Drs. Heather Hunt (University of New Brunswick) and Karen Kidd (McMaster University) have been leading a long-term project sampling infaunal invertebrates, sediment contaminants, and sediment characteristics at subtidal sites in Saint John Harbour, NB, Canada. This multi-year project is establishing baseline data that can be used to assess cumulative environmental effects in Saint John Harbour.
Samples were collected yearly (2018-2020) in Fall (October or November) at 6 reference sites (3 in inner harbour and 3 in outer harbour) as well as at 5-7 potential hotspot sites. Samples were collected using a 0.1 m2 Smith McIntyre grab sampler. Infaunal invertebrates were counted from a portion of the grab with a surface area of 321 cm2 and identified to species. Concentrations of contaminants (22 metals and other elements; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [4 sites in 2018 only]) were measured in surface sediment (upper 5 cm). Percent organic content (loss on ignition (LOI) at 550 and 950oC), total organic carbon (calculated from LOI), percent moisture, and % composition by grain size Wentworth size classes of the sediment were determined. See Van Geest et al. (2015) for detailed field and laboratory methods.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Port of Saint John provided funding to collect this data. This project is part of the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program Initiative under the Oceans Protection Plan of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
