Life Steering Committee elected at the
end of the workshop.
Dr. Paul Snelgrove (chair), Canada Research Chair in Boreal and Cold Ocean Systems, Ocean
Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, [email protected]; Expertise:
biodiversity of marine sedimentary fauna
Dr. Phil Archambault, DFO - Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, [email protected];
Expertise: benthic ecology, disturbance and experimental design
Dr. Jean-Marc Gagnon, The Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian, [email protected];
Expertise: marine invertebrate taxonomy
Dr. Ellen Kenchington, Executive Director, Centre for Marine Biodiversity, DFO - BIO,
[email protected]; Expertise: marine ecology and biodiversity
Dr. Connie Lovejoy, Université Laval, [email protected], Expertise: microbial
diversity
Dr. Ransom Myers, Killam Chair of Ocean Studies, Biology Department, Dalhousie University,
[email protected]; Expertise: Population dynamics and conservation of fishes
Dr. John Roff, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Science and Conservation, Acadia
University, [email protected]; Expertise: ecology and conservation of marine habitats
Dr. Peggy Tsang, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, [email protected]; Expertise:
Pacific Ocean and Shelf Tracking (POST) Project
To be determined, representatives from:
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Environment Canada
Parks Canada
National Research Council
Canadian Census of Marine Life: Three Oceans of Biodiversity Workshop Report, p. 23