Bay of Fundy IMMA
Size in Square Kilometres
12 731 km2
Qualifying Species and Criteria
Common Minke Whale – Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Criterion C (2)
Sei Whale – Balaenoptera borealis
Criterion A
Fin Whale – Balaenoptera physalus
Criterion A; Criterion C (2)
North Atlantic Right Whale – Eubalaena glacialis
Criterion A; Criterion B (2); Criterion C (2)
Humpback Whale – Megaptera novaeangliae
Criterion C (2)
Harbor Porpoise – Phocoena Phocoena
Criterion C (2)
Marine Mammal Diversity
Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Balaenoptera borealis, Balaenoptera physalus, Eubalaena glacialis, Globicephala melas, Halichoerus grypus, Lagenorhynchus acutus, Lagenorhynchus albirostris, Megaptera novaeangliae, Phoca vitulina, Phocoena phocoena
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Summary
The Bay of Fundy IMMA is located off Nova Scotia, Canada extending between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. This large ocean bay is a narrow, funnel-shaped body of water that is approximately 270 km long and 60 km wide at its widest point. The Bay of Fundy is a highly productive and biologically diverse ecosystem that is recognized for having the highest tidal ranges in the world (up to 16 m) which result in significant currents and mixing of the water column, support elevated productivity and concentrate prey, in turn attracting larger predators including marine mammals. North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis – Critically Endangered), sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis- endangered), and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus – Vulnerable) regularly occur within this area. Several marine mammal species aggregate in the bay either throughout the year or seasonally to forage on the abundant food resources within the area. This area supports a high diversity of marine mammals, including at least 14 species of baleen whales, toothed whales, dolphins, porpoise and seals. This area wholly or partially includes 16 identified EBSAs, as well as designated North Atlantic right whale critical habitat.
Description of Qualifying Criteria
Criterion A: Species or Population Vulnerability
There is a large number of Qualifying Species that regularly occur in this area including several vulnerable/at-risk species. The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is considered the most endangered of the large whales in the Northwest Atlantic and is listed as Critically Endangered (CR) according to the global IUCN Red List (Cooke 2020). Additionally, the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA; Canadian legislation for conservation of at-risk species) lists the North Atlantic right whale as Endangered (DFO 2014). Sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) are listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List (Cooke 2018a), and while not currently listed under SARA, the Atlantic population has been assessed as Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC; an independent body that provides listing recommendations for consideration under SARA) (COSEWIC 2019). Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (Cooke 2018b) and the Atlantic population of fin whales is listed as Special Concern under SARA (DFO 2017; approximately equivalent to IUCN “Near Threatened”).
Criterion B: Distribution and Abundance
Sub-criterion B2: Aggregations
Grand Manan Basin, located at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, has been designated as Critical Habitat for North Atlantic right whales due to the high seasonal concentration of their primary prey, Calanus copepods, and the frequency of sightings there (DFO 2014). Decades of focused research have demonstrated that Grand Manan Basin is an important aggregation area for socializing and feeding. Although right whale distribution has shifted since 2010, with increased occurrence in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and decreased sightings reported in the Bay of Fundy (Meyer-Gutbrod et al. 2022; Record et al. 2019), there has also been a shift in survey effort, with relatively limited coverage in the Bay of Fundy from 2017 onwards (DFO 2019, 2020). Ongoing passive acoustic monitoring in Grand Manan Basin demonstrates that this area continues to be an important area for right whales, with relatively high acoustic presence observed in and around the basin particularly in spring, summer and fall (Davis et al. 2017, Durette-Morin et al. 2022, Moors-Murphy et al. 2024). Sightings data show that right whale distribution within the bay extends beyond this basin, particularly to the northwest (Davies et al. 2019, Moors-Murphy et. al. 2024).
Criterion C: Key Life Cycle Activities
Sub-criterion C2: Feeding Areas
The Bay of Fundy has the largest tidal ranges in the world, resulting in significant currents and mixing of the water column that supports elevated productivity and concentrates prey, in turn attracting large predators including a variety of marine mammals (Buzeta et al. 2014, Ward-Paige and Bundy 2016). Most of the marine mammal species that occur in the bay have been observed feeding and/or are presumed to be in the area to feed. It has been suggested that the summer-autumn cetacean populations that occur in the bay are highly reliant on the area’s biological productivity which is driven by fine-scale tidal fronts and eddy systems created by strong tidal currents moving around islands, ledges, and variable benthic bathymetry. Several studies have shown spatial and temporal links between the distribution of marine predators in the region and the tide-induced upwellings and fronts that result in high abundances of prey species (e.g., Lechance et al. 2023).
Grand Manan Basin at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy has been recognized as an important feeding habitat for North Atlantic right whales and has been designated as Critical Habitat for the population (DFO 2007, 2014). The edges of Grand Manan Basin lie at about 100 m depth, and the maximum depth of the central Basin is approximately 200 m. The area is exposed to strong tides and the topography and movement of water masses in Grand Manan Basin concentrate the primary prey of right whales, Calanus copepods (Murison and Gaskin 1989, Mayo and Marx 1990, Baumgartner et al. 2003, Michaud and Taggart 2007, Plourde et. al. 2024). This basin is the area where the majority of right whale sightings off Nova Scotia have occurred (DFO 2007, 2014), and their preference for this area has been attributed to the basin having the highest concentrations of copepods in the Bay of Fundy (Murison and Gaskin 1989; Woodley and Gaskin 1996; Baumgartner and Mate 2003).
The outer Bay of Fundy is a well-known feeding ground for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) (Baird 2003). This species migrates into the area every summer, with the majority of sightings occurring in the July to September period (Lechance et al. 2023). Humpback whale sightings are usually associated with topographically induced oceanographic processes which aggregate their prey (e.g., euphausiids), such as tidal fronts and areas of upwelling associated with water depth and bathymetric features (Lowe et al. 2018); consistent with where humpback whales have been observed in the outer Bay of Fundy (Lechance et al. 2023).
Ingram et al. (2007) reported that feeding behaviour (animals observed milling and in the act of lunging and surface swimming with their mouth open) was observed during 93% of minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and 86% of fin whale encounters based on sightings data collected opportunistically from a whale-watching vessel during one season in the Bay of Fundy. Fin whales in the Bay of Fundy primarily feed on euphausiids (mainly Meganyctiphanes norvegica: Brodie et al. 1978), as well as on small schooling fish such as Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus; Gaskin 1983). Minke whales forage on a variety of fish and invertebrates throughout their range (Perrin and Brownell 2002), and are probably feeding on a greater variety of prey and at higher trophic levels than fin whales (Gaskin 1983, Ingram et al. 2007).
Lechance et al. (2023) demonstrated that minke, fin and humpback whales aggregated in the outer Bay of Fundy area in response to physical and biological features of the environment, such as depth, bottom topography, and fine-scale oceanographic features that aggregate prey and enable foraging.
Harbor porpoises (Phocoena Phocoena) are distributed throughout the Bay of Fundy, with the highest densities observed in summer though at least some individuals overwinter in the area, and most births occur in the area in May (COSEWIC 2022). Harbor porpoise feeding behaviour has been documented via visual sightings and passive acoustic detection of their foraging clicks from the mouth of the bay to the Minas Basin in the inner bay (Porskamp 2015, Adams 2018, COSEWIC 2022 and references therein). This is a generalist species which exhibits a preference for small energy rich fish and squid (COSEWIC 2022). In the Bay of Fundy, they feed mainly on juvenile Atlantic herring, supplemented by silver hake (Merluccius bilinearis) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and other species (Recchia and Read 1989).
The large diversity of other species that commonly occur in the Bay of Fundy are also likely regularly foraging in the area, though it is not clear if this is a particularly important foraging area for these other species.
Criterion D: Special Attributes
Sub-criterion D2: Diversity
The dynamic and productive environment of the Bay of Fundy supports a large diversity of marine mammals. Several baleen whale species annually migrate into the area during summer to forage on the abundance of prey that occurs in the area, including North Atlantic right, humpback, fin, sei, and minke whales, as evidenced by sightings data (Gomez et al. 2020), predicted density maps that have been developed for baleen whales (Roberts et al. 2016), and passive acoustic monitoring studies that demonstrate patterns of seasonal occurrence of these species in the area (e.g., Davis et al. 2017, 2020). Harbor porpoises are known to occur in the area throughout the year, with the highest densities occurring in summer (COSEWIC 2022). Long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas), Atlantic white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus acutus), and white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) have been commonly sighted in the area and occur throughout the year (Gomez et al. 2020), and the Bay of Fundy is highlighted in predicted mean density maps that have been developed for small delphinoids (Roberts et al. 2016). There are a large number of harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) and grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) haul-out sites that occur in the Bay of Fundy, and the highest counts of harbor seals off Nova Scotia are observed in this area (Lidgard et al. 2023). There are also occasional sightings of other species in the area such as blue (Balaenoptera musculus), sperm (Physeter macrocephalus) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) (Gomez et al. 2020).
Supporting Information
Adams, M.J. 2018. Application of a Multi-Hydrophone Drifter and Porpoise Detection Software for Monitoring Atlantic Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Activity in and near Minas Passage. B.Sc. Honours Thesis, Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, N.S.
Baird, R.W. 2003. Update COSEWIC status report on the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae in
Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-25 pp.
Baumgartner, M.F. and Mate, B.R. 2003. Summertime foraging ecology of North Atlantic right whales. Marine Ecological Progress Series. 264: 123-135.
Baumgartner, M.F. and Mate, B.R. 2005. Summer and fall habitat of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) inferred from satellite telemetry. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 62: 527-543.
Beauchamp, J., Bouchard, H., de Margerie, P., Otis, N., Savaria, J.-Y., 2009. Recovery Strategy for the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), Northwest Atlantic population, in Canada [FINAL]. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. 62 pp.
Brodie, P.F., Sameoto, D.D. and Sheldon, R.W. 1978. Population densities of euphausiids off Nova Scotia as indicated by net samples, whale stomach contents and sonar. Limnology and Oceanography. 23: 1264–1267
Buzeta, M-I. 2014. Identification and Review of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas in the Bay of Fundy. DFO. Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2013/065. vi + 59 p
Cooke, J.G. 2018b. Balaenoptera borealis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T2475A130482064. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T2475A130482064.en. Accessed on 19 April 2024.
Cooke, J.G. 2018b. Balaenoptera physalus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T2478A50349982. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T2478A50349982.en. Accessed on 19 April 2024.
Cooke, J.G. 2020. Eubalaena glacialis (errata version published in 2020). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T41712A178589687. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T41712A178589687.en. Accessed on 18 April 2024
COSEWIC. 2019. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Sei Whale Balaenoptera borealis, Atlantic population, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xi + 48 pp. (https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry.html).
COSEWIC. 2022. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena, Northwest Atlantic population, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xii + 46 pp.
Davis, G.E., Baumgartner, M.F., Bonnell, J.F., Bell, J., Berchok, C., Thornton, J.B., Brault, S., Buchanan, G, Charif, R.A., Cholewiak, D., Clark, C.W., Corkeron, P., Delarue, J., Dudzinski, K., Hatch, L., Hildebrand, J., Hodge, L., Klinck, H., Kraus, S., Martin, B., Mellinger, D.K., Moors-Murphy, H., Nieukirk, S., Nowacek, D.P., Parks, S., Read, A.J., Rice, A.N., Risch, D., Širović, A., Soldevilla, M., Stafford, K., Stanistreet, J.E., Summers, E., Todd, S., Warde, A. and Van Parijs, S.M. 2017. Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014. Nature Scientific Reports. 7: 13460.
Davis, G. E., Baumgartner, M. F., Corkeron, P. J., Bell, J., Berchok, C., Bonnell, J. M., Thornton, J. B., Brault, S., Buchanan, G. A., Cholewiak, D. M., Clark, C. W., Delarue, J., Hatch, L. T., Klinck, H., Kraus, S. D., Martin, B., Mellinger, D. K., Moors-Murphy, H., Nieukirk, S., Nowacek, D. P., Parks, S. E., Parry, D., Pegg, N., Read, A. J., Rice, A. N., Risch, D., Scott, A., Soldevilla, M. S., Stafford, K. M., Stanistreet, J. E., Summers, E., Todd, S., and Van Parijs, S. M. (2020) Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data. Global Change Biology, 1-30.
Davies, K.T.A., Brown, M.W., Hamilton, P.K., Knowlton, A.R., Taggart, C.T., and Vanderlaan, A.S.M. 2019. Variation in North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis occurrence in the Bay of Fundy, Canada, over three decades. Endangered Species Research. 39: 159-171.
DFO. 2007. Recovery potential assessment for right whale (Western North Atlantic population). Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2007/027, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa.
DFO. 2014. Recovery Strategy for the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) in Atlantic Canadian Waters [Final]. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. vii + 68 pp. Available online at: https://wildlife-species.az.ec.gc.ca/species-risk-registry/virtual_sara/files//plans/rs_bnan_narw_am_0414_e.pdf
DFO. 2017. Management Plan for the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), Atlantic population in Canada, Species at Risk Act Management Plan Series, DFO, Ottawa, iv +38 p.
DFO. 2019. Review of North Atlantic right whale occurrence and risk of entanglements in fishing gear and vessel strikes in Canadian waters. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2019/028.
DFO. 2020. Updated information on the distribution of North Atlantic Right Whale in Canadian waters. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2020/037.
Gaskin, D.E., 1983. The marine mammal community. In Marine and coastal systems of the Quoddy Region, New Brunswick (ed. M.L.H. Thomas). Canadian Special Publication on Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 64, 245–268.
Gomez, C., Konrad, C.M., Vanderlaan, A., Moors-Murphy, H.B., Marotte, E., Lawson, J., Kouwenberg, A-L., Fuentes-Yaco, C., Buren, A. 2020. Identifying priority areas to enhance monitoring of cetaceans in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3370: vi + 103 p.
Hastings, K., M. King, and K. Allard. 2014. Ecologically and biologically significantareas in the Atlantic coastal region of Nova Scotia. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3107: xii + 174 p.
Ingram SN, Walshe L, Johnston D, Rogan E. Habitat partitioning and the influence of benthic topography and oceanography on the distribution of fin and minke whales in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 2007;87(1):149-156. doi:10.1017/S0025315407054884
Lachance, T., Campbell, C., Turnbull, S. 2023. Daytime Surface Sightings and the Distribution of Finback (Balaenoptera physalus), Minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), and Humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) Whales in the Quoddy Region of the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Northeastern Naturalist, 30(2), 135-150.
Lidgard D., Dispas A., Mosnier A., Varkey P., Kehler, D. and den Heyer, C. 2023. Distribution and counts of harbour (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia and Bay of Fundy from aerial and land surveys, 2019-2021. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3569 : vi + 88 p.
Mayo, C.A., and Marx, M.K. 1990. Surface foraging behavior of the North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis, and associated zooplankton characteristics. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 68: 2214–2220.
Meyer-Gutbrod, E., Davies, K.T.A., Johnson, C.L., Pluorde, S., Sorochan, K., Kenney, R., Ramp, C., Gosselin, J.F., Lawson, J. W., and Greene, C.H. 2022. Redefining North Atlantic right whale habitat use patterns under climate change. Limnology and Oceanography. 9999: 1–164.
Michaud, J., and Taggart, C.T. 2007. Lipid and gross energy-content of North Atlantic right whale food in the Bay of Fundy. Endangered Species Research. 3: 77-94.
Murison, L.D., and Gaskin, D.E. 1989. The distribution of right whales and zooplankton in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 67:1411–1420.
Plourde, S., C. Lehoux, J.J. Roberts, C. Johnson, N. Record, P. Pepin, C. Orphanides, R. S. Schick, H. Walsh, C.H. Ross. 2024. Describing the seasonal and spatial distribution of Calanus prey and North Atlantic Right Whale potential foraging habitats in Canadian waters using species distribution models. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2024/nnn. iv + 71 p.
Perrin, B., Mallette, S.D. and Brownell, J.R.L., 2018. Minke whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata and B. bonaerensis. In: Encyclopedia of marine mammals, third edition (ed. Wursig, B., Thewissen, J.G.M. and Kovacs, K.), pp.608-613. Academic Press.
Porskamp, P.H.J. 2015. Detecting and assessing trends in harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) presence in and around the FORCE test site. Master’s Thesis. Acadia University, Wolfville, NS.
Recchia, C.R. and A.J. Read. 1989. Stomach contents of harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, from the Bay of Fundy. Canadian Journal of Zoology 67: 2140-2146.
Record, N., Runge, J., Pendleton, D., Balch, W., Davies, K.T.A., Pershing, A., Johnson, C.L., Stamieszkin, K., Ji, R., Feng, Z., Kraus, S.D., Kenney, R. D., Hudak, C.A., Mayo, C.A., Chen, C., Salisbury, J.E. and Thompson, C.R.S. 2019. Rapid climate-driven circulation changes threaten conservation of endangered north Atlantic right whales. Oceanography 32(1): 162–169.
Ward-Paige, C.A., and Bundy, A. 2016. Mapping Biodiversity on the Scotian Shelf and in the Bay of Fundy. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2016/006. v + 90 p.
Woodley, T.H., and Gaskin, D.E. 1996. Environmental characteristics of North Atlantic right and fin whale habitat in the lower Bay of Fundy, Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 74: 75–84.
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