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Program Details

Sable Island – a biodiversity gem 

Paul Catling Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Environmental Health, Biodiversity, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa

Paul Catling is a senior research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Environmental Health, Biodiversity, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa. He has served as president of the Canadian Botanical Association, has been adjunct professor at University of Ottawa for 16 years, and curates the largest dried plant collection in Canada.

Talk subject:  Sable Island provides an unusual opportunity to study ecology and evolution under isolated conditions. The flora and fauna of the island are among the best known of any part of Canada, however there is much more to be discovered. Studies of the unusual and isolated island flora and invertebrate communities continue. Paul will discuss plants and invertebrates, and will present some results from the summer 2008 study of the island’s >30 fresh- and saltwater ponds. During the study, the status and distribution of fishes (sticklebacks and mummichogs) and the endemic freshwater sponge were determined, and a dozen new plants and invertebrates were added to Sable’s list of flora and fauna, the latter including dragonflies, beetles and moths.

Cameras, satellites, and fatty acids: how grey seals make a living.

W. Don Bowen Research scientist in the Population Ecology Division, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, and Adjunct Professor of Biology at Dalhousie University, Halifax.

Don Bowen’s research areas include the population dynamics, ecology, and energetics of North Atlantic phocid seals, with the objectives of understanding the diversity of seals’ life histories and the nature of competitive interactions between seals and commercial fisheries. For the past 15 years Don has conducted research on reproduction and foraging ecology of grey and harbour seals at Sable Island using a variety of data loggers and satellite telemetry.

Talk subject:  Most predators must search a patchy environment for food and the way in which they do this has important population and community level consequences that depend on the frequency of predator and prey encounters. Understanding the diet and location of foraging in pinnipeds and other marine mammals is central to understanding their impacts on prey populations and the effects of variability in prey populations on the dynamics of these upper trophic level marine predators. How pinnipeds and other large marine predators exploit the patchy distribution and abundance of prey is poorly understood because it is difficult to measure the relevant variables by direct observation. In this talk Don will discuss the how using fatty acids, satellite telemetry, and animal-borne video (Crittercam), in combination, can dramatically improve our understanding of how seals use the ocean.

A History of the Oil & Gas Industry on the Scotian Shelf
Cal Ross Oil & Gas Environmental Consultant, Halifax
 

Cal Ross has been involved with oil and gas issues—in exploration, development, and production phases—for three decades. After studying Fisheries and Wildlife Management at Guelph University, Cal joined Environment Canada, and for eight years managed a Research and Development program investigating the environmental impacts of oil spills. For the last 25 years Cal has been involved in the environmental aspects of the three major oil and gas developments on Canada's east coast both as a consultant and as an industry employee, the latter with various companies including Mobil Oil Canada, Lasmo, PanCandian, EnCana, and ExxonMobil.

Talk subject:  Cal will review the history of oil and gas industry activities on Sable Island and in the adjacent Scotian Shelf region. These activities include seismic surveys, exploratory drilling and production operations, beginning in the early 1970's. Cal will also discuss changes in practices over the years to reduce the environmental footprint of the industry.

Sable Island – Year in Review 2008

Zoe Lucas Sable Island

Zoe Lucas first visited Sable Island in 1971, and during the last three decades has been involved in numerous research and environmental monitoring programs, including long-term study of the Sable horses and beached bird surveys. Results of programs have been published in various scientific journals. Since 2002 Zoe has managed and prepared text and images for the Sable Island website www.GreenHorseSociety.com, and in 2004 became a Research Associate with the Nova Scotia Museum.

Talk subject:  Zoe will provide a review of Sable Island highlights for year 2008—including new foals, blue flotsam and walrus skulls, debris clean-up, resupply, and research activities, and several new publications.