A Natural History of Brier Island

Nova Scotia , Canada

By
Art MacKay
 A Natural History of Brier Island
Nova Scotia, Canada

by Art MacKay, 2015

Originally publi shed in 1977 as::

A BIO LOGICA L A ND OCEA NOGRAPHIC STUDY OF T HE BRIER ISLAND REGION, N.S.

FINAL REPORT TO

TH E DEPARTMEN T OF
INDIAN AFFA IRS A ND
NO RT HERN DEV ELOPMEN T
PARKS CAN A DA
OTT AWA, ONTA RIO
Arthur A. Macxev, Director
MA RIN E RESEARCH ASSOCI ATES LT D
Lord's Cove, Deer Island, N.B.
'Can ada, EU<J"2JO -- - -

Cove r: Westp ort, Brier Island. at sunset (A. M ac K ay , 1917).

TABLE OF CONTENTS 8. FISHES 60

Chapter Page No. 9. THE BIRDS 62

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS 10. MAMMALS 68

1. INTRODUCTION 11. MARINE PLANTS 75

2. MATERIALS & METHODS 12. RESOURCE USES 84

3. THE STUDY AREA 3 13. PRODUCTIVITY & POLLUTION 94

4. LANDFORMS 7 14. RECREATION 95

5. OCEANOGRAPHY 16 15. HISTORY 98

6. MARINE HABITATS 23 16. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 101

7. INVERTEBRATES 38 17. BIBLIOGRAPHY 102

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No. Page No.

3.1.1 SATELLITE PHOTO OF STUDY AREA 3

3.1.2 PRELIMINARY PARK BOUNDARIES 5

3.2.1 STUDY SITES 6

4.1.1 TOPOGRAPHY 9

4.2.1 GEOLOGIC RELATIONSHIP TO BAY OF FUNDY 10

4.4.1 DISTRIBUTION OF MAJOR SOIL TYPES 11

4.6.1 OUTSTANDING COASTAL FEATURES 13

5.3.1 BATHYMETRY 17

5.5.1 TEMPERATURE & SALINITY PROFI LES 18

5.3.3 LOCATION OF EXTREME TIDES, RIPS AND SWELL 19

5.3.2 SURFACE CIRCULATION IN BAY OF FUNDY 20

5.6.1 A BOULDER BEACH AT POND COVE 21

5.6.1 B BOULDER AND SAND BEACH AT POND COVE 22

6.1. 1 LOCATION OF PRINCIPAL MARINE HABITATS 24

6.3.1 BOTTOM PROFI LE-SITE 36 27

6.4.1 BOTTOM PROFI LE-SITES 1 and 2 28

6.5.1 BOTTOM PROFILE-SITE 7 29

6.5.2 BOTTOM PROFI LE-SITE 8 30

 6.6. 1 BOTTOM PROFI LESITE 11 31

6.6.2 BOTTOM PROFILESITE 16 32

6.9.1 GENERAL CHAR ACTERISTICS OF BIG POND 33

6.9.2 & 6.9.3 . PHOTOS OF BIG POND 34

6.9.4 TH E BARRIER BAR AT POND COVE 35

6.9.5 LITTLE POND 35

6.10.1 BOTTO M PROFI LEPOND COVE LEDG ES 36

6.11.1 BOTTO M PROFI LESITES 28 and 32 37

7.4.1 OCCURRENCE OF " INDICA TO R" SPECIES AT DEER ISLAND,

GRAN D MA NAN, LORNEVIL LE AND BRIER ISLAND 43

7.3.1 DISTRIBUTION OF SPONGES 44

7.3.2 DIST RIBUT ION OF HYDROIDS 46

7.3.3 DISTRIBUTION OF ANE MONES 46

7.3.4 DISTRI BUTION OF PLEUROBRACH IA 47

7.3.5 DI ST RIBUT ION OF LIN EUS 48

7.3.6 DISTRI BUTI ON OF MY XIC OLA & POTAMI LLA 49

7.3.7 DI STRIBUT ION OF V A RIOUS ANNE LI DS 50

7.3.8 DISTR IBUTION OF CRABS & LOBST ERS 51

7.3.9 DISTR IBUTION OF BARNAC LES 52

7.3.10 DISTRIBUTION OF SHRIMP, GAMMAR IDS AND

ISOPODS . 53

7.3.11 DISTRIBUTION OF LI MPETS & CHITONS 64

7.3.12 DIST RI BUTI ON OF V AR IOUS GASTROPO DS 55

7.3.13 DISTR IBUTION OF MUSSELS 56

7.3.14 DISTR IBUTION OF VARIOUS MOL LUSCS 57

7.3.15 DISTR IB UT ION OF ECHI NODER MS 58

7.3.16 DIST RIBUT ION OF BRYOZO A NS, BRACH IO PODS, A ND

PROTOCHORDATES 59

9.3. 1 KEY AREAS FOR BIRDS 67

10.2.1 RECORDS OF RIGHT WHALES 70

10.2.2 RECORDS OF HUMPBACK WHALES 71

10.2.3 RECORDS OF FINBACK WHA LES 72

10.2.4 RECORDS OF MINKE WHA LES 73

11.4. 1 PHOTO OF SUBT IDAL KE LP 80

11.4.2 DISTRIB UTI ON & ABUN DANC E OF LA MINARIANS 81

11.4.3 DI STRIBU TION & AB UN DANC E OF ALAR IA 82

11.4.4 DI STRIBUTION & A BUN DANCE OF AG A RUM 83

12.2. 1 GROUNDFI SH PLANT 84

12.1.1 PRI NCIPAL HER RIN G FISHING A REAS 88

12. 1.2 PRI NCIPAL GROUND FISH A REAS 89

12.1.3 PRINCIPAL LOBSTER FI SHI NG AR EAS 90

12. 1.4 LOCAT ION OF CLAM FL ATS 91

12.1.5 PRINCIPAL SCALLOP BEDS 92

12. 1.6 COMMERCI AL FI SH PROCESSING 93

14.8.1 CLA SSIFICATION OF DIVING SIT ES 97

15.3. 1 SHI PWRECKS 100

LI ST OF TABLES

Table No. Page No.

A COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF DEER ISLAND,

GRAND MANAN AND BRIER ISLAND ii

7.2.1 INVERTEBRATES 39

7.4.1 OCCURRE NCE OF "I NDICATO R" SPECI ES 42

8.2.1 FISHES 60

9.2.1 NBS CHRI STMAS BIRD COUNT 63

9.2.2 LIFE BIR DLIST-WICK ERSON LENT 64

9.2.3 NEST ING RECOR DS-ROSS AND ERSON 65

10.1.1 WHA LES 69

11.3. 1 TE RREST RIAL, FRESHWATER AN D MA RSH PLANTS 76

11.5. 1 A LGAE 79

12.2.1 FISH LANDI NGS, JA N. 1 TO APR I L 21,1 977 86

12.2.2 INSHORE LAN DINGS , 1947 TO 1973 87

GENE RAL PHOT OGRAPHS

Su bject Page No.

RESEAR CH VESSEL DELPHINUS 1

BASA LT CLIFFS 7
INTERIOR MEAOOW 12

GRANO PASSAGE 14

PONO COVE AREA 15

CURRENTS IN GRAND PASSAGE 16

KELP BED AT WESTPORT 23

BRITTLESTARS 38

HERRING 60

YOUNG POLLOCK 61

SANDERLINGS 62

GREAT BLUE HERON 66

FINBACK WHALE 68

HUMPBACK WHALE 74

THISTLE 75

TYPICAL SEA CONDITIONS 95

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA 98

SU MMAR Y & RECOMMENDATIO NS
INTR ODUCTI ON: In th e or iginal preliminary su rvey of
the Bay of Fundy, Par ks Can ada identif ied th ree natural mar-
ine areas of Canadian signif icance : Deer Island , N.B., Grand
Manan, N.B., and Brier Island, N.S. Thi s repor t repr esents
co mpl et ion of bio logical and oceanographic st udies fo r these
regions. In ou r previous re port o n Dee r Island and Grand
Manan (Mac K ay, 19 76 ) and in t hi s rep ort on Bri er Island ,
we have co vere d t he fo llowi ng t opics:
11 Landforms - phy siography, geology, outstanding
features and Bathymetry.
2) Ocean ography-tides, currents, light and water clarity,
t emperatures, salinity, waves and ero -
sion, water quality and climate.
3) Marine Habitat s-roc ky sho res, muddy sho res, san dy
sho res, mixed shores, ti de poo ls, brack-
ish po nds, estuaries, salt ma rshe s, man-
made hab itats, and pela gic areas.
4} Invertebrates- species diversity, d istribution and abu nd-
ance.
5) Marine Fishes- Species divers ity, distributi o n and abund-
ance.
6 ) Marine Birds- species diversity, distribution and abund-
ance.
7) Marine Mammals-spec ies diversity , dist ribut ion and
abunda nce.
8) Marine Plants- spec ies d iversity, distributio n and abund-
ance.
9 ) Reso urce Uses-Fish ing, research and ed uca tion, tourism,
processing, manufacturi ng and mining.
10 ) Pro ductivity
11 ) Po llut ion
121 Recreation
13) History
COMPARATIVE EVA LUATI ON. In o rder t o compa re
the Deer Island, Grand Manan and Brier Island regio ns, a
comparative rat ing syst em was desig ned where the vario us
attri butes of each region were rated o n a scale running from
-3 to 3. A negati ve rat ing ind icates an attri bute which is un-
desirable; positi ve rat ings are desirable attr ibutes . A 0 rat ing
ind icates an attribute with no significa nce in relat io n to a
marin e park. As previo usly disc ussed (MacKay. 19 76 ) we
con sider f ish ing activit ies to be ben eficial and co mpatible
w ith a marine pa rk and such activit ies are , in t he following
evaluat ion, generall y co nside red to have a positiv e value.
Our evaluation of th e three areas under co nsideration
is given in Ta ble 1.
As can be seen, Brier Island receives a co nsider ab ly lower
rat ing th an Deer Island and Grand Manan. Princip ally, thi s
is due to th e smaller area involved and the lack of com plexity
of mari ne habitats compare d to t he o ther two areas. Brier Is-
lands principal assets, apa rt from the beauty of t he area, are
its proxim ity t o pelagic areas, some unique botan ical aspe cts,
and its un ique loca t ion in terms of migrati ng birds.
Furthermore, the establishment and maintenan ce of a
marine park in t he Brier Island area wou ld, we believe, of-
fer fewer prob lems since it is a sma ll discret e area with a
low human population.
PA RK BOUNDA RIES : The NAGS bounda ries of the
study area outlined by Par ks Canada (see ch apter 3) encom-
pass all of the principal featu res of th e region and are suit -
able as a NAGS boundary fo r the Brier Island Regio n.
TABLE 1. A COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF THE SUITABILITY OF DEER ISLAND, N.B.
GRAND MANAN, N.B. AND BRIER ISLAND, N.S. AS SITES FOR MARINE AREAS OF CAN-
ADIAN SIGNIFICANCE.

RATING
ASPECT D.1. G.M. B.1.

1. Proximity to tourist flow 2 2 -1

2. Accessibility -1 -2 -1
3. Scenery 3 3 3
4. I nteresting topographic features 2 3 1
5. I nteresting geology 1 3 2
6. Tidal fluctuation 2 2 2
7. Currents- accessible to viewing 3 1 3
8. Currents - danger from -1 -2 -2
9. Water clarity -1 -1 2
10. Temperature - suitable for swimming -2 -2 -2
11. Salinity 0 0 0
12. Waves, shelter from 1 -1 -2
13. Water quality 2 3 3
14. Climate, summer 2 2 2
15. CIimate, winter -2 -2 -2
16. Marine habitats, representative of:
a) Rocky shores 3 3 3
b) Muddy shores 2 2 0
c) Mixed shores 3 3 1
d) Sandy shores 1 3 2
e) Tide pools 1 1 1
f) Brackish ponds 1 1 2
g) Estuaries 0 0 0
h) Salt marshes 1 2 2
i) Man-made structures 3 3 1
j) Pelagic habitats 2 3 3
17. Invertebrates:
a) diversity 3 2 1
b) abundance 3 2 2
18. Fishes, diversity and abundance 3 3 3
19. Birds:
a) diversity 2 3 3
b) Abundance (all species) 3 2 2
c) breeding colonies 2 3 2
d) Significant areas identified 3 3 3
20. Mammals:
a) diversity and abundance 1 2
b) research importance 2 2
c) feeding areas 2 2
21. Plants:
a) diversity and abundance 2 3 3
22. Resource uses-Fishing
a) facilities 2 2 1
b] lobster 1 2 2
c) groundfish 2 2 2
dlclams 1 1 0
e) scallops 2 1 1
f) dulse 1 2 0
g) herring 3 3 3

Continued on next page

ii
23. Resou rce uses-research and educatio n 3 1
24. Productivity 3 2
25. Pollution:
a) current 2 3 3
b) potent ial -2 -1 3
26. Existing rec reation:
a) A rts and Crafts 1 1 1
b] Hiki ng and Campi ng 1 1 1
c) Seashore ex ploration 2 1 1
d ) Fish ing 2 1 1
e l Boat ing 2 1 1
f l Diving 2 2 1
27. H ist orical Resou rces
-
2

B4
2

BO
1

73

iii

MRA'S RESEARCH VESSEL DELPHINUS IN GRAND PASSAGE, BRIER ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA (A. MacKay, Sept.1977)
During the summer of 1973, the Marine Studies Sect ion
of the Parks System Planning Division, National Parks Branch,
Ottawa, carried out a preliminary survey of the Bay of Fundy
region (Parks Canada, 1975) with the following objectives:
,
1. To undertake a regional analysis of the Bay
of Fundy marine region.
2. To study and assess the significance of the
marine environment adja cen t to Fundy
National Park.
3. To identify the most representative or out-
sta ndi ng marine and/or coastal areas in the
Bay and to assess the ir potential as nat ional
marine park sites.
This study consisted of a literature review, interviews,
and field recormalsance. As a result of this work, a number of
sites were identified as wort hy of future considerat ion in the
-narine parks context. The outer portion of the Bay of Fundy
was recognized as an area wh ich encompasses an unusually
Ihigh concentration of outstandi ng marine nat ural and cutr-
,
1 INTRODUCTION.
ural features and three areas, in particular, were noted as
being of pr imary interest. These areas are:
1. Brier Island and sur round ing marine environs,
Nova Scotia,
2. Grand Manan Island and Archipelago, New
Bru nswick , and
3. Deer Island and Arch ipelago, New Brunswick.
Since addi tiona l detai led data were required, Marine
Research Associates Ltd., Deer Island , N.B. was contracted to
conduct a comprehensive, comparative marine and coastal
resource ana lysis of the Deer Island and Grand Manan Arch i-
pelagos. This work was completed in 1976 and a report,
A Comparative Resource Anstvsis of the Deer Island and
Grand Manan Archipelagos, Bay of Fundy, was submitted
to Parks Canada. Addi tional similar infor mat ion was re-
quired for Brier Island, Nova Scotia and Marine Research Assoc-
iates Ltd . was co ntracted to carry out a biological and ocean-
ographic study and to present its findings in the form of this
report in accordance w ith the following guidelines:
PROJECT LOCATION
The stu dy area is the coasta l zone and off-shor e mar ine
environs o f Brier Island, Nova Scot ia. A map ou t lin ing t he
study area is attached.
PURPOSE:
The contract covers t he prov ision of professional
services fo r co ndu ct ing a biological and ocean ographic study
of th e coas ta l zone and off-sho re marine enviro ns of Brier
Island, Nova Scotia.
The study will include:
1. A professional d iscussion of th e bio logical and oceanograph ic
feat ures of th e Brier Islan d region ;
2. Identifi cat ion of existing or pote ntial exte rna l and interna l
resou rce uses wh ich have o r will have an effect, be it posit ive
or negative, o n the integrity of th e marine environment in th e
region, and;
5. ide ntify , describe and map (whe re app ropriate) the coasta l
geo logy and geomo rpho logy of Brier Island.
6. identify, describe and map (where appr op riate) th e an imals
and plant s fou nd in t he brac kish wat er ponds and marshes of
th e island. Parti cular at tenti on should be d irect ed to unique,
rare or endangered species of anima ls found in th e respect ive
habi tats.
7. identi fy and desc ribe any exis t ing or po tent ial resource uses
wh ich occ ur in th e study area such as: ship ping, resource ex-
plorati on permits, commercial fishing (all types and appr ox-
imate inte nsity and eco nomic impo rt ance ), spo rt fishinn, lobst er
pou nds, aquaculture and any other uses of the marin e environ-
ment which occur in o r adjacent to the study area.
8. identifv and dascrlbe the coastal mar ine histo ry of the st udy
area. Parti cula r attention sho uld be di rected to a discussion of th e
follow ing: sh ipwrecks, ship-b uild ing, coas ta l navigat ion, coast al
fort ificat ions, fishing villages, and any other topi cs relevant t o
the hist ory of th e study area.

3. the prep arati on of a bibliography.
PHASE 1
PROJ ECT REQUI RE MENTS
More specifically, but witho ut limiting t he generality of
th e for egoi ng, the project involves th e preparat ion of on e
.original document which will accomplish th e following ob ject-
ives:
1. identify, describe and map the spat ial distribution of th e
various mar ine comm unities (rocky subst rate, sand subs trate
pelagic ha bita ts and so o n) to be fau nd In the study area with
respect t o the inf ralittor al, supralittoral and open water zones.
More specif ically th e contractor will be ex pected to provide an.
index list of th e mo re commo n and/ or uni que plants and an imals
found in th e study area. Generalized prof iles of the various
ha bitats encount ed will be prepared showing zonat ion and
principal organisms occurring in each za ne.
2. iden t ify, describe and map th e ocean ographic featu res of th e
Brier Island study area cons ide ring all aspects such as ocean currents
t idal amp lit ude, tem peratu re-salinity characte ristics, water clarity
charac te rist ics and any othe r oceanograph ic pheno menon deemed
notewort hy.
9. th e contractor shall prep are a bibliograph y wh ich outlines
referen ces cited and othe rs wh ich may be of interest in th e
fur th er st udy of the region.
PHASE 2
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Upon co mp letion of Phase 1 of t he study, t he contracto r
will con duct a comparative analysis of t he natural and cu ltural
attributes of the Brier Island area with th e Deer Island and
Grand Manan Archipelagos. The contractor will be ex pecte d to
employ similar aspects and methodol ogy as was used in th e
comparative resource ana lysis of t he Deer Island and Gra nd
Manan Archipelagos.
The ob jectives of this analysis are two-fold:
1. to co mpare t he relative merits of t he marine nat ural and
cult ura l attributes of th e Brier Island and Deer Island and
Grand Manan Archipelagos.
2. to assess the relat ive me rits of the Brier Island area as a
potent ial marine Natural Area of Canad ian Si9':l ificance.

3. iden tify, describe and map (where appro priate) mann e

mamm al habitats. A description of th e marin e mammal pop-
ulat ions with referenc e t o size, po pulat ion chara cterist ics
and po pulat ion trends and possible hu man impacts which t hreat-
en o r cou ld t hreaten the respect ive ha bitats in th e study area
is essenti al.

4. ident ify, describe and map (where approp riate) marin e

bird, sho rebird and land bird habit ats. A description of t he
various avifau na popul at ions with reference to size, pop ulati on
characte rist ics and po pulation trends and possible human
impacts which t hreate n or cou ld threaten th e respective habitats
in the stu dy area is essen t ial.

2
 2 MATERIALS & METHODS.

Data collected during the course of this study were ob ta ined desc ribed in ou r previous repor t dealing with Deer Island and
f rom t he lit erat ure, th roug h personal inte rviews and through f ield Grand M ar ia n,
work carried out by MRA's field sta ff. Field techniques used are

3 THE STUDY AREA.

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FIGUR E 3.1.1. SAT EL LITE PHOTOG RA PH SHOWING TH E LOCATI ON OF THE STUDY AREA

3
 3.1. INTRODUCTION. Brier Island lies at the mouth of
the Bay of Fundy at the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia (Fig-
ure 3.1.n.lt is the outermost island in a long finger-like pro-
jection of land comprised of Digby Neck, Long Island and Brier
Island. In addition to forming the eastern mouth of t he Bay,
of Fundy, it also forms the western shore of St. Mary's Bay.
Politically, Brier Island is in Digby County in the Province of
Nova Scotia.
As is discussed in the following chapters, Brier Island's
principal distinction is its exposure to the open Atlantic and the
influence this location has on its physical character as well as
its flora and fauna. For the purpose of th is study, preliminary
boundaries were set by Parks Canada as shown in Figure 3.1.2.
3.2. SITES VISITED. Our field team had considerable
difficulty completing offshore sites due to bad weather and
persistent heavy swell duringotherwise fine days. In fact, several
proposed study sites were relocated due to excessively rough
water resulting from the combined effects of waves and currents.
Nevertheless, most of the proposed offshore sites were eventual-
ly reached and surveyed. In addition, other int ert idal and terrest-
rial sites were visited as shown in Figure 3.2.1.
4
 3,

ZJ'l
< 8

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z
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.
3'

" .. J,f:\ '"

r
o 2
. ~ x. .as

FI GUR E 3.1.2. PRELI MI NAR Y NA CS BOUND ARY SELECTED BY PARKS CANADA

 ftorth>VrS ( JUJ.:J< IJ 4 31
----~
36

35 37

34

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.3 38
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.
30
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27

26

25
24
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es
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Brier I. So u t h wes t l e dg e i ! s ' ?,. , fJ
............ "-'7 co4to-N'
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,. o Not visite d du e
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F IIG~I I'?.s .:?-..2.;'I. STUD V SITI=~.aT RRII=R ISLA N D _NOVA SCOTIA


COLUMNAR BASA L TCLIFFS OF BRIER ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA (A. MacKay, September, 1977)
4. 1. PHYSIOG RAP HY. Together with Long Island, Brier
Island is effectively the seaward extension of Digby Neck which
forms the westerly bo udary of St. Mary's Bay and the easterly
bou da ry of the outer Bay of Fundy. Unlike Grand Manan and
Deer Island, Brier Island has no significant numbe r of associated
islands; Peter Island, at the easte rn entrance to Grand Passage,
being the on ly one possessing te rrestrial vegetation.
4 LANDFORMS.
The only extensive ledges are found at the southern tip
of the Island whe re this system projects like a finger about 1 Yo
miles to the southwest, terminating at Gull Rock . These ledges
extend offshore, subtidally, about another two miles to form
Southwest Ledge. Northwest Ledge is ano ther extensive sub-
tidal ledge system ly ing about 2 miles northwest of Brier Is-
land and covering an area approximately 3 miles by 1 Y2 miles.
7
 Brier Island is relat ively small, being approximately 4.4
miles in greatest length and 1.7 miles in greatest width. The
Island has approximately 5 square miles of land area and
approximately 15 miles of shorel ine (Lollis, 1959l. The clos-
est adjacent land is Long Island which lies less than % mile
across Grand Passage.
Topographically (Figure 4.1.11 the Island is rugged with
basalt cliffs reach ing appro ximately 100 feet in height. The
scenery is generally spectacular; particularly the cliffs and ex-
posed rocks which run along the northwest coast from Whipple
Point to North Point and from South Point to Gull Rock on
the southeast. There are no truly protected coves, although
major indentations of the coast are found at Westport in Grand
Passage and at Pond Cove. Small coves occur along the entire
coast and are identified as Seat Cove, Gooseberry Cove, Perc
Jack Cove, Cow Cove, lighthouse Cove, Hog Yard Cove, New
Road Cove, Olives Cove, and Big Cove. None of these are of
any extent; nor are they suitable for anchorage.
Brier Island has no major rivers, lakes or streams. Freshwater
runoff is restricted to seepage and small brooks which are found
at several localities. The re are however, two major bogs or swamps
which run cerenet to each other over most of the Island's length,
These are discussed further in the following section covennq geology.
Two brackish ponds . one large and one small, are located at Pond
Cove at the southern end of the Island.
4.2 GEOLOGIC HISTORY. Brier Island is identified
as part of the North Mountain Range; a Triassic basalt forme-
tion which extends along the eastern shore of the Bay of Fundy
to Brier Island. The physical characteristics of the Island are
shaped by this formation which, as shown in Figure 4.2. 1 , forms
the eastern limb of the Bay of Fundy syncline and dips at 6
to 10 degrees northwest into the Bay Hollis, 1959) and reappears
at Grand Manan.
The topography of the Island ref lects the existence of
layers of hard lava alternating with softer layers of amygdoloidal
lava which have eroded to form two valleys between the two
coastal ridges and a central ridge (Figures 4.1.1 and 4. 2.1)
(Stevens, 1977 }. " The two principal coastal ridges are nearly
equal in height, breadth and symmetry. Both are steeper on the
southern side than on the north. Thus, the South Shore is more
bold, commonly with high vertical rock cliffs, than the compare-
tlvelv low North Sho re with its broad rocky shoreline." Grand
Passage is a transverse valley crossing these ridges. The presence
of a fault in the Passage is indicated by topographic and strati.
grapn lc evidence ( Lollis, 1959).
"Evidence of continental glaciation is found everywhere in
the area. Glacial striae, rouches moutonees and other features in-
dicate that the last advance of glacial ice came from the North
and, at the western edge of the area, swung to the right so as to
parallel the two (main) ridges of Long and Brier Islands. The
amount of glacial excavation must have been cons iderable in
the central lowlands; some of the bogs there are within bedrock
basins.
"Widesprea d erosional and depositional evidence indicates
that sea level was once 65 to 70 feet above where it is now, rela-
tive to the land.
"In Westport is a wide raised beach. A local resident reo
ported that whereever wells are dug on the slope behind the town,
the diggers encounter 'heaps of rocks just like those down on the
beach'. He said th at when digging a well once, he had found a barn-
acle in the cleft of a stone; a hand-level traverse by the author
(Lollis) dete rmined that the shell had been found 54 feet above
the level of spring high tides."
4.3 BEDROCK GEO LOGY. Geological Survey of
Canada Map 1225A, Annapolis St. Mary's Bay Area, 1969,
identifies all of Brier Island as North Mountain basalt. As prev-
iously mentioned, the most abru pt cliffs are found on the
South Shore of Brier Island where col umnar joints of dolerite
form a spectacular coastl ine which has been compared with the
Giant's Causeway in Scotland and is almost identical to the
associated cliffs of souther n Head on Grand Manan Island.
Tallus slopes are common at the base of the cliffs and sub-
tidal geology is basically similar to that found on the Island
itself.
4.4 SURFICIAL GEO LOGY. The distribution of
principal soil types is shown in Figure4.4.I. As canbe seen, soil
patterns more or less conform to the topography of the Island
with bogs occurring in the two valleys. While the three remain -
ing soil types diffe r in detail, they are all sandy loams.
Hilchey, et.aL, 1962, identifies and characterizes the
four types of soil fou nd on Brier Island as follows;
1} SPHAGNUM PEAT:
Surface and subsoil: Brown sem i-decomposed
moss 8 - 15" thick over semi-decomposed moss
and sedge mate rial of variable depth.
Parent material: Deposits lie on gravel, sand,
or bedrock (Lollis, 1959, identifies the parent
material as bedrock on Brier Island ).
Topography and drainage: Level to depressio n-
al; poor drainage.
Present land use: None (MRA).
Land use capability: Unsuitable for agriculture.
2) ROSSWAYSOILSERIES;
Surface and subsoil: Dark, greyish brown sandy
loam over dark yellowish brown sandy loam;
stony.
Parent material: Yellowish brown cobbly sandy
loam till derived from basalt; shallow and stony.
Topograph y and drainage: Rolling to hilly ; well
drained; internal drainage medium to rapid.
Present land use: Chiefly forested; very small
areas used for mixed farming or rough pasture.
Land use capability: Poor to unsuitable for
crop land.
Limiting factors: Ext reme sto niness; topog raphy.
31 TIOOV ILLESO IL SER IES:
Surface and subsoil: Organic dark greyish
brown, sandy loam over strong brown sandy
loam, mottled.
Parent material: Olive sandy loam till; shallow;
stony.
Topography and drainage: Gently undulating
external and internal drainage slow.
Present land use: Chiefly forested; some small
areas for pastu re or poor quality hay.
Land use capability: Unsuitable for agriculture.
8
 BAY OF FUNDY
North Point
BRIER ISLAND
POND
COV E
,
I
FIGURE 4. 1. 1. TOPOGRAPHY OF BRI ER ISLAND AND SOUT HERN T IP O F l ONG ISLAND (After l ollis. 1959)
4) ROXVI l l E SOl l SERI ES:
Surface and subsoil: Dark brown to dark
greyish brown sandy loam over yellowish brown
sandy loam; mottled ; stony .
Parent material: Yellowish brown sandy loam
till derived from basalt; stony; shallow.
Topography and drainage: Gently undul ating
to gently rolling; imper fectly drained; in-
ternal drainage moderately slow.
~sen t land use: Chiefly forested .
Land use capability: Fair to poor cro p land.
Limiting factors: Drainage; stontness.
l ONG
ISLAND
GRAND
PASSAGE
0>
ST. MA RY'S BAY
As can be seen from the foregoi ng. Brier Island soils are
generally unsuitable for agriculture. In fact , except for home
gardening . the only land use observed was at Pond Cove where
a herd of sheep grazes. Apparently, other areas on the Island are
used for this purpose as well (Lent, 1977).
4.5 ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. "The mineral resources of
the Digby Neck, Long Island, Brier Island area are not great. With
the one exce ption of diatomite, exploitation of economic deposits
has been limited and rest ricted to rcc et use." (Lollis, 195 9)
Diatom ite product ion at Digby Neck started in 1920 and
9
 A Grand Manan Brier Island
red shales and
sandstone
(Triassic) St. Mary's Bay
sandstones

slate, schists, granite

and quart zit e _ _ -

B
hard hard ha rd
lava lava lava

FIGURE 4.2.1. GEOLOG IC RELATIONSH IP OF BRIER ISLA ND TO THE BAY OF FUNDY AND FORMATI ON
OF BRIER ISLAND TOPOGRAPHY. A. Brier Island is formed fro m an out crop of a basalt formation which dips
into the Bay of Fu ndy and reapp ears west of a major fault at Grand Manan Island. B. Differences in hardness of
lava fo rmations emerging o n Brier Island have resul in di fferent ial erosion and fo rmat io n of th ree ridges as shown
above . (Based o n inf ormation supplied by Steven s, 1977 )

10
 BAYOF FUNDY LON G
IS LAND

'.'.

BR IER ST. MARY'S BA Y

ISLAN D

..fJ

tJ
-:Ui;
:
-.. ~
.: ---
SPHAGNUM PEA T - Brown semi-decomposed
moss 8 15" th ick over semidecomposed moss
and sedge mater ial of variable depth

ROSSWA Y SOl L SERI ES - Dark greyish br own

sandy loam over dark yellowish brown sandy
; loam; sto ny ,
l
T I DDVI L L E SOIL SER I ES Organic dark greyish
brown sandy loam over strong brow n sandy
loam ; mottled.

ROXV I L L E SOI L SERI ES Dark brown t o d ark

greyish brow n sandy loam over yello wish brown
sandy loam ; mot t led; stony.

FIGURE 4.4.1. DISTR IB UTION OF MA JO R SOI L T YPES ON BR IER ISLAND (Afte r Hil chey, et.al. , 1962).

11
 CHARAC TER OF THE INTERIOR BOGS AND MEADOIS OF BRIER ISLA ND, NOVA SCOTiA (A. MacKaY,Sept, 1917)
continued unt il 1936. Production resumed during World War II and
was continued until 1953. G. Wightman, present owner of the Digby
Neck deposits , assumes that the re is a potential of 500,000 tons of
finished product on the Neck and a similar amou nt on the islands.
Some of the same bogs co nta in peat moss of marketable quality
but no attempt has been made to produc e any of th is mater ial
(Lollis, 1959 ).
Weathe red basalt is commonly used for road fill, but has
no economic value other than fo r local use.
4.6 OUTSTANDING COASTAL FEATURES. Scenery
at Brier Island is generally pleasing and, in some areas, relatively
spectacu lar. However, much of this coast is similar to that found
elsewhere in th e Bay of Fundy. In our opinion th ere are three
areas which are part icularly ou tstanding:
1) GRAND PASSAGE: Currents are impressive in Grand
Passage where they reach speeds of 5 to 6 knots. In addition, the
occasional occurrence of small herring result in spectacu lar feed ing
binges by sea birds and larger fish. In this regard, the accessibility
of the Passage makes it unique.
2) BASAL T CLI FFS: The co lumnar basalt cliffs along th e
southeastern shore are particularly impressive.
3) POND COVE: The Pond Cove area possesses attributes
which make it both interesting and pleasing.. The two brack ish ponds.
while they are not in themselves particu larly interesting (com pared
with othe r similar ponds we have visited), have associated terrestria l
vegetation which is both interesting and unique. In add it ion, the
scenery, the extensive fine sand beach, exposed ledges, and stun ted
forest vegetation make th is a worth wh ile site to visit.
12
 37

3.

u,

"

GRAND PASSAGE

,
,,
,
~t~~
\ "
_ _
.
~oI , ~j.'
'\ ;i
Gp f l l3112 uc95 fi l S,

BASALT CLIFFS
F"t1 S,q (11 6"0 ~
, .,

POND COVE
.
:n

as

\i

. ..
n 34

JJ
,
'"

"

37

,
. 14', l'
.
'
,
"
o 2

FIGURE 4.6. 1. OUTSTANDING COASTAL FEA TURES ON BRI ER ISLAND.

13
 GRAND PASSAGE AS SEEN FROM WESTPOR T, BRIER ISLA ND, NOVA SCOTIA . PETER ISLAND IS I N THE
BACKGROUND (A. MacKay, September, 1977).

GRAND PASSAGE AS SEEN FROM THE EA STERN RI DGE. FRE EPORT, LONG ISLA ND A ND THE SA Y OF
FUNDY CAN BE SEEN IN THE BACKGROUND (A. MacKay, September, 1977)

'4
THE POND COVE AREA, BRIER ISLA ND, NOVA SCOTIA . UPPER PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS THE GRASS FIE LDS OF
THE SOUTH EASTERN TIP OF BRIER ISLAND LOOKI NG OUT OVER THE OFFSHORE LEDGES AND THE OPEN
A TLA NTIC (note the herd of sheep to the righrJ. THE LOWER PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS THE FINE SAND BEACH OF
pOND COVE.

15

STRONG CURREN TS, REACHING 5 TO 6 KNOTS, PASS THROUGH GRAND PASSA GE NEAR PETER ISLAND.
(A MacKav, September, 1977 )
5.1 . INTRODUCTION. Because of Brier Island 's ex pos-
ed condition, the influence of the sea is total; the winds,
surf and stor ms affect both marine and terrestrial organisms
lncludinq man. Its unique locat ion at t he Bay of Fundy's en-
trance to the Atlantic Ocean int roduces oceanic characterist-
ics which are not found elsewhere in the Bay except at Grand
Manan Island. This chapter is a compilation of available ocean-
ographic data for the Island area .
5.2. T IDES. Brier Island has the large tidal fluctuations
typical of the Bay of Fundy with a mean t idal amplitude of
15.9 feet and a large tide ampl itude of 2 1.7 feet (Fisheries
and Marine Service, 1977). In spite of the great rise and fall
of the tide, the intertidal area is not particularly great com -
pared with other areas in the Bay. In fact the only extensive
areas of gradually slop ing beach are found at Po nd Cove and
along the Westport shore. Elsewhere cliffs drop ab ru ptly to
low water.
5 OCEANOGRAPHY.
The force of th e tides is as great at Brier Island as else-
where in t he Bay and, as is discussed in more detail in the
following sect ion, tidal cu rrents are great; reach ing veloci ties
as high as six knots.
5.3 . CUR RENTS AND NON-T IDAL DRIF T. Water flood-
ing in an d out of the Bay of Fund y sweeps past Brier Island.
The bat hymetry (Figure 5.3 . 1) of the area is suc h that tidal
currents are swept from great dep ths across the shoals to the
south and north of the Island and through the passages at
velocities which crea te the up wellings and rips which are
usua lly associated with areas of high localized productivity .
Although th is phe nomenon is, in essence, the same as at
Deer Island and Gran d Menan, there are di ffe rences in mag
nitude. Both Deer Island and Gran d Menan have more com-
plex mosa ics of islands, passages, and shoa ls. Brier Island, how-
ever, is smalle r in extent and less complex. The effect of this
16
 3'

FI GURE 5.3.1 . BAT HYM ET RY IN THE BAI ER ISLA ND REGI ON (Depths in feet)

17
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117
ST.MAR Y S BA Y

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FIGU RE 5.5.1. TEMPERATURE AN D SA LI NITY PROF ILE S FOR JULY AN D AUG UST, 1977. (Please note:
Th ese d ata may no t be reproduced without th e per m ission of D. E. Gaskin .De pt.Zocloqv , Unive rs it y of Gue lph. )

18
 a

,
HEA V Y SWELL
IN WIND ~:lO u: '
.
g
,
~ ; ..
>6 a; ~i
/
....-t
"',

.
Currents of approximately
4 knots pass across North -
west led ge as indica te d by t he
arrows, creating heavy ti de rips. u
,

,
HEA V Y SWE L L
IN WIND

Heavy t ide rips ."

were encountered
WEL
at Whipple Po int.

Cu rrents of 5 to 6
" ",,_k nots are recorded
n for Grand Passage.
Heavy rips were
observed to the
east and wes t of
Peter Island.
Str ong currents pass across
Southwest Ledge c rea t ing
heavy t ide rips

".
2

F IG U RE 5.3.3. LOCA TI ON O F EXT REM E TIDES, RIPS. A N D SWEL L.

19
 MAINE
FIG URE 5.3.2. SURFAC E CIRCU LATION IN THE BAY OF FUNDY AS IN DICAT ED BY DR IFT BOTT LE
ST UD IES (After Hachey and Bai ley . 1952).
is reflected in marine habitats as well as the flora and fau na
which, compared to areas such as Deer Island tend to be more
homogeneous.
Information on non-tidal drift in the Bay of Fundy has
been previously presented (M acKay, 1976 ). Available inform-
ation suggests a circu lar circu lation as shown in Figu re 5.3.2.
As can be seen from th is figure, Brier Island is within this Bay
of Fundy drift system and, consequently, is wit hin the range
of any major surface borne pollutant or iginating anywhere in
the outer portion of the Bay. In ad dition, surface borne pol-
lutants, dumped f rom sh ips entering or depart ing from the
Bay of Fundy frequently reach the shores of Brier rsrano
(Lent, 1977) mor e or less confirming th e on -sho re set of sur-
face waters.
Figure 5.3.3 shows the locations of extreme currents and
tida l rips in the Brier Island area as ind icated on charts and as
observed by our field party. Tida l velocities are also given. As
can be seen much of the area is dominated by rips and areas
of heavy currents. Many of these areas can be wo rked by ex-
perienced divers. However, togethe r with the com mon ly per-
siste nt swe ll, thes e factors make amateur divi ng in the area
hazardous unless the party is led by a knowledgeable and
conscientious dive master. However. from the point of view
of surface viewing the currents and rips are an attraction and
readily accessible.
5.4 . LIG HT AND WATER CLAR ITY. Brier Island has
the clearest water of any site we have visited in the Bay of
Fund y. Ou r divers regu larly recorded visibilities to 40 feet
in shallow water and as high as 30 feet in depths in excess of
50 feet . Th is clarity, results in excellent light penetration
wh ich is reflected in the abundance of plant growth occurring
to 60 feet or more. In fact, this proli fic growth of algae is one
of the predo minant features of the area . A number of dives
were made aft er a storm and visibility was on ly slightly re-
duced ; presumably as a result of the lack of shallow-water
mud-flats which contribute greatly to suspended matter in
other area s.
5.5. TEMP ERATUR E AND SA LIN ITY. Because of Brier
Islands loca tion and the oceanographic characteristics of the
area sea sonal fluctuations in water tem perature and salinity
are not great. The fo llow ing tempe ratu re and salin ity data
have been provided by Dr. D.E. Gaskin, Department of Zoo'
logy, University of Guelph, Guelph. Ontario. (Please note
that these data were provided strictly for this report and ma y
no t be further reproduced without the permission of the
Author):
All tem perature and salinity profiles are characte rized
by the high degree of mixing and the limited difference in
values obtained from surface to 60m. Both July and August
flood t ide profiles indicate cold, high salinity water upwelling
against the S.W. and N.W. Ledges (Figure 5.5. 1), with lesser
influence at Moore Led ge. Possibly the water carried in to-
wards Moore Ledge does not bring about a change until the
ebb has beg un to move at the surface. The influence of these
upwe llings on th e food species of the upper trophic level an-
imals (whales. dolphins, porpoises and pelagic seabi rds) is most
pronounced wh en the tides are springing.
20
 Average temperature increase in surface laye rs from J uly
to late August was little mo re than 1 degree C, and corres-
ponding change in salinity fro m 0.2 5 to 0. 50 0/ 00.
The University of Guelph Department of Zoo logy wishes
to acknowledge the invaluable assistance in this wor k of Mr.
Raymond Thurber of Freeport, Nova Scotia; and the follow-
ing personnel of the Department of Zoology, - Ms B. Braune,
Ms W.G. Halina, Mr. D. Clow and Mr. B. Hill.
5.6. WAVES AND EROSION. The entire coastline at
Brier Island is exposed to severe wave action and persistent
swell. This includes, when the wind is from the right direction
at high tide, the shorefront at Westport in Grand Passage.
Severe storms have tremendous effect as illustrated by the
following newspaper excerpt on the "Ground Hog Day Gale"
of 1975 (Anon. 1975 ).
West Port on Brie r Island, Freeport and other vii/ages on
Long Island, Digby County and much of the Digby Neck
were on Tuesday declared disaster areas in the wake of the
wind storm of up to 118 miles per hour which hit the pro-
vince on Monday.
along the Brier Island margin of Grand Passage.
5.7. WATER QUALITY. While we were unable to obtain
water qual ity data for the Brier Island area, its locat ion, the
tack of heavy industry, and ou r general observations suggest
that water ouattrv is high.
5.B. CLIMATE. Brier Island is influenced by a north-tem-
perate marine climate which is characterized by warmer win-
ter temperatures, coole r summer temperatures, extensive
periods of summer fog and strong fall and winter winds.
Mills (1970) identifies the area as having the highest mean
temperature in January (25 degrees F.) of any area in the
Maritime Provinces, the lowest mean annual range of tempe r-
ature (less than 40 degrees F.), a low mean dai ly temperature
range (15 degrees F.), the mildest extreme low temperature
(-5 degrees F.) and the longest frost-free period (160 days ).
This moderate climate results in the area having southern
floral and faunal affinities, much the same as at Grand Man-
an Island.

One of the most serious happenings was the collapse of

the Raymond Robicheau general store at Westport. Tides
of four feet above normal, accompanied by the gusts deposit-
ed fishing boats and fish plants over the flooded roads and
up to the bushes.

Twentytwo fishing boats were said to be washed up and

some destroyed at Freeport on Monday. Power was still off
on the Islands and part of the Neck area on Tuesdsv stter-
noon.

Latest word coming from Freepor t just before going to

press reports that Connors Bros. at Freep or t was practically
wiped ou t ov Mondav's storm, Fish houses and debris landed
along the street blocking off the entrance to the ferry wharf.
All the fish houses from the intersection at the Bank to Con-
nor Bros. have gone, it is understood, and the road washed
away to be passable only on foot.

Fish refrigera ted at the Connors plant are totally destroy-

ed and a "pound" of 1000 pounds lobsters was washed a-
shore and completely lost. Other lobster "pounds" were al-
so scstiereo.

The erosive effect of waves and freezing are great. How-

ever, much of the coastal area is composed of hard basalt and
the rate of eros ion is, as a result, relat ively stow. Along the
eastern and western shores, the effects of erosion are classic,
with cliffs dropping to ta llus slopes of eroded basalt boulders.
In many localities, particularly where the cliffs are steep, these
tall us slopes drop below the low water line to considerable depth.
- -.- -'
.'
At Pond Cove erosion of softer lavas has created a gently
sloping shore dominated by a relatively extensive intertidal
area consisting of basalt ledge, cobble beaches, barrier bars
composed of basalt boulders and an extensive sand beach
(Figure 5.6 . 1).
FIGURE 5.6. 1.A A BOULDER BEACH ON THE EAST SIDE
At Westport weathering has been less extreme resulting in a OF POND COVE consisting of rounded basalt bou lders formed
series of mixed shores (sand, mud, cobble, boulder and ledge) by waves and weathering.

21
FIGURE 5.6. t.s A BOULDER AN D SAND BEAC H AT POND COVE . Typ ical weathered boulders embedded in a fine
sand beach.

22

KELP BEDS AR E DOMINA N T AROUND BRIER ISL AND AND FORM ONE OF THE KEY MA RINE HABITATS.
THIS BfD IS LDCA TED OFF WESTPORT. (A. MacKay, September, 1977)
6. 1. INTRODUCTION. Shore and substrate classific- 5.
at ions and descr iptions of zonation have been previously
presented (MacKay, 1976 }. Consequently. this chapter
will deal with the specific mar ine habitats found at Brier
Island. Brier Island is, compared with other localities in the
Bay of Fun dy, relat ively homogeneous in terms of marine 6.
habi ta ts . The Island is dominated by basalt cliffs, ledges and
bo ulder beaches. As shown in Figur e 6.1.1. we have ident-
ified nine distinctive areas on the basis of locat ion and /or
substrate: 7.
1. Northwest Ledqe-a shallow subtidal basalt ledge
characte rized by strong currents, exposed co n-
ditions and tidal rips.
8_
2. Northern Entrance to Gr and Passage-located at
th e northern entrance to Grand Passage, th is
coastline is characteri zed by basalt cliffs and 9.
strong cu rrents.
3. The Westport Shore-a mi xed shore possessing 10.
sand, mud, cobble, boulder an d ledge.
4. South Po int-a sma ll area of subtidal sand charact-
erized by eel grass and kelp.
6 MARINE HABITATS.
The Southeastern Coast-exten ding from South
Po int to Gull Rock, this shore is cha racte rized
by high basalt cliffs d ro pping abrubtly to con -
siderable depth.
The Southwest Ledqe-a shallow subtidal ledge
characterized by st rong cur rents, exposed con-
dit ions, and tidal rips.
Pond Cove-Sand and Boulder Beach-a beautiful
beach characterized by fine sand and rou nded
basalt boulders.
Brackish Ponds -two brac kish ponds located at
Pond Cove.
Pond Cove Ledges-an ex tensive inte rtidal ledge
system.
The Northwest Coast-ex tend ing from Whipple
Point to North Po int this shore is cha racterized
by cliffs and boulder and co bble beaches of bas-
alt. It is more gently slopping than the southeast-
ern coast.
23
 1. NO RTH WEST LEDGE

" ~~
2 NORTH ERN ENT RA NCE
TO GRAND PASSAGE
, u
U'
Uj"
" JQ I":

;'1.

,
" 'ii,
-s
' p'

10. T HE NORT HWEST

COAST

9. POND COVE LE s

8. BRA CK ISH PONDS r:

4. SOUT H POIN T

"
f
3. WEST PO RT SHO RE
7. POND COVE BEA CH
n

6. SOU TH WEST LED GE
.

5. TH E SOUT HEAST ERN COAST

"

FI GURE 6.1. 1. LOCAT ION OF PRINC IPA L MA RI NE HA BIT ATS DESCRIBE D I N THE TE XT.
24
 Details covering each of these areas are given in the follow-
ing pa ragraphs.
6.2. AFF INI TIES. Marine habitats at Brier Island have
marked affinities with Grand Manan . As prev iously describ-
ed, Brier Island and port ions of Grand Manan are derived
from the same basalt formation. This is reflected in the sim-
ilarities in physical bottom characteristics, as well as floral
and faunal co mposition.
6.3. NOR THWEST LEDGE. ( Figure 6.1. 1 (1 )). Nor th-
west ledge is an extensive ledge system ly ing to the north-
west of Brier Island, much of the ledge lies less than 10 feet
from Cha rt Datum and , consequently, is, in many respects,
similar to other shallow water areas, adjacent to land. Toe
site visited at Northwest Rock was virtually identical to the
nor thwest and sou theastern coasts of Brier Island bein g dom-
inated by kelps (Laminaria, Alaria, etc) and other algae as
well as associated invertebrate species. Consequently, more
detailed desc riptions provided for the no rthwest and south-
easte rn coasts will, we believe, be descriptive of this area .
Tidal cu rre nts an d rips are comm o n and kelps we re gen-
era lly mo re "tattered" than at other sites insho re. A general
bo ttom profile is given in Figure 6.3 . 1.
6.4. NO RTHER N ENT RANCE TO GRA ND PASSAGE
(Figu re 6. 1.1 (2)). The substrate in this area is essentially the
same along the northwest and southeastern coasts, being com-
posed largely of basal t cliffs an d bou lde rs. However, the area
is subject to very strong pa rallel cur rents passing in and out
of Grand Passage result ing in bottom scouring and the occur-
ranee of san d pockets and cobble bottom. Gene ralized bot-
tom profiles are given in Figure 6.4. 1.
Both sites are dominated by kelps wh ich are attached
to eit her bedrock or boulder. Associate d algae are ebund-
ant, particularly the red encrusting alga Lithothamnion
which covers the roc k surfaces to depths of 40 feet or
mor e. Associat ed invert e brat es occur pri ncipa lly on the
roc k at the base of the algal stocks. As can be seen in Fig-
ure 6.4. 1, Site No.1 was the more varie d of the two re-
presentative sites. This is the result of the more varied
habitat created by the presence of bou lders and pockets
of sand.
6.5. T HE WESTPOR T SHOR E ( Figure 6. 1. 1 (3 ) and
(4 ). The enti re Westport shore is a gently sloping mi xed
shore having a wide variety of mixed substrates including
ledge, cobble, bou lder, mud, and sand. As a result, the
area ma intains a relati vely diverse assem blage of animals,
particularly, in the intertida l area. Representative inter-
tida l and subtidal sites are shown in Figures 6.5. 1 and
6.5.2. The first is site No.7, a typica l intertidal mixed
shore characterized by rock, mud, san d, drainage st reams
and sma ll tide pools. Site No. 8 is an area of subtidal
sand characterized by eel grass (Zostera marina) an d kelp
(Laminaria).
6.6. THE SO UTHEAST COAS T (Figure 6. 1. 1 (5) In
te rms of u nderwater scenery, and species composition, this
coast is probably the most interesting. The do m inant char-
acteristic at most sites was the profuse growth of very large
kelp wh ich obscures much of the bottom. However, exam -
ination of the bases of the kel p revealed a rela tively rich as-
sem blage of plan ts and animals which varied on ly slightly
f rom site to site. Rep resentative bottom profiles are shown
in Figu res 6.6. 1 and 6.6.2.
6.7. SOU THWEST LEDG E (Figure 6. 1.1 (6). This area
was not visited. However, we would expect assemblages sim-
ilar to those desc ribed for Northwest Ledge.
6.8. POND COVE BEAC H (Figure 6.1 .1 (7). This is a
fine sand beach which is relative ly barren of organisms, ax-
cept on bo ulders at its margin and near low water where
rockweeds and associated animal species occur in small
numbers . The beach is a popu lar feeding site fo r small shore-
birds . See photographs in Chapter 4.
6. 9. POND COVE-BRACKISH PO NDS (Figure 6.1. 1 (8)) .
Two brac kish po nds at Pond Cove receive freshwater drain-
age from the uplands and periodic floodings of seawater.
Both ponds are protected from the sea by a boulder barrier
bar (Figure 6.9.4) which extends along the entire inner mar-
gin of Po nd Cove. Little Pond is relat ively small ( Figure
6.9.5 shows abo ut two-th irds of its extent) and is essent
ially a small version of Big Po nd. with a sim ilar co mp osit ion
of plants and an imals as discussed in the followin g parag raphs.
Big Pond (Figu res 6. 9.2 and 6.9.3) is an extensive, shal -
low (average depth 3. 5 feet, max imum 5 feet ) brackish pond.
In terms of species of animals an d p lants foun d elsewhere in
brackish ponds, it is not a particularly impressive pond. Th e
water is war m and well fert ilized by sea birds . Conseq uent-
Iy, species composition is restricted. Nevertheless, the pond
is important to seabirds (Mills, 197 0) and the floral compos-
ition along the margins of the pond is in many respects un-
ique. As a result, with in the context of Brier Island, these
pon ds are unique an d important comp o nents.
Major components of Big Pond shown in Figure 6. 9. 1
are described in the fo llowi ng para graphs.
AREA 1: By far the dominant species... is a sedge, cere
lasiocarpa. Visually, manna grass (Glyceria melicaria), blue
joint (Calamagrostis canadensis) and Juncus bre vicaudatus
are common, bu t Spha gnum sp. too, is a subdominant be-
neath Carex and the grasses. Other species... are Viola pal-
lens (? I, Iris versicolor and Drosera ro tun di folia. High fre-
quencies were ob tained for two ot her her bs...Hyp ericum
virginicum and Lysim achia terres tris ... Blue berry, Rumex
so., Juncus af fusus, Elaeocharis smallii and alder occu r in
small dense patches, but are of low frequency.
"Thirty-th ree species were reco rded in the plots". (Gor-
don, 1972 ).
AREA 2: " Of the trees, Picea glauca (cat spruce) occu pies
the greater canopy space, closely fo llowed by Alnus rugosa
(speck led alder) . Ind ivid uals of Picea, howe ver, are much
fewer than those of alder who se stems form very dense
thi ckets in places. Of the un derstorey and gro und veget-
ation mosses were do minant. Sph agnum so. had a greater
coverage inde x than the com bined species of bryoid mosses,
which we re also quite numerous. Of vascular plants, the
commonest were raspberry (Rubus striqosus], Viola seo-
25
ten trkm stis, Poa palusUis and arceee alpina Ismail en-
chanter's nighshade). Other plants....are Rubus pubescens
(dewberry), goo sebe rry Ribes hirtetlum], Gettum sp. and
Comus canadensis, Carex lep ralea,.. and Oxalis mon tens"
(Gordon. 19721.
AREA 3: " In dec reasing order of coverage do minance
the five commonest species in the areas sam pled are Betu la
michauxii, Elaeochar is pauciflora, Myrica ga/IJ, Calamagrosris
pickeringi var. debifis and Arenia metenoceroe (chokeberry).
There is a lower proportion of hemicryptophytea and
more shrubs compared to the other areas. In areas whe re
th e po nd encroaches into the bog the te rra in is more hum-
moc ky with fewer plants, mainly Myr ica. Beru/a, Chamaedaphne
and Aronia," (Gordon, 19 72 )
AR EA 4: " This is a low-diversity island of vegetation
surrounded by bog. It resembles area 2 - A/nus rugosa occu-
pies most of the canopy, but red spruce (Picea ru bens) and
fir (Abies balsamea) are relat ively commoner he r th an Picea
g/auca. Th e cen tre of this 'island' is dryer than the plot
areas of 2, and th e c ut-o ff from ty pical bog spec ies is abr up t.
Only Com us canadensis can be said to grow equally we ll in
both areas, though in low num be rs. The centre of the 'island'
is scerserv vegetated under the canopy (possibly du e to the
shade and litter of conifer needles) but the periphery is near-
ly impenetrable in some places where Rubus recurvicaulis (7)
occurs". {Gordon, 19 72).
A REA 5: " Th is is an area of highe r diversity (e. 70 app.)
reflecting the mosaic of subcom muni ties comprising it. Es-
sentially a grassy me ado w area. th ere are variations in com-
position dete rmined primarily by small variations in elevation
above pond level and relative d istances to pond and adjacent
woods. For this reason there is more than one major species,
Grasses are dominant, and chief of these are Fesruea rubra
(red fescue), Calamagrosris canadensis Ibluejolrn! and Agrosris
renuis Ibrown top]. In damper areas nea r the pond Carex
lasiocarpa is most abundan t. Also common throughout are
Iris versicol or (90 perce nt f requen cy ). and Viola seo tea-
trio nalis. The area is damp enough to suppo rt a num ber of
bryoid moss spec ies. Sphagnum is insigni fica nt. High indices
of dispersal are reflected in the patchiness of the area and
similar indices obtain for Rubus hispidus, Carex lep ralea,
A/chemilla xanthoch/ora and E/aeocharis smallii.
As in area 1, most of the plants in this area are pe rennial
he rbs with overwinteri ng buds at or near the soil surface
(he micryptophytea)" , (Go rdon, 1972).
A RE A 6: " The pond has a few t ruly aquatic angiosperm
speciesPoromogeron pecrinarus domina tes this vegetation.
At the shallower northern end Poramogeron perfolia rus
OCCU~ and Uuicularia in rennedia is scattered around the
margins, often lying on wet mud. Hippuris vulgaris Imare's
tai l) does better as an emergent than a submergent species.
and at the no rt hern end of the pond a few tips we re ba rely
showing above the water surface". (Go rdon, 1972).
Mills (1970 ) ind icates that po nd salini ties are low (max-
imum 2 0 / 0 0 ) dur ing summer. During the winter the sea
periodically breaks through the barrier beach. transporting
marine algae and raising salinity temporarily. Du ring our
visit the barrier bar was open and patches of Ascophyllum
nodosum and Fucus so. were common nea r the bar rier bar.
In addition, Enreromorph a so. and VIva l acruca we re growi ng
in profusion.
The pond ha s relat ively few an imal species. Mills (1970 )
has ide ntified characteristics of the pon d whic h precl ude
great abundance and diversitv. This inclu des generally low
salinities and great salinity changes during flooding of sea-
water. The deeper sediments of the pond are fine organic
muds which are anoxic below one inch . The main benthic
ani mals are identified as chi ronomid di pt eran larvae and
oligochaete wo rms. Principal fish species are : the Mummi
chog (Fundulus h ererocli rus), the Bande d Killifish (Fundulus
diaphanus) the Ninespine Sticklebac k (Ap e/res quadracus)
and the Four spine Stickleback (Ap elres quadracus) of which
the Mummichog is considered the most abundant as it was
during our visit. In addition Gammarids were abundant
near the barrier bar.
A REA 7: During our visit, shallow ponds in a m udd y sand
flat on the sou t hweste rn margin o f the pon d we re supp ort-
ing large populat ions of Wat er Boatme n of an unident ified
species.
A REA B: The bar rier ba r supports little life. Spiders and
mites were observed. It is sparsely vegetated and Gordon
(197 2) has identified the following species as occurring
there: "some chenopods (A rriplex parulaand Salso/a kali),
members of the cervccnvnaceee, Solanum nigrum, Unicia
dtotce ?, Scurellaria ga/ericu/ara. Iris versicolo r, Po/ygo num
avicu /are an d Cirsium sp".
6. 10. PON D COV E LEDGES 16. 1. 1 (9)) . As shown in
Figur e 6. 10.1, the western shore of Pond Cove consists of an
extensive set of intertidal ledges dominated by the Ascop-
hyllum- Fucus assemblage. Subtidally, these ledges dro p to a
sand and boulder bottom.
6. 11. THE NO RTH WEST COAST (6. 1.1( 10)). As shown
in F igur e 6. 11. 1. the northwest co ast slopes gradually and
at all sites visited, is co mpo sed of basalt bedrock and a few
boulde rs cove red with a profu se growth of very large kelp s,
Plant and animal assemblaoes are very similar to those on
the southwest coast and at Northwest Ledges..
6.12. MAN-MADE HA BITATS. Man-made habitats are
restr icted to a few wharves and moo ring poles at Westport.
These structures have little influe nce on the marine life of
the area.
6. 13. PELAGIC HABITATS. Pelagic habitats occur
with in a few hundred yards of the western, southern, and
eastern coasts.. As is discussed in other chapters, this char-
acteristic brings pelag ic seabirds and mammals in close prox-
imity to the Island.
26
 SUBTIDAL K E L P BE D O N B E O RO CK
DOM I N ATED BY !
L ~ m l n ~ rl ~
Al ~rl~
Ll th o t h ~ m n l o n

AS SO CI A TE D SPEC IES
H~ l i c h o n d , l~
Obelia
Mi xe d hy d , o ld s
S pl rorbls
P ~ gurus
Bucc lnum
I scll n o cll it o n
Modiol us
N eplune~
A sle rl.s vulg~,ls
O p h l o ph o l ls
Strongy locent rotu 5
M ytllus
a rveeca ns
POllOCK
Ag arum
cor~lIln.

20

10

O(LWl
t;
w
u,
-10 z
I

w
t
-20 a

-30

-40

B R IER I S L A N O, N.S.
SiTE N O. 36
-50

FIGURE 6.3.1. GENERA LIZ ED BOTTOM PROFI LE OF SITE 36, NORTHWEST LEDGE.

27
 I N T E RT I DA L
ASCOPHYL LUM- t
20
SUBTIDAL K EL P B ED O N BED ROCK FUCUS ~
DOMINATED BY INF RALtTTORAL ASSEMBLAGE
La m l narla ASSEM BLAGE
Al arla ( kerp, dulse, chondrus,
Aga r um ulva, mixed Drowns and 10
Ll t h o t h am nl on reds).
Rh o d y m en la
ASSOC I A TED SPEC IES
HaUChOndrla
Mi xe d hy droids OI LW)
Myxlcola

""'"
Modiol us
Aster las vu lga ris~ .
Ophlopholls
Strongy locent rotus
-10
B ryozoa ns
Mi xe d r ed alg ae Z"
Mixed brown alg ae oof-
..
I

.. .'
POllOCk ~O -20
Cunner ~o 0
Co, 0
' "
-30

-40

BRIER IS LA ND, N. S.
SI T E N O. 2
-50

SUBTIDAL K EL P ON ROC K
DOMI NATED B Y, INT ERTI DA L
Lamlna rla ASCOPHYLLUMFUCUS
20
Alarla ASSEMB LAGE

~
Agarum
L lIh o t ha m n l o n
Rhodymen la I N F R A LI T T O R A L
ASSOC IA TE D SPECIES ASS EMB LAGE 10
lsodlctya ( kelp, dulse, chond rus,
M ixe d hydroidS ul va , mi x ed b rowns
O Della and reds) .
TuDula
Myxlcola rla----- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ==c OI LW)
Potamil ia
Cance r
Pagu rus
Acmaea
Bu CCln u m -10 ..
Dendronotus
I sch n o ch lt o n
u,
Modiolus z
Thais
A stertas v ul9arls
Cucuma rla
-20
..
I
0
Henrlcla
St rongylocel'ltrotus 0
Bryozoans
POllOCk -30
Co,
F lound er
Sea Raven

-40
BR IER ISLAND, N . S.
SITE NO.1.
-50

FI GURE 6.4.1. GENERA LI ZED BOTTOM PROFI LE OF SITES 1 A ND 2, GRA ND PASSAGE.

28
 1. BOULDER BREAKWATE R 5. MUD ANO MU DDV S A ND
Splden Uneu t
Miles Cly menellll
CIIf~ l n ut
2.. COBBLE BEACM OV E R MUD G a m m ll..... t
(a ll s.pec le. sp,Irw) Ll n o rln ll IItto,u
Ba lan ut L. Otltu Wtll
G llmmll,u t L. w o<lItl1lt
U tto , lnll IItto,... L u n lltl ll
L. o Dtuwta
L. WXlltlll t
M,.
E n t .,..m o , p h ll
Atcophyllu m Po,pny u
F u~ u t
Ulv lI
3" DRAINAGE STREAM & SMA LL TI D E POOLS
Balanu t Io n , O(:kl 6" ROCKS AT L OW WATER
C a r ~ i n u s (Cll r~lnldu) u WlIl ln ' ralitto ral fl Ol'a lind 'llu n a
Gammllru s
tscecc (? spede s)
L ltt o rl nll In t orn 7. SUBTIDA L ROCKS
L. o Pt u w ta utulII subtida l flora a n d flu na
L. uxa tllls uso ~lllt ed wl tn a rOC ky t u b st ra te
Cno,darl a
Chondrus
En t e romorpna
Ulva
4. I NTE RT IDAL BO ULDERS
Lln .us
Balanus
Care lnus
Gammarus
Llttorln .. IItt o,e..
L. o Dtu s.aU
L. wo<atl ilt
AtcOphylium
En t e,m o,ph a
Fu~us
Ulu
A. MIOLl TTORA LM IGM WAT E R
26
2.
22
20
18
16

"-
w
"
12
w
u,
B. L O WWAT E R. MJOL ITT O R AL z
10 z
8
"w
Q

2
0
B R IER IS LA ND, N-S.
". f SIT E NO.7 -2
-4

FI GURE 6.5.1. GENERA LIZED BOTTOM PROFILE OF SIT E 7, WESTPORT SHOREINT ERTIDA L MIX ED SHORE.

29
 SUBT IDAL KELP AND ZDST ERA
ON SANDI

DOMINATED BYI
umlNtla
A,aru m
Ulva
Zostefl
ASSOCIATED SPEC I ES
Hya ro las
Ast.rla, vul,"'l s
Poll OCk
Mlx.d f.a II".. on kelp

I NTE R TI D AL.
ASCOPHY L.LU~FUCUS -20
ASSEMBL.AG E

-10
I N F R A LITT O R AL.
ASSEMBL.AGE

Ol l WI
ww
u,
-10 z
J:
l;:
w
-20 0

-30

-40
BR IER ISLA N D
SITE NO.8

-50

FIGURE 6.5.2. GENERALI Z ED BOTTOM PROFILE OF SITE 8, WESTPORT SHORE.

30
 I N T E R TI D A l- A N D I N F R A I-I TT O R A I-
ASSEM8 1-AGES -20
Ascophyllum
utve
Polysiphonla lanosa
Fucus ede nta t u s
zeteea reus -10
Rhody menla
T h ai s
Llttortne sp.
Mylllus
8alanus O( LW)
SUB T ID Al- KEI-P ON 8EDROCK
DOMINATED B Y I M Od iol u s t;
La m l n arl a M ytll u s w
A \larum
Co raliin a
tr esenerest ta
Tha is
Asterlas vul\larls
-'0 " Z

Uthoth am nlon ~s~~~I~la Z

Rhodymen la
Ch ond rus-Gig artina com plex ~l ~~~~y ocent:otus -20 ~
a
AS SOCIATED SPECIES POllock
lsodlctya Ectoca rp us
Myxlcola F Ucu s ecente
H yd ro lds Ulva
Bala n us
Pa\lu ru s
-30
Buccln um

-40
BRIER IS LAND
Si T E N O. 11
"'---- .J. -50

FIGUR E 6.6.1. GENERA LI ZED BOTTOM PROF I L E OF SITE 11, SOUTH EAST SHORE. Phot o shows broad Barnacle
zone which is disti nct ive of this coast.

31
 -20

-10
INF RALl TTO RAL
ASS EMB L AGE

"-- + OILWI
SUB T IDAL KE L P BED O N BED ROC K
DO M INA T E D BYr
Lam ln arl a
-10
"
u,
A la rla
z
Coralllna
L1tho t hamn lon
ASS OC IAT ED SPEC IES
,
Hal lc h o nll r la ~
Hyll rol ll$ 2015'
Obe lia
TUbu lar la
Den llronotu$
Modiolus
Asterlas vulgaris -30
Bryozo ans
Bo ltenl a ov lfera
POllock
Phycod rys
Rhodymenla -40
B RI E R ISLA N D. N.S.
S ITE NO . 16 (G u ll ROck)

-'------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - J -50

FIGU RE 6.6.2. GEN ERA LI ZED BOTTOM PROF I LE OF SIT E 16, GU LL ROCK, SOUT HEAST SHORE.

32
 \
\
\

,,
--

--

..
:.~.:,:.::
.'. :':'.,

-- -- -
..:::::::.:.::.:.;.:.:<..(2)::.::.:-.:'.:..:::: .
::.: .:,:... . . : .' .' : ,:" ..':;;";.: .,:,:'.~.:.' .:"" .
:.~. ~~ /:\'~':,\\~j:~,r,~'~:(:': : ' .
~: :;~;" \': : ;'~: .<:: .: r;.

-,: , .~ . ...
'

' .. ' '.

FIGUR E 6.9. 1. GENERA L CHARACT ERISTICS OF BIG POND AT POND COV E. See text fa Iescrip tion of area
num bers (From Gordon, 1972 and MRA field recor ds).
33
FIGURE 6.9.2. BI G PON D LOOKI NG SOUT H TOWA RDS THE BAR RIER BA R.

FI GURE 6.9.3. BIG PON D V IEWED FROM T HE BA RRIE R BAR .

34
 FIG URE 6.9.4. THE BARR IER BAR WHICH ENCLOSES BOTH PONDS AT POND COV E.

-~ - .....

FIGURE 6.9.5. LITTLE POND V IEWED FROM THE BARRIER BAR.

35
 -20

INFRALI TTORAL FR I NGE

N o sample-prob ably
SU 6T I DA L SAND AND 60ULDER sim ilar to p rev ious srt e s. -' 0
SP EC IES R ECO R D E D
A garu m
Llthothamnlon
Gly,era
ea tenus O(LW)
Pagu rus
Acmaee
l s<: h n OCh l t on
Modiolus
-10 >-
ur
St rongy lo, entrotus \
w
Oph lopl1olls -~o::;:;:z z
Asterlu vu lg aris ~~~~
cod --<::::::.--.-
-=-

Se a Raven ~
-20

.~>Jib~-.' ': -
' ad::.
w
0

-30
BOU LDERS O N SA ND

-40
6R IE R I SL A N D, N.S.
Si T E NO. 23 ( pond Cove)

-50

FIGUR E 6.10. 1. GENERA LI ZED PROFI LE OF POND COVE LEDG ES.

36
 SUBTI D AL K ELP B ED O N BE DROC K
DOM I N A TED BV ,
L amln;>rl;> 20
A9arum
A lar l a
Cora ll ina MOdiolus
Llthothamnion Ophlopholls
St rongy loc ent rotus 10
ASSOC IATED SP EC IES Br yo;zoans
Ha llcnonllrl a Po lloc k
Obe lia Chon drus
Spl rorbls Desm ar estl a
Pagu rus - - Gigartln;> OILW)
A cm aea Phycod rys
Bucc inu m R h otl yme n la
tschnccnttce U lva

~1~1 10 >-
w
w
z
20

I

W
0
BOU LD E RS ON B ED ROC K
30

40
B R IER I SL A N D , N. S.
SI TE NO. 28

50

SUBTIDAL K E L P BE D O N B EDRO C K

D O M IN A T E D BY I
20
L am l na r ! a
A garum
A larla
Corai lin a
Ll t n o t h am n io n 10
A SSO C I AT E D SP EC I ES
HallchOnd rla
O belia
Spl ro rbls O(LW)
Pagu rus B ryo;zo ans
Buccl num Pollock
I seh n o Ch l t on ChOndrus
Modiolus De sma rest ia
Ne p t u ne a GlgartJna 10
Aste rlas vu l gar is Phy co d ry s
Ophlopholls Po r p hy ra
Strongylocent rotus Rnodym enla
U l va >-w
20 w
"
Z
I
30 >-w
0

BOULDERS O N BEDROC K 4 0
B R I ER I SL AN D. N.S.
SI TE N O. 32
50

FIGURE 6. 11. 1. GENERA LI Z ED PROFI LES FOR SIT ES NO. 28 AND 32T HE NORT HWEST COAST.

37

7.1. IN TR ODU CTI ON, Very li ttle info rmati on was found
on t he marine inverte brates of the Brier Island region. As a resu lt ,
the reco rds inclu de d in th is chapte r, represent new data and con-
sequ ently , we are including information on all species record-
ed including dist ribut ion maps. However, since it ta kes many
years of f ield work to obtai n a complete listing, particularly
for the sma ll species and th ose having restrictive habitat re-
quirement s, this list must be cons ide red as prelimin ary.
7.2. SPECIES CHECKLIST. All marine inverte brat es
recorded to date are given in Table 7.2. 1.
7.3. ACCOUNTS OF SP ECIES. The fo llowing accounts
de al largely w ith the distr ibut ion and abundance of marine
invert ebrates recorded du ring our field work. Additional
info rmation on commerc ial species is pro vided in the ena ct-
er on resource uses.
A. PO RIFE RA (Figure 7.3. 1). Only four species of
spo nges were recorded. Many of the larger sponges are re-
st ricted in their occu rrence in other areas in the Bay of Fun-
dy and we would anticipat e the presence o f additional spec-
ies at Brier Island.
7 INVERTEBRATES.
') Ha/ichondria panicea. Crumb-of-bread Spo nge. This
species is wide ly d istr ibut ed and co m mon, having been reo
co rde d at 14 sites. It is usua lly associated with the shaded
areas on rock and the holdfasts of kelp.
2) Haliclona oculata. Finger Sponge. Th is spec ies is
not com mon and was found at only on e site (Gu ll Rock ).
3) tsoaictvs deichmannae. Th is large co lorfu l spon ge
was found common ly at 5 sites in Grand Passage and along
the sou theast shore where it occurs on rock an d ho rse mus-
sel shells (Modio lus m odiolus).
4) Scypha ciliata. The Tufted Vase Sponge. Th is
tiny sponge was recor ded at only one site on the southeast
coast. It is a d ifficult species to locate and we would antic-
ipate its occurrence elsewhere in th e region.
B. CNIDARIA (Figures 7.3. 2 and 7.3.3). With the ex-
ception of hydroids the Cn idaria were poorly represented.
1) Obelia sp. This genus was recorded at 15 sites where
it generally occurs in great abu ndance on kelp .
38
 POR IF ERA ANN ELIDA uenaronoios frondosus BRYOZOA
Hiatella arctica
Ha/ichondria panicea Amphitrite sp. Ischnochiton ruber Several species
Ha/iclona oculata Clymenella sp. I. alba
tsoatctvs deichmannae G/ycera dibranchiata Lacuna sp. BRACHIOPODA
Scypha cttis ts Lep idonotus squsmstus Uttorina ttnoree
Myxico/a infundibulum L obtusata Terebratu/ina seotentrionetis
CNIDARIA Potamil/a neglects L saxati/is
Spirorbis borealis Lunatia hero s
HYDROZOA Modiolus modiolus CHO RDATA
Obelia sp. ART HROPODA Mya arenaria
Tubu/aria sp. Mytilus edulis ASCIDIACEA
Uniden tified sp. Balanus balanoides Neptunea decemcostata Boltenia ovifera
Balanus balanus Onchidoris sp.
ANTHOZOA Cancer borealis Placopec ten magellanicus
Cerianthus borealis Carcinus (Carcinides) maenas Thais lapillus
Metridium senile Gammarus oceanicus
Tea/ia felina Homarus americanus
Unidentified sp. Isopod (J sp. ] ECHINODERMATA
Pagurussp.
CTENOPHQRA Shrimp (?sp. ) Asterias vulgaris
Cucumaria frondo sus
Pleurobrachia pileus MOLLUSCA Henricia sanguinolenta
Ophiopholis aculeata
RHYNCHOCOE LA Acmaea testudinalis Psolus fabricii
Buccinum undatum Solaster endeca
Lineus sp. Coryphella sp. Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis

TABLE 7.2.1 INVER T EBRATE SPEC IES RECORD ED IN T HE STUDY AREA.

2) Tubularia so. Th is genus was recorded at 5 sites
where small clumps were associate d with rock. shel ls and
kelp. While it is widely distributed its abunda nce does not
ap proach areas such as Deer Island and Lo meville, N,B.
whe re this genus occurs in great profusion.
3) Unidentified Hydroid. Unidentified hvd roid s. re-
presenting several species, were recorded, on kelp, at 5 sites.
4) Cerianthus borealis. This large bu rrow ing anemone
was recorded at one site in Grand Passage. Elsewhere we
have found it to be of restricted distribution as well.
5) Metr'idium senile. The Common Anemone. Abund
ant elsewhe re in the Bay, this species was record ed, in small
numbers, at only one site.
C. CT ENOPHORA (Figure 7.3.4). Ctenophores occur
irregularly in large numbers in the Bay of Fundy.
1} Pleurobrachia pileus. The Sea Gooseberry. This
species was seen in large numbers at 4 study sites and else-
whe re and probably cou ld be found throughout the stu dy
area.
2) Unrecorded Species. Other species which probab-
ly occur irregularly at Brier Island include: Bolinopsis in-
fundibulum, Beroe cucumis, an d Mnemiopsis sp.
D. NEMEATEA (Figure 7.3.5). Very little habitat for
ribbon worms was found at Brier Island.

6) Tea/ia fe/ina. The Dahlia Anemone. Th is species
occurs abundantly at only a few localities in the Bay. At
Brier Island, it was only recorded at one site (Gull Rock ).
We would anticipate that scattered ind ividuals occu r through-
out the study area.
1) Lineus sp. Th is t iny species was recorded at two
sites on the Westport shore. It is probably com mo n in mix-
ed habitat with mud and rock alon g the entire Brier Island
shore of Grand Passage. We wou ld also expect it to occur
in suitable habitat along the ent ire coast.

7) Unidentified Anemone. A small (unde r 'h inch)
unidentified species of anemone was recorded at Gull Rock.
8) Unrecorded Species. On the basis of our ex perience
we woul d anticipate that the following species of Cnidaria
occu r in the study area : Hydractinia echina ta on Pagurus
shells, Aurelia aurita (Moon Jellyfish ) and Gyanea capil/ata.
2) Unrecorded Species. Cerebratulus sp. shou ld occur
in mud along the Westport shore. Micrura sp. should occu r
intert idally in rocky areas with small tide pools.
E. ANNE LIDA (Figure 7.3. 6 and 7.2.71. Segmented
worms were relat ively poorly represented, probably due to
the lack of extensive mudflats where many species are found.

39
 1) Amph itrite sp. Am ph itr ite was reco rded at o ne
site on the southeast coast. It probably occurs in sma ll
numbers th roughout t he study area.
2) Clymene/la sp. The Bamboo Worm. This worm
occurs in large numbe rs in muddy areas near low wate r
along the Westport shore.
3) Glycera dibranchiata. Blood wo rm. Normally fo und
in mudflats, a single specimen was found subtidally on sand
bottom at Pond Cove.
4) Myxicola in fundibulum. Th is species is common
in roc k frac tu res alon g the eastern coast from No rt h Po int
to G ull Roc k.
5) Potam illa oculifera. T his sma ll tu be wo r m is no r'
ma lly associat ed wit h Myxicola in fundibulum and small
n umbe rs occ u rred in t h is assoc iati o n at 4 st ud y sites.
6) Spirorbis sp. T his t iny tube wo rm was reco rd-
ed as a bundant on ke lp at 7 study sites. It pro ba bly occ urs
a bundantly o n roc k and seaweed t hroughou t the en ti re
study area.
7) Lepidonotus squama tus. Scale worm. T his species
was located at Po nd Cove where it probably occu rs abund-
antl y,
8) Unreco rded Species. Other annelids undoubtedly
occur in the st ud y a rea. Ho weve r, we are unable to pro jec t
probable occurrence of additio nal species.
F. A RT HRO PODA ( Figures 7.3. 8, 7.3.9 and 7.3. 10 ).
Wit h the except ion of barnacles, lobster, and crabs. very
few am ph ipods and sh rimp were encountered. We wou ld
hesita te to suggest th at th ese species do no t occu r c om '
mon ly in the study are a. Most of th e sites we re c ove red
wit h t hic k ke lp beds which may have hampe red c bse r-
vation of t hes e species.
1) Balanus balanoides. Acor n Ba rnacle. T his species
is common to a bun dant inte rt ida lly along t he e nt ire co ast-
line. At some loc alities it fo r ms broad dense band s ( Figu re
6.6 . 1) above the Asco phyllum Zo ne.
2) Balanus balanus. Th is species was reco rd ed at
three si tes. It probably occu rs throughout the study a re a.
3) Homarus am ericanus. American Lobster. Lo bster
we re recorded at on ly two sites. Howe ver, as ind ica ted in
th e Chapter on Resource Uses, they are abundant in the
a rea.
4 1 Cancer so. Rock Crab. The Rock Crab was reco rd-
ed at 5 sites. Th e t hick kelp co ver made it d ifficu lt to ob-
serve th is species an d we wou ld e x pect it to be common
throughout the area.
5) Pagurus sp. Her mit Crab. He rm it Crab s we re co mmon
at 18 sites along th e ent ire coast and were one of t he mo st
fre quentl y o bse rved subtidal Arth ro pods.
6) Garcinus m aenas. Green Crab. T he Green Crab
was o bserved at only one site. Th is speci es has been in-
creasing in numbers on the New Brunswic k shore and its
presence here, in a non-estuarine situation suggests popu-
latio ns ma y be inc reasing on the Nova Scotia shore as well .
7) Gam m arus ocean ieus. Be ach Flea. This c om mo n
intertidal amph ipod was recorded at only two sites bu t
was o bse rved commonly along the West po rt shore. It sho uld
occur abundantly, in the proper habita t, anywhere along
the shores.
8) Isopod. A small unidentified isopod was recorded
as abundant in an intert ida l dr ainage str eam.
9) Shrim p. A single, uni den tif ied shrimp was record-
ed at o ne site. Else whe re in t he Bay, shrim p are usually co m-
mo n. T he ir gen era l abse nce at Brie r Island was unexpec ted.
G. MO LLUSCA (Figures 7.3. 117 .3. 14) . Th e Molluscs
are we ll re presented at Brie r Island .
1) Aemaea testudinalis. Lim pet. Th is species was
recorded at 13 study sites and is c om mo n to abundant
throughout t he area.
2) Ist:hnochiton ruber and I. alba. Ch itons. Two
species of chitcns were observed. I. rub er is the most com-
mon species, occurring at 11 sites. I. alba is less common
and was recorded at onl y one site .
3) Buccinum undatum. Northern Whelk. Th is large
sea snail occurs commonly in the Bay o f F undy. It was un -
usu a lly a bun da nt at Brie r Island, being re corded at 17 sites.
4) Thais lapillus. T he Do g Whel k. The Dog Whel k
was rec o rde d at 4 study sites. It is common to abundant in
suita ble habit at .
51 Neptunea decem eostata. Te n-ridged Whel k.
This species was recorded at o n ly o ne site . Scattered ln-
d ivid ua ls probably occ ur t hr o ugho ut t he region .
6) Modiolus modiolus. Ho rse Musse l. Th is large
su btidal musse l is o ne of t he dom inant species at Brie r ls-
land wh e re it was fou nd to be co mmo n to abun dant at 19
study sites.
7} My tilus edulis. Blue Mussel. Common elsewhere
in the Bay, Blue Mussels are small and occur in scattered
beds at Brie r Island, being recorded at only 4 study sites.
The only extensive bed was encountered at Northwest Ledge.
8) Nudibranchs. Three species, Dendronotus fron-
dosus . Coryphella SP. and Onchidorus aspersa we re record-
ed as present to c o mmo n at 7 sites. Ge nera lly, these species
were fo un d on kelp.
91 Littorina Iittorea, L obtusata and L saxatilis.
Periwinkle, All th ree species of per iwink les were present
to abundan t at all in te rt idal sites visite d.
10 ) Lunatia heros. Nort he rn Moo n Snail. T his spec-
40
tes was reco rde d in sandy-mud at one site on the Westp ort
shore. Lac k of suitable habitat wou ld restri ct dist rib ut ion
and abundance of t his species.
11) Mya sren srts So ft-she lled clam. Distribution of
this speci es is restr icted by lack of suitable ha bitat. It is com-
mon to abundant in suitable habitat along the Westport shore.
12 ) Lacuna sp. This small subtidal gastro po d was
found in great abundance on kelp near South Point. We
would expect it to be of general dist ribution in th e kel p
beds of the area .
13 ) Placopec ten magellanicus. Giant Sea Sca llop.
No scallop bed s were encountered. A single empty shell was
recorded at South Point. This species is taken by fishermen
fro m deeper water and ad ditional information is su pplied in
the section on Resource Uses.
14 ) Hiatella erctice. Arc tic Saxicave. This species
was reco rded only at one site (Pond Covel.
H. ECHINODERMATA (Figure 7.3. 151. Seve n species
of Ech inod erms we re recorded. While they are generally
distributed, population levels we re generally low.
pod. This species is unc omm on at Brier Island, being reo
corded at only one site (Hog Yard Covel.
3) Protocnoraets. The absence of protochordata
species sug gests gen erally low plankton levels since these
species are heavi ly depend on plan kt on for foo d. Onl y one
species, Boltenia ovt tere. was recorded in small numbers at
Gull Rock.
7.4. As previously ou t lined (MacKay, 1976 ) " Indicator
Species" have been used to compa re species diversity in dif-
ferent areas. Ta ble 7.4 . 1 an d Figure 7.4. 1 shows species
diversity and abun dance at Brier Island com pared to th ree
othe r sites in the Bay of Fundy ; Deer Island , Grand Man an,
and Lor neville, N.B.
As can be seen Brier Island rates lower than both Deer
Island and Gran d Marian. We wou ld att ribute thi s to two
fac tors: 1) the occu rrence of few er ha bitat ty pes at- Brier
Island and 21 lower levels of plan kto n an d/or suspended
organic matter.

1) .astertes vulgaris. Common Starfish. Scattered

individuals were recorded at 19 sites. They are generally
distributed throughout the stu dy area, but population
levels are low.

2) Henricia sanguin o/enta. Blood Star. S mall num-

bers are generally distri buted th roughout the area. They
were recorded at 9 sites.

31 Cucumaria frondosa. Sea Cucumbe r. Small num-

bers occur at scattered localit ies. They were reco rded at 5
sites.

4) S trong ylocentrotus droebach iensis. The Green

Sea Urchin. This species is common thro ughout the entire
study area, being recorded at 2 1 study sites . Sizes observed
were small to medi um and populations were not exceeding-
ly large.

5) Psolus toortctt. Sca rlet Pectus. This brilliant cu-

cumber was generally com mon along the southeast coa st
nea r Grand Passage. It appears to be rest ricted in dist rib-
ut ion and was not recorded elsew here.

61 Solaster endeca. Sunstar. This species was recor d-

ed at one site near Perc Jac k Cove. Generally associated with
beds of Cucumaria frondo sa, on wh ich it fee ds, we would
not expect large num bers to occur in the area, since cucum-
ber populations are very low:

I. BRYO ZOAN S, BRAC HIOPODA, PROTOCHOR DATA.

1) Bryozoans. A wide varie ty of Bryozoan speci es

we re recorded as common to abun dan t on roc k and kelp at
15 sites .

2} Terebratulina septentrionelis: At lantic Brachio-

4'
SPECI ES D EE R ISLAND GRANDMANAN LORNEVILLE BRIER ISLAND

Haliclona C p C P
Halichondria C C P C-A
Lge. Complex Sponges e-A P-C C
Corym orpha A p
T ubularia A A A P
Obelia A A C A
An tennularia e-A
Lucernaria C A
Gersemia e-A
A lcyonium C-A
Tealia C C C P
Metr idium A C-A P P
Cerianthus C P P
Bryozoans A A A A
Terebratullna A C-A P P
Chiton s A A A C-A
Acmaea A A P C-A
Buccinum C-A C C A
Nept unea C C P P
Colus C P-C
Mvt ilus A A A p-C
Modi olus A C P A
Pleco pecten A C P A
PotamiUa A P P
Mvxicola A C P C
Balanus A A A A
Gamma rus A A A C-A
PandaIus A C-A P
HomallJs A A C A
Pagurus A A C-A A
Hvas A ? P ?
Cancer A C P C
Carcinus C-A A P
Psolus e- A P-C C
Cucumaria e-A p p
St rongylocent rotus A A P C-A
Echinarachnius C ? ?
Hippasteria P ? ?
Scla ster C ? P
Crossaster C ? P ?
Henricia e-A C C C
Asterias A C-A C P-C
Gorgonocephalus A
Ophiopholis A A P C
Boltenia ovifera A P P P
Halocynthia A C
Molguia A p P ?

T AB LE 7.4. 1. OCCURR EN CE O F " IN D ICA TO R" SPECI ES A T DEER ISLAN D, G RAN O MANAN, LOR NE VILLE ,
N.B. A N D S RI ER ISLA ND, N.S. (. equals not recorded, P equals present , C equals common, A equals abundant) .

42
 50

Probably
occur 40

30

'"cw
ur
e,

'"
u,
o
20
'"wro
s::>
z

10

a
LornevilJe Brier Island Grand Mana n D eer Island

FIGUR E 7.4.1. OCCU RRENCE OF BENTHIC " IN DICATO R" SPECIES AT DEER ISLAND, GRAND MANAN,
LORNEV ILLE. N.B. AN D BRI ER ISLAN D, N.S.

43
 ,.

g
s
u
.
.
" ~~

"

"
,. g

Expected to occ .
deep water on pro
u r In
substrate . per

e lsod ietya
Hatichondr
(J H .
alict cna
na
.A. Scy pha

.. NAlfT ICAL MILES

D
f flI " '_ . b.
o 1 2

FIGURE 7.3.1 DIST RIBUT ION O F SPONGES AT BRIER ISLAND, N.S.

44
 rr

", "
"
,

"

Most common ss
with kelps Iy associated

Obelia sp
. T ubularia sp
,,"Unident if ied' Hvdr old

NAUTICAL MILES
, o 2

FI GURE 7.3.2. D IST R I BUTIO N 0 F H YD ROIDS A T BR IER IS l AN LJ, N .:).
45
 sr

,,
.
, " "
,

__ R
.~ ,
~i'l.~ .
"
; lJ '
....L ,'-
.
GD n (3 ' 12 . .. 951l1~
' .. S>o a, oo,...
\ .~

(".\'

O Cerianthus borealis
_ Met r id ium senile
r eana felina
....Uni dent if ied Ane mone

"

o 2

FI GUR E 7.3.3. DISTR I BUTI ON OF AN EMON ES A T BRI ER ISLAND , N.S.

4"

"
v v
., ~~ 8
" ",
OJ
I1 l;
?~
lO
'/ nj'
1,..'

FIG U RE 7.3.4. D IST RIB UT ION OF TH E CTEN OPHO RE , PLEU ROBRACH IA PI LEUS AT BRI ER ISLA ND.
47

. . .... .,.,

, " Ill/I- . ~
...
l~ j '

.. .
. .. .. - .
'~ th Pt.,. .. s

..
:a->

" "s
.
" " ', . ... '
t1''::ri
Q~

. .
. . a...."
"- ~~'
18
"
,I( ..{

'.~
tt JJ

..Jlj :' ..

.._ q......
f , ::,,.. ,
. '' ' '' ' . '

-j

;\.,.
.. -~''''..r=
..-:;S .......
..
n..
,...
! .u
l-

.
. "\

..
..
.

"

o 2
==
FI GUR E 7.3.5. DISTRI BUTI ON OF T HE RIBBON WORM, L1 NEUS sp., AT BAI ER ISLA ND, N.S.
48
 ~
",

,
".

.,

.. 'ii,
"
,. '.'

,.,
.
.~
~<>nJ.

.
~ I
,." : ,
. ...
,l-::ri
,
'\

,. "J
'. ,

.

\'
..

. ..- ,. ~

S ,I:"
I
"\
,.
111 AIo.w l"_

"

r.
Ii ,
,
II , " ~,

,
'\
"

" Myxicola
.. Potamilla

2
---'- LJ

F IGUR E 7.3.6. DISTRIB UTION OF T HE A NN ELIDS, MY X ICO LA AND POTA M IL LA AT BRIER ISLAN D.

49
 n

-.','

n ,
es '.
,

"" "
,. es "
n
n

~
-

n

o
o f

o
o
0-

n

S pirorbis
~ Clymenella
o
... Amph itrit e
o Lep ido notus
" o Gly cera

T-
o

o

, o ,

FIGURE 7.3.7. Di STRIBUTION OF T HE ANN ELI DS, SPIROASIS, CLY MENELLA , AM PHITR IT E,
LEPIDONOTUS AND GLYCERA, AT BRIER ISLA ND, N.S.
50


Homarus
Cancer
... Pagu rus
o Carci nus

~~~~i~~~~:"-----------N:AlrrICAL M
ILES
o I 2

FIGURE 7.3.8. DISTR IBUT ION OF CRABS AN D LOBST ERS AT BRIER ISLAND , N.S.

51
 "

.,
"
'~
ro

\ " es

"\ ",
"
"

,
,

n
" ?
Balanus ba lanoides
B. balanus
.
se

2

FIGURE 7.3.9. DISTRIBUTION OF BARNACLES A T BR IER ISLA ND, N.S.

52
 ,. "
v

",

n

Gammar us
At. Shrim p (~p.l
Isopod (7sP.)

.
,r

o 2

FIGURE 7.3.10 DISTRIBUTION OF SHRI MP, GAMMAR IDS AND ISOPQDS AT BAI ER ISLA ND, N.S.
53
 "
"

>:9 ~~ .
, u
-.
s...

.. "'
:s'
.~

_ _ : ' ,s ' I
GOfl ,J ,Usoc!r.iltl
-.. s.." ,f"

n

... Acmaea
Ischnodl iton
n

FI GURE 7.3. 11. D ISTR IBUTION O F LI MPETS AND CHITONS AT BRIER ISLAN D, N.S.
54
 ~ __ ,_ ,,,.

, -,
, ' ,,-- u
<

~ '.
-,.5 '-'....... '
116 . "\

\ :' I ::
"I
~\ "
n

"

~

"

"

n
"
Buccinum
" ... Thais
" Neptunea
"
"

."
,

FIGU RE 7.3. 12. Dis TR IBU T ION D F GASTROPODS AT BRIE R ISLA ND , N.S.

55
 "
x ", "
" Sv
.
" ", "

\ ..
m
~ "',":: ",
"\
" ,. ",
"
"
n

,"

u
,

...
~ .....,
",
,,
,
"

__':" ...E.\"""~,,,
& ." '~ ' 12 ..<9~
'","", 11.

"\ ",~ ,
\lln pp le

",

sr
,

FIGUR E 7.3. 13. DISTRIBUTION OF MUSSE LS AT BRIER ISLAND, N.S.

56
 sr

",

g ~. ,'
JG ~i < ~

", .
18 1$ ~ ,
/Z<l
;

" .\i""<h i'o1I :

' '>i ,. -
-''''4 ,~~.1 '.
". ' Jill
~ 8 -.. e
".
,~ , ~
." .q ~j ~jj.
'" 1;" 8
12

4
"

~
"
~

n n
,

"

.. Nudibranchs
Uttorina (all species)
" Lunatia
[J Mya
"
" .
"
() Lacuna
4. Placopecten
Hiatella
"

."
, o 2

FIGURE 7.3.14 D ISTRIBUTION O F NUDIBRANCHS, PER IWINK LES, MOON SNAILS, MYA,
LACUN A, SCA LLOPS AND HIATE LLA AT BR IER ISLAND, N'S.
57


~ 8. "
16 ~S~,j

...:~
i -
,. ~,

1

.
~
"

" Aster ias vulgaris

() Henr icia
Cucu mar ia
... Strongylocent rotus
[) Ophiopholi s
4. Psofus
e Solaster

.
sr

o ,

F IGU RE 7.3. 15 DISTRIBUTION OF ECHI NODERMS AT BRI ER ISLAND, N.S.

58
 .............>< .... '" , ,, '
T-

"

" "
"
OJ
" S<,' __

J7 IO '~ - <
"
G

~ J~ i
IF '
>0
.,
~ 8:' '
~ ; '; ~ "
n >I>

,U'"-t
,;;' -
", ,",

,
"
E8 ~{
:>1 ~J, u "
1: ~~6 3.1,
J6f",
~
"

" Bryozoans(all species)

Terebratulina
... Boltenia ovifera

sr

.
2

FIGURE 7.3.16 DISTR IBU TION O F BRYOZOANS, BRACHIOPODS A ND PROTOCHORDATES AT

BRI ER ISLA ND, N.S,
59

8. 1. INTR ODU CTIO N. Hist or icall y and curren tly t he
economy of Brier Island revo lves around the fishery. Th e
product ivity of th e area supplies adequate feed for an a-
bundance of fish. Because of the im po rt ance of the com-
mercial fishery , deta ils on commercia l species are given in
the chapter on Resource Uses.
T A BLE 8. 2. 1. FISHES RECOR DE D IN THE ST UDY A REA.
MA RSI POBRANCHII
Myx ine gl u tinosa (Hagfish) (7)
SELACHII
Carcharodon cercns ries (l1'hite Shark)
Lamma nasus (Porbeag/e)
Sphyrna zygaena (Smoo th Hammerhead)
Centroscyllium fabric;; (Black Dogfish ) (?)
Squalus acanthias (Spiny Dogfish)
Raja erinacea (Little Skate)
R. laevis (Bamdoor Skate)
R. ocellata (Winter Skate)
R. radiata (Th orn y Skate)
R. senta (Smoo th Skate) (1)
8 FISHES.
8.2. SPECIES CHECK LIST. As can be seen from Table
8.2. 1 the fishes are well represented in the Study Area.
8.3. RANGES A ND DI STR I BUT IONS. Detail s concern-
ing life histo ries, ranges, distribut ion, et c. are summarized in
Leim and Scott (1966 ) and t he reader is referred to t h is
text f or addi t iona l info rmation.
PISCES
Acipenser oxyrhynchus (A tlan tic Sturgeon) (?)
Alosa pseudoharengus (Alewi fe) (1)
Clupea harengus (Herrin g)
Salmo salar (Salmon) (1)
Anguilla rostrsts (American Eel} (?)
Fundul us heteroclitus (Mummichog)
Fun dul us diaphanus (Banded Killifish)
Apeltes quadracus (Fourspine Stic kleback )
Gesterosteus scutestus (Threespine Stickleback )
G. wheatlandi (Blackspo tted Stickleback)
Pungitius pungitius (Ninespine Stickleback)
Brosme brosme (Cusk)
Enchel yop us cim brius (Fou r beard Rock ling)
Gadus m orhua (A tlantic Cod)
60
Melanogrammus aeglefinus (Haddock)
Merluccius bilinearis (Silver Hake)
Pollachius virens (Pollock)
Archosargus probatocephalus (Sheepshead)
Tautogolabrus adspersus (Cunner)
Ammodytes americanus (American Sand Lance)
Scomber scombrus (Mackerel)
Thunnus thynnus (Bl uef in Tuna)
Anarhichas lupus (Wolffish)
Pholis gunnellus (Rock Gunnel)
Lumpenus lumpretaeformis (Snake Blenny)
VIvaria subbifurcata (Radiated Shanny )
Macrozoarces americanus (Ocean Pout)
Poronotus triacanthus (Butterfish)
Menidia menidia (Atlantic Silverside)
Sebastes marinus (Red fish)
Prionotus cerotinus (Nor thern Searobin )
Hemitrlpterus americanus (Atlantic Sea Raven)
Myoxocephalus aeneus (Gr ubbY)
M. octodecemspinosus (Longhorn Sculpin)
M. scorpius (Shorthorn Sculpin )
cvctooteros lumpus (Lumpfish)
Liparis atlanticus (Seasnail) (1)
Scophthalmus aquosus (Windo wpane)
Glyptocephalus cynoglossus (Witch Flounder )
Hippoglossoides ptetessoides (American Plaice)
H. hippoglossus (Halibut)
Limanda ferruginea (Yellowtail Flounder)
Liopsetta putnami (Smooth Flounder)
Pseudopleuronectes americanus (Winter Flounder)
Lophius americanus (Monkfish)

YOUNG POLLOCK IN GRAND PASSAGE. During September, 19 77, tho usands of young
pollock were present around Brier Island where they were feeding on an abundance of small
herring (Underwater photograph by A. MacKay, Sept., 1977 ).

61

- -~-
A FLOCK OF SANDERL/ NGS TAKE FLI GHT A T POND COVE. (A. MacKay, seot.. 1917)
9. 1 INT RO DUCT ION. Like Deer Island and Grand Manan
on the New Brunswick side of the mouth of the Bay of Fundy , Brier
Island is distinqu ished by great abundance and diversity of bo th
marine and land bi rds. I n many respects, Brier Island is similar to
Grand Manan in this regard. It for ms the most sea ward extension
of peninsu lar Nova Scotia and , cons equently, migrat ing land
birds fun ne l to the Island dur ing their fall m igrati on. Dur ing our
visit to th e Island, large numbers of marsh hawks (Circus cyaneus )
arrived on the Island Sept, 15th and, du ring a tour of the Island,
there was scarcely a moment when one or mo re birds could not
be seen wheeling in the sky. In ad dition, Broad-wings (Buteo platy.
pterus ), Sharp-sh inned Hawks (Accipiter striatus), and Sparrow
Hawks (Falco sparverius) had arr ived earl ier and were seen com mo n-
ly in the interior of the Island and along the southern coast nea r
Pond Cove and Western Light. Mills (1970 ) identifies Brie r Island
as unique along the mai nland east coast of Canada for the volume
of migrants passing through each year, as well as for the numbe r
of rare birds which have bee n recorded there. The importance of
th e island in this regard is further ind icated by the duration of
migrati on wh ich , whi le it pea ks in May and late August and
September , lasts for 10 months of the year; Jan uary and Pebru-
9 THE BIRDS.
--
ary being the on ly mon ths when the Island is tota lly free of
migran ts (Mills, 1970 1.
Brier Island is eq ua lly important for a wide variety of marine
species. Like Grand Manan , it lies exposed to t he open sea and,
consequently attracts both coastal marine species an d pelagic
spec ies. As with land species th e Bay of Fundy acts as a 'funnel'
for migrating sea birds and Brier Island fo rms the mou th of the
funnel. As is discussed elsew he re, the water off Brier Island are
producti ve and provide the con ditions and feed which are favo red
by pelagic species such as Shea rwaters, Pet rels, etc. and many of
these spec ies can be see n from the southern and western shores
of the Island. Similarly, habitats along the coast of the Island
and alon g adjacent shores are suff iciently varied to attract ducks
geese, waders, etc.
9.2 SPECIES CHECK LIST, As a resu lt of the abundance
and dive rsity of land and marine species, Brier Island attracts
hund reds of amateu r and professio nal ornithologists. Partic u-
larly active are membe rs of th e Nova Scotia Bird Society
who make regula r t rips to the Island an d frequen tly re-
62
por t their findin gs in thei r Newslet ter. Table 9.2.1. supp lies
some of their record s and provides a good indicatio n of the
compositio n of the Island bird populat ion du ring late Dec-
ember; 1976.
Tab le 9.2.2 is a chec klist of marine birds which, over 20 years,
have been recorded on Brier Island by Mr. wrc kerson Lent,
Lighthouse Keeper at Weste rn Light . Mr. Lent is one of th ose
unique individu als whose int erest in the natu ral history of
his home area has resulted in the accumu lat ion of valuable
informa tion wh ich cou ld never be accum ulate d by the visiting
professional. We are part icularly th ank ful that he saw fit to
share this info rmation with us. We believe that the list p rovided
here is probably the most complete available.
A list of nest ing birds is given in Table 9.2,3. Th is repre sents
the ' Life List ' of Mr. Ross Anderson of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia .
Mr, Anderson is a serious amateur who has been engaged in band ing
passerines on Brier Island fo r several years. We great ly appreciate
his assistance.
9.3. ACCOUNTS OF KEY SPECIES. The following mar-
ine species occur at, or in close pro ximity to , Brier Island
and can be co nsidered as key species. Th e boun dary between
pelagic and inshore species fa lls very close to the Island and
is indistinct. However for practical purposes we have indic-
ated a boundary in Figure 9.3. 1. In general, pelagic species
occur offshore. Gulls, Co rmorants and similar species are
com mo n throughout the area. Ducks, wade rs, etc. frequent
the sho res of the Island and terrestr ial birds occur on the
Island proper.
9.4. PELAGIC SPECIES. Numerous pelagic species fre-
quent the area. Species observed include d Sneerweters. Pul-
mars, Petr els, Phalaropes and Murres. Populat ion levels were
not high during our visit, although large num bers of these
species were obse rved between Grand Manan and Brier Is-
land. It is our underst and ing that large numbers of pelagic
species are freq uently found with in one mile of the Island.

TABLE 9.2.1. NOVA SCOTIA BIRD SOCIETY DECEMBER BIRD COUNT ON BR IER ISLAND, 19 76.

MAR INE SPECIES OBSERVED

Com mo n Loon 79
Red-throat ed Loon 3
Red-necked Grebe 118
Ho rned Crebe 31
Nor t her n Fulmar 1
Great Cormo ran t 249
Doub le-crested Cormorant 1
Great Blue Hero n 1
Canada Goose 10
Black Duck 80
Commo n Go ldeneye 252
Bufflehead 10
Oldsquaw 388
Har lequ in Duck 1
Commo n Eider 554
White-winged Scoter 30
Black Scoter 6
Red-breasted Merganser 130
Common Snioe 1
Purp le Sandpiper 10
BRIER ISLAND, December 20, 1976 ; 6:30 am to 4:30 prn.
Glaucous Gull 1
Overcast pm, rain in mid aftern oo n. Temp. 29 to 35 F. Wind SE
Iceland Gull 1
5-15 mph. Snow cover 6 to B in. Fresh wate r frozen. Salt water
Great Black-bac ked Gull 435
open. Wild food cro p fa ir. Nine observers in six parties. Total
Her ring Gull 583 party hours 48 (39 on foot, 9 by car). Tot al party miles 79
Ring-billed Gull 4 (26 on foot, 53 by car).
Kittiwake 343
Razor bill 368 Total 71 species (includ ing land species not listed above); abou t
Common Murre 5 6623 individuals. ( In count area in count period , but not seen
Thick-billed Murre 568 on cou nt day : Black-hea ded Guill. Part icipants: Ross Anderson,
Dovekie 237 Fult on Lavender, Wickerson Lent , Ian MacGregor, Bruce Mac-
Black Guillemot 303 tavish. Anne Mills, Eric Mills (com piler), Rick Palindat, Ann
Puff in 2 Wetmore, J im Wolfo rd

63
Gavia imme r (Co mmo n Loo n)
G. stellate (Red-throa ted Loon )
Coly mbus grisegena (Ho lbo ell's Grebe)
C. auritus (Ho rned Greb e)
C. nigricollis (Eared G reb e)
Pod ilymbus podiceps( Pied-billed Grebe )
Puf f inus griseus (Sooty Shea rwater)
P. Iherm inie ri (Audu bon's She arwater)
P. gravis ( Greater Shearwat e r)
P. d io medea ( Co ry' s Shea rwat e r)
Fulmar us glacia lis (Fu lma r)
Oceanodroma leuco rhoa ( Leach's Petrel )
Oceanites cceantcus (Wilson's Pet re l)
Pelecanus erv t hrc rttvnchos (Wh ite Pelic an)
Moris bassa na (Gannet)
Phat ac roco ra x car bo (Euro pean Cormo rant)
P. auritus (Dou ble-c rested Cormor ant )
Ard ea occidental is (Grea t White He ro n)
A. herod ias (Great Blue Hero n)
Casmerodius a lbus ( American Egre t )
Leuco ph oyx mula (Snowy Egret )
Hyd ranassa tr icolo r ( Louisiana He ro n)
Flor ida ccerutea ( Little Blue Hero n)
Butorides vtrescens ( G reen He ro n)
Nycticorax nvct tcora x ( Black-cro wned Night He ro n)
N. violacea (Yellow-crowned Night Hero n)
Ixo brych us e xifis {Least Bittern )
Myct e ria ame ricana (Woo d Ibis)
Plegad is falcinellus (Eastern Glossy Ibis)
P. mex icana (White-faced Glossy Ibis )
Pa ndlo n haliaetus (Osprey )
Cygnus co lum bianus (Whist ling Swa n )
Branta canadensis (Canada Goose)
B. bernicla ( Bran t)
Anse r albifrons (White-fro nted Goose)
Chen hy pe rbo rea (S now Goose)
C. c ae rufesce ns (Blue Goose)
De nd rocygna bicolor (F ulvo us T ree Duck)
Anas platyrhynchos {Mallard)
A. ru bripes (Black Duck)
A. fu lvigula (Mottled Duck )
A. stre pera (Gadwa ll)
Marec a pene lo pe (European Widgeon)
M. americana (Bald pate)
Anas acuta (Pintail)
A. crecca (Eu ropean Tea l)
A. carcllnensls (Gree n-win ged Tea l)
A. discors (Blue-winged Tea l)
Spatula c lype ata (Sho velle r)
Aix soonsa (Wood Duck)
Ayth ya ame ricana ( Red he ad )
A. collaris (Ring-necked Duc k)
A. valis ineria (Canvas- back )
A. marila (Greater Sca up Duc k)
A. aff inis (Lesse r Scaup Duc k)
Glaucionetta c1a ngula (American Goldeneye )
Cha ritonetta albe cla (Bufflehead)
G. islandica (Barrow's Go ldeneye)
Clangula hyemalis (Old-squaw)
Hist rfo nlcus histr ioni cus( Har lequin Duck)
So materia mo llissima (Common Eide r)
S. spectabilis(King Eider )
Melan itta fusca (White-winged Scoter)
M. pe rsp icillata (Surf Scoter)
Oide m ia nigra (Amer ican Sooter!
Erismatura [amaicensts ( Ru ddy Du ck)
Lop ho dytes cuc ultatus ( Hooded Mergans er)
Me rgus me rganse r {American Me rganse r)
M. se n-ator (Red- breaste d Merganser)
Rallus elegans (King Rai l)
R. longirostris (Clapper Ra il)
R. limicola (Virg in ia Rail)
Po rzana ca rolina (So ra )
Coturnicops no veboracensis (Yellow Ra il)
Laterallu s jam aicensis (Blac k Rail)
Por phyrula mati nica (Purple Gallinule)
Gatlinula Chloropus (Flo rida Ga llinu le)
Fulica americana (Coot)
Hae mato pvs pa lliatus (Oyste r -c atc herl
Charadrius me lodus (Pipin g Plo ve r)
C. alexand rin us (Snowy Plove r)
C. htattcula (Sem ipa lmated Plove r)
C. wi lsonia (Wilson's Plover)
C. vocrterus (Killdeer)
Pluvia lis dominica (Golden Plo ve r)
Squataro la sqce ta rote (Black-bellied Plove r)
Arenaria interpres (R uddy T runstone)
Cape lla ga llinago (Wilson's Snipe)
Numenius Pheec c us (Hudson ian Cur lew)
Bartramia lo ngicauda (Up la nd Plo ver)
Actttrs macu lar ia (S po tted Sandpiper
Tr inga solitaria (So lita ry Sa ndpiper)
Catcptrophorus semlpalmatus (Willet)
Tetanus ma lnaoleucus (G reater Ye llo w-legs )
T. f lavipes ( Lesse r Yellow-legs )
Ca lid ris ca nut us (Kno t )
Erotia maritima (Purp le Sandp ipe r)
E. me lanotos (Pectoral Sand pip e r)
E. fusoic ollls (White- rumped Sandpiper)
E. balrdll (Baird's San d pipe r)
E. minutilla ( Least Sandpiper
E. fe rruginea (Cu rlew San d piper)
E. alpine (Red- bac ked Sa ndpipe r)
Limnod ro m us griseus (Dowitcher)
Micropalama himantopus (Stilt Sandpiper)
Ere unetes pus illus (Semipalmated Sandpiper)
E. mauri (Western Sandpiper)
T ry ngites subr uficoltis (Buff- breasted Sa ndpipe r)
Limosa haemastica (Hudso nian Godwit )
Philo mach us pu gnax (Ruff)
Crocethis alba (Sanderling)
Hecu rvircstra ame ricana (Avocet)
Phalaropus ful icar ius (Red Phala ro pe)
Steganopus tri colo r (Wilson's Pha laro pe )
Lob ipes lobatus {Northern Phalarop e )
Sterco rarius po marin us (Po me rine J aege r)
S. pa rasiticus (Parasit ic Jaeger)
S. lon gicaudus ( Long-tai led Jaege r)
Cat haracta skua (S kua)
Lar us hyperboreus(Glaucous Gull )
64
 L leucopterus (Iceland Gull ) S. fuscata (Sooty Tern )
L Marinus (Great Black-backed Gu ll) S. albifrons ( Least Tern )
L argen tatus (Herring Gu ll) Thalasseus ma ximus (Royal Tern )
:.... cal ifornicus (Californ ia Gull ) T. sandvicensis (Ca bot 's Tern )
L dela wa rensis ( Ring-bi lled Gu ll) Hydr oprpgne caspia (Caspia n Tern )
L ridi bu ndus (Black- headed Gu ll) Chl idoni as nigra (Black Tern)
L. atricilla ( Laughing Gu ll) Anous stolidus (Noddy)
L. pipxcan ( Franklins Gull ) Rynchops nigra (Black Skimmer)
L. phi ladelphia (Boanpart e's Gull) Alca to rda [Hazor-bllled Auk)
Pagophi la eburnea (Ivo ry Gull) Uria aalge (Common Murre)
Rissa tr idactyla (Kittiwake) U. lomvia (Brunnich's Murre)
Xema sabin! (Sabine's Gu ll) Plautus aile (Dovekie)
Sterna hirundo (Common Tern) Cepphus gryJle (Black Guillemot)
S. paradisaea (Arctic Te rn ) Fratercula arctlce (Atlant ic Puffin)
S. dougallii (Roseate Tern )

TA BLE 9. 2.2. MA RINE BIRDS OCC URRIN G IN THE STUDY AREA. (From the life llst ot Mr. Wickerso n Lent, Brie r Island,
Nova Scot ia, 1977 )

TABL E 9.2 .3. NEST ING RE COR DS FO R BIRDS ON BRIER ISLAND ( From th e life list of He ss Andersen, Dartmouth ,
Nova Scotia, 1977 )

MA RINE SPEC IES

Black-capped Chickadee
Phalacrocora x auritus (Double-crested Cormoran t) Bor eal Ch ickad ee
Anas rubripes (Black Duck) Red-breas ted Nuthatch
Somateria mollissima (Co mmo n Eider! Winter Wren
Anas carolinensis (Green-winged Teal) Catbi rd
A. discors (Blue-winged Teal) Robi n
Ste rna h irundo (Common Te rn ) Hermit Th rush
S. paradiscaea (Arct ic Tern ) Swainson's Thrush
Larus mari nus (Great Black-backed Gull) Golden-crowned Kinglet
Cepphus gry lle (Black Guillemot) Starling
Larus argen tatus (Herring Gull) Red-eyed Vireo
Black and White Warbler
LAND SPEC IES Parula Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Goshawk Magnol ia Warb ler
Sparrow Hawk Black-t hroated Green Warble r
Ring-necked Pheasant Blackpoll Warbler
Saw-whet Owl Yellow -throat Warbler
Belted Kingfishe r Redstart
Yellow-shaft ed Flicker House Sparrow
Hairy Woodpecke r Red-w inged Blackbird
Downy Woodpecke r Common Grackle
Eastern Kingbird Cowbird
l east Flyca tcher Go ldfinch
Tree Swallow Savan nah Spa rrow
Bank Swa llow Slate-col ored Junco
Barn Swa llow Ch ipp ing Sparrow
Cliff Swa llow White-throated Sparrow
Blue J ay Swamp Sparrow
Common Raven So ng Sparrow
Common Crow Ruby-crowned kinglet

65
 9.5. WADERS, DUCKS AND GEESE . Mills (19 70) has
identi fied th e Pond Cove area as being vital to the se species
and desc ribes the area as follows:
The m ost diverse group of migrants is attracted by th e
Pond Cove area. Large num bers of waders, especially Semi-
palmated and Least Sandpipers, Semipalm ated Pl over, Great-
er Yellowfegs, Black -bellied Plover, Whi te-rumped Sandpip ers.
Dunlin and Sanderlings accumulate on the gravel bar an d
sand beach of Pon d Cove from mid- August to mid-Oc tobe r.
Much rarer species, such as Hudson ian Godw it, Buffbreast-
ea Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper and Baird's Sandpiper occur
more regularly at Pond Cove than almos t anywhere else in
the Province. The Big Pond at Pond Cove is a natural trap
for rarities, such as Glossy Ibis, southern herons and scarce
dUcks at almost any time of the year. Bo th the l ocation of
the pond and its isolation from interference have allo wed
i t to keep this unusual character f or many years.
Pond Cove a/so supports large numbers of breedi ng and
migrant waterfowl, especially Black Duck and Green-winged
Teal. Hundreds of Comm on Eiders gather along the rocks of
A GREA T BLUE HERON PROWLING THE WESTPOR T SHORE
the Cove in fall and winter and non-breeding flocks persist
through the sum mer. Brant occur in large flocks in late fall,
winter and early spring, resting on the sand beach or rock
spits and feeding in shallow weedy areasjus t west of the
sand beach.
At pr esent, there is no doubt th at the area south of the
road to Western Light, including the Big Meadow, Gull Rock
Point, Pond Cove and Whipple Poin t, attracts the greatest
diversitY and numbers of land birds and waders in migration
and overwintering waterfowl.
9.6. KEY AR EAS. Morrison (1976a,b,c) has ident ified
the Brier Island area as one of nat ional significance . A mar-
ine habitat of outstanding importance is found o ff Brier Is-
land, N.S.. in the Bay o f Fundy . where tens of thousands of
Red Phalaropes gather during au tumn migrati on. Tidal cur-
rents causehighly l ocalized upwellings which bring large a-
mounts of food to the surface. Brier Island also holds con -
siderable num bers of Purple Sandpipers during the winter
(Morrison, 7976a ).
Specific key area s are iden t ified in Figure 9.3.1.
66
 rr
/
/
/ "
v
v

I
/
v .

e
" ~"
",
/
,
/
, "
, ,
/
".

"

Approxi mat e limit "

of pelagic
,

'..
species /14

,
\ .
/ 1:.'

F!.,,~.
"
__':0 / '\ t "
GPFI '1 >1<'f'9Sft
'.' 1-'" 6

Gene ral area of

of sho re birds.

n
1. Upwell ings bring f ood to the surface
in th is gen ral area- important to
pelagic see ies.
2. Pond Cov Importmt tcrwad(rs. ducks
!nd geese ....
:r.- Grand Pa seqe . when feed present _" -,
importan to Gulls and terns.
4 . l and fu el d irects migrat ing la nd
bi rds to plands of Brier Island

FIGURE 9.3.1. KEY AR EAS FOR BIRDS ON BRIER ISLAND, N.S.

67

THE FINBACK WHALE; ONE OF THE MOR E COMMON SUMMER VISI TORS TO THE BRI ER ISLAND REGION.
(M. Flewelling, 1977)
Prepared by: Dr. D.E. Gaskin, Depart ment of Zoology. Un iversity of Guelph, Gue lph, Onto
10.1 INT RODUCTION: The Bay of Fundy approaches
are ecologically unique. The t idal range averages more tha n 24 ft,
and this causes extensive vertical mixing, and hence cooler surface
wate r temperatures du ring the sum mer months than in adjacen t
regions. Production is relatively h igh, and strong t idal cu rren ts and
upwellings produce nutrient enrichment at certain locat ions which
are, with in broad limits, geographically constant in summer. l arge
local eddies also bring about concentration of zooplankton between
June an d Oct ober, in amounts which attract numerous large baleen
whales, and are sufficient to keep them in the region for most of
the summer and early fall. Considerable quantities of her ring and
mac kerel enter the Bay from late spring onwards, and these are
prey for at least two species of small toothed cetaceans, the most
abundant being the harbour por poise, Phocoena phocoena. There
is some evidenc e that the population of this species found in the
app roaches to the Bay of Fundy may now be one of the largest
remainin g in the wo rld. In former t imes, the harbour seal Phoca
vitulina was abundant in the region, but has been reduced to a low
level by bounty hunting.
10 MAMMALS .
10.2 ACCOUNTS OF KEY SPECIES
RIG HT WHA LE (Figure 10.2. 1)
Forme rly abundant in the North Atlantic, the northern
right whale was reduced to a remnant stock by the beginning of
the twentieth cen tury. Despite having been completely pro tected
for several decade s, the population in the western North Atlantic
has recovered only very slowly, an d even now onl y numbers in
the high hundreds at the most. There is every indication that the
easte rn North Atlantic stock was completely exterminated.
During the last fifteen years, it seems that the right whale
has been stea dily ex tendi ng its range in the western Atlantic, and
hopefu lly, increasing in numbers as well. American researcher s
have kept records of their seasonal occurrence off Cape Cod, and
in recent years animals have been reported reliably even from
Flor ida and the Gulf of Mexico. Fo rmer whalers of the Blandford
stat ion in Nova Scotia frequen tly encountered right whales over
68
 A. BA LEEN WHA LES

Eubalaena glacialis right whale Sporadic visitor, Endangere d species

Megaptera nova eangliae hum pback wha le Regul ar visito r. Endangered species

Balaenop tera physalus finback whale Regu lar visitor.

s steenootere borealis set whale Regula r visito r to southern part of Brier Island

Balaenoptera acu torostrata minke whale Regula r visitor.

B. TOOTH ED WHA LES

Phocoena phocoena harbou r porpoise Regular reside nt fo r up to 12 months of the yea r, bu t

most of population m igrates offshore in fall.

Lagenorhynchus acutus wh ite-sided dolphin Sporadic visitor.

Lagenorh ynch us albirosrris white-bea ked dolph in Regular visito r; may be residential in outer region.

Globicephala melaena po thead whale Sporadic visitor, but forms large schoo ls.

Delphinap terus leucas White whale Occasional strays from the Gulf of St. Lawren ce.

Hyperoodon planifrons bottlenose wha le Uncommon in Bay of Fundy.

Ziph ius ceviros tris Goose-beaked whale ' Uncommon in Bay of Fundy

Kagia bre viceps pigmy spe rm whale Probab le sporadic visitor.

Tursiops trunca tus bottlenosed dolph in Possible rare visitor.

Delphinus delphis common dolph in Possible rare visit or.

Orcinus orca killer whale S poradic visito r.

c. PHOClD SEA LS

Phaca vitulina harbour seal Previously common, much red uced by bounty hunting,
Now recovering.

TABLE 10.1. 1. WHA LES RECORD ED IN T HE ST UDY AR EA.

the ban ks of the cont inental shelf some fifty miles southwest of
the La Have mouth, fee d ing during their annual nort h-south
migration.
HUMPBACK WHA LE (Flcure 10.2 .2)
The Digby Neck region is well known as one of the summer
feeding grounds of this species in the North At lantic. Du ring August
each yea r the animals can be found within five miles of shore bet wen
Petit Passage and Grand Passage and south westwards towa rds the
Lutcher Shoal-
FINBACK WHA LE (Figure 10.2.3)
Th is is the most common species of large wha le in the Bay
of Fundy at the present time. It appears during June or July when
euph ausid shr imp concentr at ions sta rt to for m in surface wate rs.
The maxim um count off Brier Island - Long Island at anyone time
was fifteen, in August, 197 4. Once the animals moved into the in-
shore belt of water. their appearance is retattvetv pred icta ble unt il
summer squalls break up the euphausid shrim p shoals in surface
waters and dr ive the schools of young he rring deeper.

69
 .4 The Wolves
BAY OF FUNDY
Bri er Island
f i GURE 10.2. 1 RECORDS OF RIG HT WHALES IN T HE MOUT H OF THE BAY OF FUND Y, 1971 - 1977.
(F rom Gaskin and MRA records)
Finbac k whales are repo rted regularly by boat s out o n the
very edge of the Bay of Fundy. working along the she lf region
crossing the northern Gul f of Maine. From the scientific and /or
recreat io nal point of view however, these animals are virtua lly
out of reach except to an ocean-going vessel. The fee ding area of
Brier Island animals seem to be qu ite limited and related to tidal
con d itions, acco rding to the preliminary observations by Arnold
and Gaskin ( 1972 ) and Gask in (1976). T he ledge system run ning
parallel to t he no rth western coast of the Digby Neck, about five
to ten miles offshore, seem to be critical features in the feeding
system fo r fin whales .
Th e finbacks of the western North Atlantic a re st rongly
migratory in ha bit. Thei r winte ring grounds are not kno wn, but
are assumed to lie between the southeastern c oast o f t he Uni ted
States and Bermuda. In spring they begin to ap pear in Cana dian
waters, and d uring the summer, streams of wha les move up the
coast of Nova Scotia, spilling into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and
along the coasts of Newfoundland to Lab rador and t he Davis
St rait. The animals penetrating the Bay of F und y are among the
Digby Gut
NDVA SCOTIA
most southerly fraction of this migration. Since individua l food
req uiremen ts are very h igh fo r such large mammals, wide d ispers-
ion of ind ivid uals o r small schools is a prerequisite for success.
clnbac k whales are depressed to rela tively low numbers by the
activi ties of Ca nad ian sho re whali ng operations during t he 1950's
and 1960's, and the closure of these stations in 19 72 by t he Ho n.
Jack Davis, MP, the n Minister of the Envi ronment, was protested
by few others t han t he whaling industry itse lf. T he decline of th e
weste rn North At lan tic population was documented by Allen
(1971). T he species is not presently hunted, despi te t he Canadian
Gove rnme nt striking a quota fo r the population, and the size of
t he stock is t hought to be slowly increasing again.
MINK E WHA LE (Figu re 10.2,4 )
Although not as commonly observed as t he finbac k
largely because it is smaller and frequen tly unobtrusive in its be-
haviou r, the min ke whale, which fee ds o n alewives, cape! in and
her ring, is a regular summer migrant.
70
 , 4
~ : The Wolves

f c,mpobe"~ BAY OF FUNDY

D' ' Grand Manan

:,- ~

Lo ng Island

I)- NOVA SCOTIA
Brier Island

FIGURE 10.2.2. RECORDS OF HUMPBA CK WHA LES IN T HE MOUTH OF T HE BAY OF FUNDY ( From Gaskin records and
Kat ona, 1975 )

HA RBOU R PO RPOISE comm on and bot t lenosed dolphins to th e east and sout h. A small
f raction of the populat io n, probab ly su bmat ure mal es. overwint e rs
The harbour po rpo ise is by far the most abund ant ce- in t he Bay o f Fu ndy.
tacean in the Bay of F und y an d is almost certainly o ne of th e
most important spec ies of the upper tr ophic levels in the coastal The harbour porpoise po pulat io n peaks at the same t ime
marine food web, feed ing on mackerel. herr ing. small gadoid fish in all areas of the Bay of Fu ndy; bet ween mid-J uly and mid-
and sq u id. September. The popu lation of the Brier Island region seems to be
th e smallest, with several dozen animals seen regularly at the Fu ndy
Some individu als have been seen in almost every month mouth of Grand Passage, but only small number in th e rest of the
of the year, but most of the popu lation arrives in the coastal areas area other than in the approaches to the Digby Gut, where quite
with t he 8 degree c surface isotherm and leaves at the time of the large numbers occu r,
fall cooli ng. The migrat ion pattern is essentia lly ons hore-o ffsho re,
rather than north-south . Our studies showed that the 'main herds ' WHIT E BEAKED AND WHITESIDED DOLPHINS
arri ved at t he same t ime of yea r, from southern Maine to southern
New Brunswick. The wintering areas are not know n, but are prob- Sporadic si~ti n!JS of 'large black and white sea porpoises'
ably th e southern edges of the Brown's Bank and George's Bank, are reported to us by fishermen. In summer, white-be aked do lph ins
where wat er tempera tures are 7 to 9 degrees C in most winters. have been seen twice off the Digby Gut by University o f Gue lph worke rs
Th is species has a hi~ metabolic rate, and is the smallest of the The white-beaked dolph in is however. a regularly sighted and common
cold wate r cet aceans, It has coloniz ed a niche which o n the who le species in the southern part of the Brier Island region. The majo r item
permits it to avoid competi tion with the whit e-sided, white-beaked, of diet is believed to be the squid .

71
 The Wolves

BAY OF FUNDY

Digby Gut

Brier Island
NOVA SCOT IA

FIGURE 10.2.3 RECORD S OF FINBACK WHA LES IN THE MOUTH OF THE BAY O F FUNDY, 197 1 1977 (Records
from Gaskin, MRA. and Kat ona, 1975 )

PHOCIO SEA LS

HARBOUR SEAL

The coastal terrain in the Brier Island region is not well

suited to this spec ies. All the major offshore ledge systems are sub-
surface even at low t ide and insho re ledges are not numerous. Never-
theless, th e species occurs there in small numbe rs.

10.3 SUMMARY. The Brier Island region is cha racte r-

istic of an open ocean environment. As a result, more pelagic species
are encountered. Humpback whales and white-beaked dolphins only
occur reaularlv in th is reaion of the Bay of Fundy and the prese nce
of finback and Minke whales is also mo re regular and assured each
season than on the New Brunswick coast. Concentrations of summer
migrant pelagic seabirds are considerably greater at Brier Island as
well, but there is great variability from season to season (Barker,
1976 1. Scientific information regarding the marine mam mals of
the Brier Island region is scant and there is a definite need for
additional and deta iled work. 72
 The Wolves

BA Y OF FUND Y

\ . Grand Manan

Digby Gut

NQVASCOTIA
Brier Island

FI GURE 10.2.4 RECORDS OF MINKE WHA LES IN THE MOUT H OF T HE BAY OF FUNDY (Records f rom Gaskin,
MRA, and Katona, 1975)

73
HUMPBA CK WHA LE OFF BRIER ISLA ND, N.S. (Photo graph supplied by Heather Harbord, Halifax).

74

A THISTL E SHARES THE SANDY BEACH A T BIG POND WITH BLUE F LAG {Iri s versicolor},
11. 1. INTRODUCTION. Brie r Island is characterized
by a distinctive assemblages of both terrestrial and mar ine
plants. Indeed, the flo ra is sufficiently noteworthy that
we have included separate listin g fo r terrestrial (including
fresh water and salt marsh species) and ma rine species .
11.2. UN IQU E TER RESTRIA L V EGETA T ION,
Smith (no date ) has descri bed the terrestrial veget ation
of Brier Island as follows :
The well drained, drier portions of Brier Island have
been much disturbed by man. Cu t ting, some burning
11 MARINE PLANTS .
and clearing for pasture and cultiva tion has been wi de-
spread. Such areas are now mainly pa stures and abandoned
fields occupied by second growth or stages in the succes-
sion (0 such forests. Only scattered remnants o f the ori~
ina! coastal forest of spruce, fir and birch are to be found.
Beach areas have also been altered by pasturing. Of more
interes t botanicall y are the bogs and sea cliffs, both ex ten-
sive and r elati vel y undis turbed
In general , the flora of the Island is charac teristi c of that
found in the coastal portions of western Nova Scotia - a m ix -
ture of species o f bo th northern and southern af finities to-
75
gether wi th 8 few which are characteristic o f the loca tion
and found rarely elsewhere in the province. The m ore inter-
esti ng bog plants include a long list o f species of orch ids,
some of which exhibit a remarkab le and rather unusual
variatio n in flower color. The rare bog Selaginella, the Cur-
Iy-grass Fern, and the Gol den Crest are present in abundance.
A northern dwarf birch Betula michauxii is one of the rarer
bog shrubs. In Nova Scotia th is birch is kn own onl y from
three stations in Guysborough County and f rom Brier Is-
land. The Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla tru ticosel is un-
usually widespread and abundant.
The most no tewor th y plant botan ically is probably a
cream-flo wered evens, Guem peck ii, k nown only from the
slopes and mountain meeaora of the White Mountains in
New Hampshire and fr om this Island. Here it is abundan t
in sphagnum bogs and has spread in to burned over woods
in the sou thern part of the Island. Geradia neoscoti s, the
Nova Scotia Geradia, and one o f the few plan ts endemic
to rhe Province, is foun d at the bog edges and in damp
open areas.
Sea cliffs provide a refuge for many of rile seaside plants
such as Lovage and Coelopleuru m. Wer runnels in rile cliffs
are occasionally occupied by Clay roais fontana, a delicate
member of the Purslane Family, known from only three
otner stari ons in Nova Scotia.
Intr oduced plants of interest include the rarely establ ish-
ed Impatiens glandulosa, Yello w Iris and rile Common Pim-
pernel.
The flor a of Big Po nd has been previously d iscussed in
th e Chap ter on Marine Habitats. Mills (1970) lists three
spec ies wh ich occu r there and have not been recorded else
where in the Marit ime Provinces. The se are : Eudesme vires-
cens, Desmorrichium undularum and My rionema srrangulans.
11.3. CHECKLIST O F TERR EST RIA L FRESHWATE R
AND SALT MARSH SPECIES. Gordon (1972) has provided
an extensive listing of plants wh ich is reprod uced in Table
11.3.1.
11.4 . MARINE SP ECIES. Intertidally, Brier Island shores'
are much like rock y sho res in oth er parts of the Bay of Fun-
dy, being dom inated by Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus
vesiculosus. Subtidally, howeve r. mar ine algae dominate the
land scape wher e. in man y areas, profuse growths of very
large kelps virt ually obscure the bottom (Figure 11.4. 11,
Numerous other species of reds and bro wns share th e bot -
tom or grow on the kelp fronds. Coralline algae Litho-
thamnion, related species an d Corallina o f ficinalis) dom ino
ate the roc k surfaces t hemselves.
The abundance of algae is tru ly uniqu e and, in our ex-
perience, is on ly equalled at Grand Marian, Mace's Bay and
a few other localities. By virtue of their size, the dominant
species are Laminaria (all species ). Ala ria esculenta, and
Agarum cribrosum. Distr ibution an d abunda nce of these
species is shown in Figures 11.4.2 to 11.4.4. We would
attribute the abunda nce of mar ine algae to su itable sub-
strate and high water clar ity.
11.5. CHECKLIST OF MAR INE SPECI ES. While th e
mar ine algae of Brier Island have not been com plet ely stud-
ied, particularl y the microphytes, our records. together with
th e reco rds of Bird (pe r. com m., 1977 ) have allowed us to
com pile a re latively exte nsive list as shown in Table 11.5. 1.

11.3.1 . TER RESTR IAL. FR ESHWATE R AND MARSH PLANTS RECORDED ON BRIER ISLAND (After Gordon. 19721

EOUISET A LES TAXAL ES

OSMUNDA LES
EQUISETA CEA TAXA CA
Equiserum arvense OSMUNDAC A Taxus canadensis
quiserum fluvia tile Osmunda cinnamomea
Equisetum sylvaticum Osmunda r egalis spectabilis CONIFERA LES

LYCOPODIAL ES FllI CA LES PINA CA E

Abies balsaminea
L YCOPODIACA SCHIZA EACEA E Piua r ubens
Lycopodium clavawm Schizaea pusilla PiceaglBUCa
Lycopodiu m dendroideum Larix laricina
Lycopodium annotinum DN NSTADTlA CEAE
Lycopodium inundetum Pteridium squilimrm latinsculum CUPRESSACEA E
LYCOpOdium 58la9O Onoclea sensibi/is Jun iperus com munis
Dryop teris phe90pteris Juniperus horizon talis
SELAG INELLALES Dryopteris thelyp teris
Dryop teris cristata NAJADA LES
SELAGIN ELLA C A E Drvoineris disjunc ta
Selaginefla sefaginoidea Dryop teris spinulosa JUNCAGINACEA E

76
Triglochin palustris GRAMINEAE UR TICAL ES
Triglochin elata Agropyron trachycaulon
Glyceria melicaria? URTICACEAE
POTAMOG ETONACEAE Glyceria grandis Urtica dioica
Potamogeton pectinatus Glyceria obtusa?
Potamogeton oakesianus Panicum boreete MY RICA L ES
Potamogeton confervoides Anthoxanthum odoratum
Potamogeton perfoliatus Festuca rubre MYRICACEAE
Poramogeton epihydrus Arrhensthenum elatius Myrica gale
Agrostis tenois Myrica pennsylvanica
RUPPIACEAE Agrostis scabra
Ruppia maritima obliqua Agrostis pafustris FAGA L ES
Calamagrosris canadensis
COM MELINALES Calamagrostis pickeringi debilis FAGACEA E
Phleum p ratensis Quercus robur
XYRIDACEAE Poa palustris
Xyris caroliniana Poa pratensis BETULACEAE
Betula michauxii
LI L1 A L ES Betula papyrifera commurata
EHIOCAULA LES
Betula papyrifera macrostachya
f RI OCA ULA CfA E LlLIACEAE
Alnus crispa
Eriocaulon septangulare Clintonia borealis
Alnus rugosa
Mainanthemum canadense
Allium schoenoprasum laurentianum
JUNCALES CA RYO PHYL LA LES

JUNCACEAE IRIDACEAE
CARYOPH YL LACEAE
Juncus bufonius Iris versicolor
Spergularia manna
Juncus effusus Iris pseudacorus
Spergularia canadensis
Juncus gerardi Spergula arvensis
HAEMODORA CfAE
Juncus brevicaudatus Cerasrium vulgatum
Juncus bal ticus ttuoretis Lophiola americana
Arenaria la teriflora
Juncus canadensis
ORCHIDA L ES Arenaria p eploides
Juncus debilis? Sagina procumbens
Luzula multiflora acadiensis ORCHIDA CEAE Sagina nodosa
Habenaria clavellata
T YPHA L ES Habenaria lacera PORTULACA CfAE
Habenaria dilatata Claytonia fon tana
SPARGANIACEAE Platanthera psycodes
Sparganium chlorocarpum acaule Pogoni a ophioglossoides CHENO PODIACEA E
Calapogon pulchellus Atriplex patula
CYPERALES Arethusa bulbosa Atriplex glabri uscula
Malaxis unifolia Atriplex frank tonii
CYPERACEAE Spiranrhes cernua Salsola kali
Scirpus rubrotinctus Salicornia europac a
Scirpus americannus NYMPHAEALES
Scirpus validus POLY GONAL ES
Elaeocharis smallii NYMPHA fACEAE
Elaeochar is pauciflora Nuphar variegatum POL YGONACEAE
Eriophorum angusrifolium Polygonum sagittatum
Eriophorum tenellum RAN UNCU LALES Polygonum aviculare
f riop horum virginicum Pol ygonum persicaria
Rhynchospora alba RANUNCULACEA E Polygonum nvarootoer
Rhynchospora Fusca Ranunculus acris Polygonum scabrum
cerex scoparia Rununculus cymbalaria Rumex acetosa
cere stipata? Ranunculus repens Rumex acetosella
Carex muricata Thalictrum polygamum Rumex orbiculatus
cerex lepralea Aquilegia vulgaris
Carex viridula TH EALES
Carex nigra HAMAME LIDA L ES
csrex conotdee GUTTIFERA E
Carex rostrara urriculata HAMAMELIDACEAE Hypericum virginicum
cere x lasiocarpa Hamamelis virginiana Hypericum canadense

77
Hvpericum perforatum PRIMULALES Epilobium angustifolium
Hvpericum mu ticum Epi/o bium adenocaulon
Primula laur entiana
SARRACENIALES Glaux maritima CORNA LES
Trienta lis borealis
SARRACENIACEA E LVSimachia rerrestris CORNA CEA E
Saffacenia p urp urea Lvsimachia puncrara Comus canadensis
Anagallis arvensis
DROSE RACEA E SAN TA LA LES
Drosera r ow ndi fo lia ROSA LES
LORA NTHACEA E
Vl0 LA LES Arceu rhobium pusillum
ROSACEAE
Rosa nitide
VIO L A CEA E CELAST RA LES
Rosa rugosa
Viola pallens Rosa car olina
Viola seprenrrionalis A DUIFOLIACEA E
Rosa virg in iana Nemopanrhus mucronatus
Spiraea larifofia lIex verticitlets
Aronia melanocarpa
:;A Ll CA LES Sorbus americana EUPHORBIA LES
Fragaria virginiana
SA LICA CEA E Potentilla tri dentsts
Salix bebbiana? EUPHORBIACEAE
Porentilla norvegica Euphorbi a polvgonifolia
Salix discolor? Potentilla simplex
Populus alba Porenrilla tru ticose SAPINDA LES
Potentilla anserina
CAPPARA LES Porenti/la argentea A CERA CEA E
Geum peck ii Acer pennsvlvanicum
CRUCIFE RA E Geum rivale
CapseJla bursa-pasroris Acer spicatum
Rubus chamaemorus
Cakile edentula Rubus pubescens
Coronopus didymus GERANIA LES
Rubus recurvicaulis
Brassica nigra Rubus vermontanus
Rhaphanus raphanisrrum ? OXA LIDA CEA E
Rubus srrigosus OX81is srric ra
Cardamine pennsylvanica
Rubus hispidus Oxalis stricts
Cardamine parviflora arenicola
A lch emilla xanrhochlora
Crataegus monogyna BA LSA MI NA CEA E
ERICALE S Amelanch ier uevis
Impariens glandulifera
Prunus pennsvl vanica
ERI CA CEAE Impa riens capensis
Ledum groenlandi cum LEGUM INOSAE
Kalmia angusrifolia Vida cracca
Kalmia polifolia Trifolium repens L1 NA LES
Rhododendron canadense Trifoliu m repens
An dr omeda glaucophv lla Tr ifolium pretense LlNACEA E
Chamaedaphn e calvculara Larhvrus japo nicu s Millegrans radio la
Gav lussacia baccata
Gav1ussacia dumosa bigelo viana CRASSU LAC EA E UMBEL LA LES
Vaccinium angusri folium Sedum rosea
vscctniom viris-idaea A RALIA CEA
Vaccinium oxvcoccus Aralia nudicaulis
Vaccinium macrocarpon
Gaulrheria hispidula HAL ORA GAL ES UMB EL LIFERA E
Ligusricum scorhicum
EMPE TRA CEAE HIPPURIDACEA E Daucus cerots
Emperru m nigrum Hippuris vulgaris
POLEMONIA LES
PYROLA CEA E MY RTA L ES
Pyrola secunda SOLA NA CEA E
Moneses uniflora ONAGRACEA E Solanum nigrum
Circaeaalp ina
MONO TROPA CEA E Oeno rhera perennis CON VOL VULACEAE
Mono rropa uniflor a Oenotners perenms Convolvulus sepium

78
MEN YANTHACEA E LEN TIBULA R IA CEAE COMPOSI TA E
Men yan thes trifofiata minor Utricularia tmermeate
Utricularia geminiscapa Achillea lanulosa
LA MIA LES Utricularia gibba Solidago uliginosa
Utricularia comets Solidago rugosa
BORAGINA CEA E Solidago graminifolia
Myosotis laxa? CA MPA NA LES Solidago bic otor
Merrensia maritima Aster nemoralis
CA MPA NULA CEAE Aster radula
LABIA TAE Campanula ro tundifolia As ter blakei
Scu tellaria galericulata Aster acumina tus
Prunella vulgaris RUBIA LES Aster novibelgii
Lycopus uniflorus Aster lateriflora
Gafeops is tetrahir RUBIA CEA E Cirsium muticum
Galium trifidum Cirsium arvense
PLAN TA GINA LES Galium erectum Cirsium vulgare
Galium tebredoricum? Centaurea nigra
PLA NTAGINACEAE t eontodon au rumnalis
Plantago tenceotete Chrysan them um leucanthemum
Plantago major Bidens tronaose
Plantago juncoides Tussi/ago farfara
DIPSACALES Hyp ochaeris radicata?
SCROPHU LAR IA LES Matricaria m atricarioides
CAPR/F OLIA CEAE Tanacew m vulgare
SCROPH ULA RIACEA E Linnaea borealis americana Hieracium aurantiacum
Rhinanrhus crista-gallii Lonicera villosa Senecio robbinsii
Me/ampyrum Iineare Viburn um cassinoides Senec io vulgaris
cnetone gfabra Viburnum alnifolium Prenanthes trifoliata
Euphrasia americana Anaphalis margaritacea intercedens
Gerardia n eosco tica AST ERALES Gnaphalium uliginosum

TA BL E 11.5.1. A LGA E RECORDED IN T HE STUD Y A REA

RHODOPHYTA Iachis ta fucico/a OT HERS

Scy tosipho n dotyi
Cy toclon ium purpureum Desmarestia viridis Zostera m arina
Rhodoph yllis dich o toma D. acu/eata
Ahnfeltia plicata Chorda tomen tosa
Chondrus crtsous Laminaria longicruris
Gigartina stellata L. digitata
Corallina officina/is Saccorhiza derma todea
Lith othamn ion so. Agarum cribrosum
Rhodymenia palmata A /aria escatents
Halosaccion ramentace um Ascoph yllum no dosum
Ceramium rubrum Fucus vesicu/osus
Plum aria e/egans F. eden tatus
Prilota e/egans F. evanescens
P. serrata
Phycodrys rubens CHLOROPHY TA
Polysiph onia lanosa
P. urceotsts Monostroma $p.
Rhodome/a con fervoides Enteromorpha linza
Porph yra miniata . intestina/is
P. teacosticts VIva rigida
U. lacruca
PHAEOPHYTA Spongomorpha spinescens
S. son deri
Ectocarpus con fervoides Chaetomoroha m elagonium
Pi/ayella littorafis Cladophora rupestris

79
FIG URE 11.4. 1. SUBTIDAL LY KELPS DOMINATE TH E LA NDSCA PE. AT T HIS SITE ALA RIA ESCUL ENTA OBSCURES
THE BOTTOM. Seaweed in the foregrou nd is Fucussp. (Underwater photograph by R. K. Bosien, Sept., 1977 ).

FIGUR E 11.4.1 A IN TERT IDA L ALGAE GROW I N EQUAL PROFUSION. TH IS PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS A THI CK GROWTH
OF FUCUS sp. NEAR TH E LOW WAT ER MARK (Underwater photograph by R.K. Boslen, Sept" 1977).

80
 "

",
"

, "
<>
"
<

,
"
"
<

~ " ~'6'

.
r 18
J'b",J<o<..l-~i; .u
" .

M> f u

o Not recorde d
Present
Commo n
. Abundant

".
2
,u

FIGURE 11.4.2. DISTR IBUTION AND ABUNDA NCE OF LA MI NA RIA NS AT BRIER ISLAND. N.S.

81
 n

v
~4

, u
Q IO Ji - .
So.-

Uj'
U.:

,. "

.
"

\
.
~t" ,
.
__ -:' ....:L~,.
~~F" J ' I1_ts" l~
"'~ 'l,._
: ..
"

"
o Not reco rded
" Present
Common
Abundant

FIGURE 11.4.3 DISTR IBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF ALARIA ESCULENTA AT BRIER ISLAN D, N.S.
82
 ............,, ~ , ... T-
o

"
~
V V
." ,
"t OJ

" W ;6 "
-.
s.

n:>o '~ f
u-:
:116 .s
, g 8:'
-l6 ~i:;;:t
.
v

.
,
~ "

u
v
\,
\ "
~t..., t ~
,
-n. -;' ~~-'
f I 13 , I h.., 95 !l Ii
'.. s..a,~,,,
~ .~

,,
I.-I '

" o Not recor ded

.. Present
Com mon
V
.
M
. Abund ant
"
"
~

F IGU RE 11.4.4 DISTRIBUT ION AN D ABUN DANCE O F AGARUM CRIBROSUM A T BRI ER ISLA N D, N.S.

83
 12 RESOURCE USES .

FIGUR E 12.2. 1. LOA DING PLA TFORM AT THE GROUND FISH PLA NT , WESTPOR T,

12.1. INTAOD UCTlQN. The economy of the Brier Is- 6) Groundfish gillnetting (minor)
land region is based almost entirely on the fishery. The Is- 7) Lobst er (major)
land is the site of some research and educational act ivities 8) Scallops (m ino r)
and has some limit ed potential in terms of tou rism. There 9) Soft-she lled Clams (minor)
are no processing (other than f ish ), manufactu ring or min- 10 ) Periwinkles (minor)
ing activlties.nor does there appear to be any significant 11) Mar ine plants (m inor)
potential for such development. Ex ist ing indust ries in- 12) Lo bst er impoundment (minor)
clu de: 13) Pack ing plants

A. THE FISHERY: B. RESEARCH AND EDUCATION:

1) Herring seiners (major) 1) Un iversity field trips
2l Herring weirs and shutoff (minor) 2l Research
3l Groun dfish dragging (major)
4) Groundfish longlining (major) 12. 2. TH E FIS H ERY. The local fishery is the most sign-
5) Groundfish handlining (major) if icant ind ust ry of the area. However, at the present time

84
on ly one sma ll plant is processing split groundf ish (Figure
12.2 . 11. Independent fisherme n also have small salt ing oper-
ations and lobster impound ment (tanksl facilities. Herring
caught in the area are delivered to process ing plants located
elsewhe re in the Bay and the seining flee t regularly use West-
po rt for layover s.
While no specific statistics are available fo r the Brier Is-
land region. the Island is included in Statistica l District No.
3 7 which includes Brier Island, Long Island and Digby Neck .
While we were unable to obtain landin g statistics fo r the cur-
rent year, tabulations for January. to April 21. 1977 show
tha t the area supports a rich fishery worth several million
dollars per year (Table 12.2.1 ). The most valuable fish spec-
ies are Cod, Haddock, Po lloc k. Hake, and Herring. As can be
seen in Table 12.2.2, the mo st valuable inshore spec ies are
Lobster and Scallops. although th e Scallop fishery has de-
clined in rece nt years
11 HERRING SEINING (F igure 12.1. 1). The Bay of Fu n-
dy coast of Nova Scotia, St . Mary's Bay and Brier Island
areas are favored seini ng area s. Generally, this is an offsho re
operation that involves active hunting of herring schools.
During our visits, several boats from the seining fleet
used the public wharf at Westport during September, most
of the fleet was operati ng in th is general area.
In 1977 , breakdown of the Bay of Fu ndy fleet was as
follows (Fisheries Marine Serv ice, 1977):
51SOFTSHELLED CLAMS, PER IWIN KLES AND MAR
INE PLANTS (Figure 12. 1.4) . All of these are mino r pro-
ducts. No majo r clam flats are in the area and a single re-
stricted sou rce is loca te d at Westpo rt_
Periw inkles are abundant. However, t hey would provide
only a sma ll supplementary incom e to local fisherm en .
Marine plants. in spite of their abundance, are, to our
kno wledge, not util ized. In terms of sup ply, the Island area
has good potential for de velopment.
6) SCA LLOPS (Figure 12. 1.5), Once an im po rtan t part
of th e local fishery, loca l scallop beds have been de pleted
and major beds are located elsewhere on the Nova Scot ia
sho re.
7 ) COMMERCIAL FISHI NG OPERAT IONS (Figure
12. 1.6). With the loss of the Connor's Broth ers pack ing
plant at Freeport. the only rema ining commercial ope ration
is a small split f ish plant at Westport. Ind ividuall y owned and
operated plants include : approximately 12 sheds for salt ing
and spliting fish, 1 lobster tank house, 1 freezer and ice-
maker and 1 small smoke shed.
12.3. RESEARCH AND EDUCAT ION. Brier Island is
frequently visited by members of the Nova Scotia Bird So-
ciety and student field trips fro m Acadia University. R~
search is limited to the acti vities o f a few interested ind ivid-
uals and there are no forma l facilities on Brier Island. Dr.
David Gaskin 's Cetacean Research group, University of
Guelph, has worked in the area for the past five o r six years .

Origin No. of Boats

N.B. (Fundy) 25
N.S, 21
N.B. (Nor th) 1
N'f'l'd 3

TOTAL 50

Depend ing on herring movements, an y or all of t hese ves-

sels, plus ca rriers co uld be wor king the Brier Island area.

2) HERR ING WEIRS SHUTOF F, AND GILLNET (Fig-

ure 12. 1. 11. While St . Mary's Bay is an im portant area fo r
weirs and shutoff, there are no weirs at Brier Island and
shu toffs are infreque ntly used.

Gillnet s are set along the sou theast co ast ; principally for
lobster bait.

3 1 GRO UNDF ISH ING (Figure 12. 1.2). Groundfish are an

important source of income at Brier Island. Principal methods
used are longline !trawl!, handline, and dragger .

Only one plant is purchasing and processing salt fish at

Westport. Many fishermen split, salt and mar ket thei r own
fish.

4) LOBSTER (Figure 12. 1.31. One of the most valuable

fish products, local fishermen fish all of the shallow areas
in the Brier Island region .
85
TAB LE 12.2.1. FISH LA NDI NGS, JA NUAR Y 1 TO A PRI L 2 1. 1977 (Fisheries and Marine Service stat istics).

GROUNDFISH KI LOGRAM S S VALUE

(ROUND)

Cod 1,4 10,543 380.690

Haddock 1,646,7 86 733,634
Redf ish 1,177 107
Hal ibut 5,93 1 8,541
Plaice 152 67
Witch 30,826 8,402
Winter Flounder 822 215
Mixed Flounders 11,150 2.705
Pol lock 3,350 ,562 466,150
Hake. Unsp. 833.597 127,658
Cusk 5,621 812
Cat f ish (Wolffish) 77,711 10,764
Other Groundf ish 227 116

TOTAL GROUND
FISH 7,375, 105 1.739.861

PEL AGIC AND

ESTUA RIAL FISH
Herring 3,003,2 15 253,401
Mackerel 15.359 1,66 1
Tuna, Unsp. 254 336

TOTAL PELAG IC A ND
EST UA RIAL FISH 3.0 18,828 255.398

MOL LUSCS A ND
CRUSTACEA NS
Scallop s 180,785 60,330
Squid 889 91
Winkles 680 375
Lobsters 210,722 1,002,636

TOTAL MOLLUSCS
AND CRUSTACEAN S 393,076 1.063,432

MISCELLA NEOUS
Dulse 227 625

FISH VI SCERA,
SCA LES, ETC.
Herring Scales 125,965 19,974

TOTA L VA LU E 3,079,290

86
TAB LE 12.2.2. INSHORE LA NDINGS, 1947 TO 1973 (From Caddy and Chandler, 1976).

YEAR WINKLE LOBSTE R SCAL LOP SHR I MP W. FLOUNDE R SA LMON SHAD

1947 a 552000 106000 a a a a

1948 a 648000 56000 a a a a
1949 a 618000 11000 a a a a
1950 a 508000 30000 a a a a
1951 a 695000 18000 a a a a
1952 a 569000 6900 a a a a
1953 a 649000 77300 a a a a
1964 a 561000 85400 a a a a
1955 a 509000 50100 a a a a
1956 a 628000 74300 a a a a
1957 a 582008 250396 a a a a
1958 a 5 12815 16730 a a a a
1959 a 601364 2620 a a 2000 a
1960 a 558559 22531 7 a a a a
1961 a 6 12700 177771 a a a a
1962 a 64196 1 a a a a a
1963 2800 75 1300 38621 a a a a
1964 a 706792 199526 a a a 1000
1965 9300 72682 1 a a a a a
1966 a 675781 a a a a a
1967 a 694707 13696 a 1375 a a
1968 a 773655 12382 a 1768 a a
1969 80500 1141093 133579 a 485 a a
1970 41500 817735 169074 381987 10972 a a
1971 a 842171 164186 a 85 a a
1972 a 550089 92913 a 580 750 a
1973 a 676 117 23511 a 4800 127 a

Winkles: Landings refl ect effort.

Scallops: Most of these landings are made by Digby and Annapo lis Scallopers which fis h th e Brier I sland area during
the summer months. Most of their landings are trucked to Digby . Generally, lendtnqs reflect abundance
and at present scallops are very scarce on local grounds.

87
 .._ _ ........ ,N

SEIN ING (GOOD)

". ''
' ., ..
,
. .
,
~

f
u .

.
,
..

" .
.'
- ''.f'.... ,
~

I
"
:' SeJNI NGi FA I R)
'"
" .' .
'" z: . jJ '"
. . 'l
T
. , >Z
zl
8 .... .. S-1ft_1 ~ .... . , .... ~
_ . -,.. _ _ .. ,!L,U
... , iii.!. ,.
IT

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, 10 ,

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. 11I , , T , J:.OJ
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sr

~ . . .; - I >~

o

FIGURE 12. 1. 1. PRI NCIPAL HERRING SEI N ING AND GI L LN ET ARE AS AT BRIER ISL AND, N.S.
88
Tr awl set up to
15 miles off-
shore

TRAW

o 2

FI GURE 12. 1.2. PRI NCIPAL GROUNDF ISH AR EAS AT BR IER ISLA ND, N.S.

89
 "

GRAND P
EAST SHQR
AREAS

FI SHING EX T NOS APPR OXI MATELY

12 M ILES T O HE SO UT H.

NAlITlCAL MILES
o I 2

FI GU RE 12.1. 3. PRI NCIPAL LOBST ER F ISHING ARE AS A T BRIER ISL AN D, N.S.

90
 _
.. ..... ..
""'~ , .,

sr

v V
29 ~4 8
.. 9',' .
>.5 '~
~ 17",.~. '
:7<lO J ~ j'
II: ..
.., .s,
, I(
.., ~j<iJ

~'~
i
~,

",
". .;"
,~ ,
es

~ "
.
18 ~6

-:-J~i.;;6 ~
" .
JDfu

NO MAJO R CLAM
.
FLATS SMA L L
QUAN T ITIES AT
THI S SITE.

FIGUR E 12,1.4. CLAM F LATS AT SR I ER ISLAN D, N,S,

91
 sr

"
er

",
"

"

BEDS 12 MI LES TO THE SOUT H

."

FIGUR E 12.1.5. PRIN CIPA L SCA LLOP BEDS A T BRIER ISLAND , N.S.

92
 "

"
<

<
"

1. O NE SMAL L CO MMERC IAL

SPLIT FISH OPERA TI ON.
2. APPROX I MAT ELY 12 Jt; f u
"
18
hn>J",*~6 ~
. ~i

,
I NDEPEN DENTLY ~

OPERA T ED SHEDS FO R ,
SPLIT ING AND SA LT I NG\ .II

FISH. ......... ' ~

3. ONE LOBST ER TANK sl lo.qt Uo 8 '
HOU S E. -_:t ..EL_
4 INDEPE NDENT LV I03 , IZH< 95 h l \
. ~ ~ ~ ~-
OWNED FREEZER ,. \'~.
AND ICE-MA KE R " ("\
5. ONE SMALL S~ K E , '~
SHED AT W H I Ppl ~\\'h~pl.. ~ ~ ~
POINT. \ Zl , ~ '.-,-'
" .u J.
11 \ l'
es

"

"
"
w

".
2
"
FI GU RE 12. 1.6. LOCA TI ON O F COMME RCIA L FI SHING OPERAT IONS A T BRIE R ISLA ND. N.S.

93
 13 PRODUCTIVITY & POLLUTION .
13.1. INTRODUCTION. Fact ors influencing productivity
in the Bay of Fundy have been previously d iscussed (Mac Kay,
1976 l. Areas of h igh productivity usually occur where bathy-
metry and tidal currents prod uce good vert ical mixing.
Apart from a rich fishery indicators of high productivity
are: 1) large seabird and mammal populations, 2) Euphausid
swarms, 3) grea t divers ity of benthic animals, 4) the prese nce
of numerous filte r feeding invertebrates and 5) high levels
of plankton and suspended organic matter.
13.2. PRODUCTIV ITY AT BAIER ISLA N D. Brier [5'
land fulfi lls many of the cr iteria listed above . Available tem-
perature and salinity data suggest good vertical m ixing and
the area supports large seabird and mammal populations
with Euphausid shrimp acting as one of the principal foods.
In addition, the area supports a rich fishery . Nevertheless,
our observations suggest that the level of productivity is
somewhat lower than at Deer Island or Grand Manan, N.B,
Firstly, water clarity indicates that levels of plankton and
suspended organic matter is lower , In addition, divers ity of
benthic invertebrates is low and filter feeders are virtu ally
absent from the area.
13,3, POLLUTION. With the exception of small fish
process ing operations at Westport there are no local sou rces
of pollu tion. As previously mentioned, Bay of Fundy cur-
rent patterns are such that surface borne pollutants orig-
inat ing anywhe re in the Bay might reach Brier Island. Light
oils and garbage , discharged from ships leaving and entering
the Bay of Fundy commonly are deposited on Brier Island
sho res (Lent, per. co mm., ).
No poten tial sou rces of pollution came to light duri ng
th is study.
94

TYPICA LSEA CONDITIONS ON A FINE DAY AT BRIER ISLA ND WHERE WIN D AN D SWE LL MA KE DIVING
D i fFICU LT.
14.1. INT RODUCTION. Recreational opportunities on
Brier Island are, in our opinion , relatively limited. This is due
in large part to the relat ive inacce ssibility of the Island an d
its small size. Among the recreational activities wh ich might
be considered for the Island are: 1) Arts and Crafts, 2) Hik -
ing and Camp ing, 3) Seashore ex ploration, 4 ) Boating, 5)
Fishi ng, 6 ) Photography and 5) Diving.
14.2. A RTS AN D CRA FT S. To our knowle dge, th ere
are no formal Arts and Crafts de velopments on Brier Island.
The Island would provide an exce llent atmosphe re for season-
al de velopment of suc h act ivities.
14.3. HIKIN G AND CAMPING. While oppo rt unity ex-
ists for hiking and camping, it is unlikely t hat these activit-
ies would develop to any extent due to the sma ll size of the
Island.
14 RECREATION.
14 .5. FISH ING. The Brier Island area offe rs excell ent
ha ndlining for groundfish. However, such activities can be
obtained in mo re accessible areas and it seems un likely that
many t our ist s cou ld be enticed to travel to Brier Island for
deep-sea fishing.
14.6. BOATI NG. We would not recommend the deve lop-
ment of recreational boating since strong currents, swell,
and winds are such tha t considerable exp erience is requi red
to operate in the area.
14.7. PHOTOGRAPHY. As is t rue in many areas in the
Bay of Fund y, the scenery at Brier Island provides goo d op-
port un ity fo r photography.
Water clar ity is suc h, that the area provides exce llent
opportunity fo r underwater pho tog raphy.
95
 14.4. SEASHOR E EXPLORATION. Brier Island offe rs
only limited opportuni ties for seashore exploration, the
only suitable sites for such activities being the Grand Passage
and Pond Cove areas.
14.8. DIVING. Brier Island has many attractions for the
diver, including: 1) good underwater visibility, 2) spectacular
underwater scenery, 3) a reasonable diversity of marine plants
and animals, and 4) an abundance of wrecks. However, ou r
experiences lead us to believe that diving activities should be
restr ict ed to advanced amateurs and professionals. The area
has st rong cur rents, pers isten t swell and frequent winds and
fog. During calm weather inte rmediate amateu rs could safe-
ly work parts of Grand Passage and along the southeast
shore. However, predict ing weather would be impossible
and plan ning specif ic dates wou ld be dif ficult.
Figure 14.8.1. shows the classificat ion of d iving areas,
as we see it.
96
 sr
o

,
,. , ,
"
;I~
" " ,. "
0
0

"

"
i'
"'-S S A G E

.,. \
\
" () PROF ESSIONA L

"
ADVANCED
AM ATE U R

T-
o

2

FIG UR E 14.8. 1. CLASSI F ICAT ION OF DIV ING SIT ES A T BRI ER ISLA N D, N.S.
97

15. 1. EA R LY SETT LEMENT. Originally frequen te d by
Micmacs, th e ea rliest references to Digby Neck. Lo ng Island,
and Brier Island appear in the reco rds of the voyages of Sieur
de Monts and Champla in in 1604. Prior to this, however, the
area had been freque nted by French fishermen and even
mi ners searching for silver, copper, and iron (Lo llis, 1959 ),
It is reported that Brie r Island is so-called because a sea-
captain by that name was ship wrecked there during the ear-
ly days. Capta in Brier gave th e Christ ian name Peter J ackson
to an Indian he baptised on the island, and today the place
where Brier came ashore is kno wn as Pete Jac k Cove (Lo llis,
1959 ).
David Welch. Senior, a native of Maine, United States,
15 HISTORY.
set ou t on a voyage to th is Island in spring of 1769, as a
fishing Post. He was accompanied by Mrs. Welch and child
reno They were afterwards jo ined by Robert Morrefl, also
born in Maine, bu t a resident of Sissibon just pre viously.
Finding fish plen tiful, affording ample means of subsistence,
they remained, becoming poineers; and lived almost unknown
to other sections of the co untY until arrival of Lo yalists
in 1783. They owned vessels. in which they captured pro-
duce of the deep. These were carried to the older colonies
and sold. Provisions were bought there, and freighted the
craf ts on their homeward j ourney, They lived in log houses,
built near th e shore, and thoroughly corked with m oss.
Limited parcels of land were also tilled by aid of the f ish
and refuse, which raised splendid crops of potatoes and
other vegetables. They, however, faifed to procure Grants
at th is time, and were unkn own and unprotected by Gov-
ernment. After the Tories came, all improved lands were
98
secured to their occupan ts by the King's Letters Patent.
(Wilson 19OO).
In 1818, Loc kwood recorded that the population of Brier
Island was 52 'men and women' and 95 'boys and girls'.
(Lollis, 1959 ).
As with oth er islands in th e Bay of Fundy, the po pulation
grew slowly and has remained relat ively stable at several
hund red individu als. It wou ld appea r that these islands have
a " carryin g capacity" in terms of human pop ulation which
is determined by the ability of the area to support a certain
number of people.
Physical development of the area began ear ly. The first
road was opened in 1803 when 50 pounds was allocated for
construction of a road from Petite Passage to Grand Passage.
The following year a ferry was licensed for Pet ite Passage,
but it was not until 18 22 th e J ames Peters of Brier Island
was licensed as ferryma n for Grand Passaqe. He was succeed-
ed by Ja mes Titus in 1825 and George Morrell in 1829 who,
it is repo rted, operated a private fe rry as early as 1817 (Green-
wood , 1935) . Ferry service has continued to the present and
is now operated on a 24 hour basis by the Nova Scotia
government (F igure 15.1. 1).
15.2. PRESENT STATUS. At present there are between
300 and 400 individuals on Brier Island. The pop ulat ion in
1961 was 4 13. In 1966. th ere were 122 househ olds with a
popu lation of 367. In 1971 , the popul at ion had increased
slight ly to 38 9 individuals in 120 hous eholds (County Pre -
flle-Dlqbv, N.S. Dept. of Development l.
Brier Island is well serviced and, present ly, the residents
enjoy all modern conveniences.
Nevertheless, it is unlikely that population levels will
change significantly unless some major development is
located in the area.
15.3. SHIPW RECKS. As indicated in Figure 15.3.1,
the Brier Island area has claimed many sh ips. The heavy
and frequent swell, th e shoa ls and the rugged coastline virt-
ually insured difficulty for vessels which wande r off course.
Powell (1963) has summarized some of the local wrecks as
follows:
lMJen increased sea traffic came to rhe Bay of Fundy it
was realized rhat Brier Island was a sea hazard to shipping.
So, in 1809, the second lighthouse between Halifax and
Saint John was constructed on rhe western side o f Brier ts-
land.
I t is possible that Brier Islan d holds the record for light-
houses on rhe A tlantic Coast, averaging one per mile as i ts
to tal lengrh is onl y th ree miles. Fr om the lists o f wrecks
at or near this Island there is evidently a netNI fo r the oper-
ation of rhese lighrhouses. Follo wing is an account of most
of these recorded.
The Jennie B. Thomas was wrecked at Peters Island,
December 30, 1897. The schooner Shaffner Brothers
was wrecked on Gull Rock Bar, January 1I , 1906. The Len-
nie Burrill gr ounded on Peters Island Shoal February 12,
1900. She was later floa ted bu t rhe crew deserted ship and
refused to rej oin the vessel when she was refloated.
The barque Aurora was wrecked on Bri er Island Nov-
ember 27, 1908. She was loaded with lumber and much of
her cargo was washed up on the shore. The 100F Hall was
construc ted fr om some of th is lumber.
The schooner Mina German went ash or e at Southern
Point Febraury 8, 19 12.
The steamer Cobequid was wrecked at Trini ty Rock
January 13, 19 14. The S.$. Wcstpon III, commanded by
Captain Edgar MacKinnon wen t to rhe assistance of rhe
stranded ship. The crew of the Cobequid, th rough the
efforts of the complement of the Westpon, were hero-
Ically saved, Bu t Captain MacKinnon, while effecting th e
rescue, received injuries which compelled him to give
up his active seafarin g car eer. Each received an engraved
watch for his part in saving th e lives of the men on the
Cobequid.
The Corin th ian, a large ocea~going ship, was wreck-
ed on North-Wes t Ledge, December, 1918. She had
cleared from Sf. John with a full cargo of hams. bacons
and other fo od products for the British Isles. The ship
was a tota l loss and her cargo found its way to every
port in Western Nova Scotia.
In February 1944 bodies o f the crew f rom the
Greek freigh ter Arkterini were washed ashore on Br ier
Island and Long Island. The ship was carrying a cargo
of coal for St. John. No defini te details are available
but i t is assumed that she struck in the vicinity of Brier
Island.
In February, 18 77, the full-rigged ship, General
Wolsley, was los t on rhe coast of Brie r Island. She was
loaded wirh supplies for Bath, Maine. Her cargo con-
sisted o f h ousehold f urn i ture, sleighs, equipment of
various kinds and provisions, and it was strewn along
the coast, som e of which was salvaged by the peop le
of Westport and Freeport.
The story is tol d tha t in th e winter of 1846 twenty-
five vessels o f various sizes sailed down rhe Bay o f
Fun dy bound for New England and Southern ports with
cargoes of lumber. Of the twenty- five which staned
only nine were able to complete rhe trip. A strong south-
west wind accompanied by snow struck the area and
those rhat were fortuna te enough made harbour. Only
nil" ; were abl e to continue rhe trip unha rmed. Th e
Thomas Green. a t wo-masted scho on er, struck Cow
Ledge and broke up. Her cargo was carried by the
tide along the shores and much of it was salvaged by
rhe fisherm en.
15.4. SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL SITES. We were un-
able to identify any historically significant sites at Brier Is-
land. However, Joshu a Slocum, the first man to sail alone
around the wo rld, grew up in Westport. His life there and
ms aeven tures have been t he Subject at numerous articles
and, certai nly. his memory is still honored in the area; a
cairn having been erected near Peter Island on the Westpo rt
shore.
99
 ..".""'.....' h"" '... T-
o
George Melville Cochrane, 19 19 ,.
S.S. Corinthian, 1918
Neptunas, 1847 Empire S torey, 194 2 ,
Peggy, 1797 Washing ton, 1856
",
Eq yp tian Prince,
Lydia, 1854
Arm ada, 1879
Union, 1808
No name, 1842
Coast Guard, 1888

"
,
"

es

St. Martin, 1846

Aurora, 1908 u
. .
Thomas Green, 1846
oorntometn. 1918
, , 'I'.
Thetis, 1842
, n
~,
-:':'t.. ,."I, ,..
"S m
,~lr,.

W. E. Gladstone, 19 18
Aikaterini, 1944
" '
J,t
, -'.: . ./$
: '
" ~I
20
i;-;:i r--if>-
__ , ""01
Reform, 1837 -; Grace Darling, 1914
Georgia E, 1911 Gladstone, 1888
lO~
Betsy, 183 7 Milenda, 1899
Bess, 1881 George, 1837
S.P. Masson, 1861 Eclipse, 1837
General wotetev, 1875 ss
, Albert J. Willis, 1941
Westway, 1925 Little Belt, 1829
Cambria, 1876 Industry, 1800's Comet, 1842
Newburg, 1898 Alfred, 1900 Emaline, 184 5
Champion, 1924 Jennie B. Thomas, 1897 Gearging, 1866
J. Morton, 1881 Jane Porter, 1884
Acadian, 19 10
Mikado , 19 16
Orleans, 1941
Nina A. German, 1912
n William Mason, 19 16
Ena F. Parsons, 1932

,
00

Florence E, Melanson, 1912

Envoy, 1854
Primrose, 1827
Margaret, 1856
Nelly, 18 18
NAUTICAL MI LES
, Ambassadress, 1854
a I 2


FIGURE 15.3.1 . SH IPWRECKS ON TH E COAST OF BR IER ISLAN D. N.S. (After Shea. 1970).

100
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We wish to thank Mr. Claude Mondo r and Mr. Duncan
Hard ie, Parks Canada, for their assistance with th is wo rk.
Dr. David Gaskin. Depart ment of Zoo logy. University
of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario wrote th e sect ion on Marine
Mammals and provided te mperatu re and salin ity d at a. We
wish to th ank h im for h is contri bution.
Bob Bosien and Myles Flewelling. MRA, sha red field
duties wit h the author . Marg MacKay typeset the manu-
script and Stewart McKay proofread the final copy.
We would particularly like to thank Barbara Wells for
her deta iled literature search. Much of the infor mation in
th is report was made available through her effo rts.
Henry Porter and the staff of the Canadian Coast Guard
Service at westport assisted us in numerous ways and mad e
our visits to Brier Island part icularly pleasant.
Russell Conley of Deer Island is thanked for his patience
in towing our disabled boat across the Bay of Fu ndy.
We wish to than k th e following individ uals who provided
Mrs. Wells with inform ation du ring te lephone or personal in-
terviews.
Willett Mi lls, Halifax
Shirley Coh rs, Halifax
Dr. Eric Mills, Dalhousie University
Ross Ande rson, Halifax
Paul Brody. Halifax
Wickerson Lent, Brier Island
Dr. van der Kloet, Acadia University
Dr. Darryl Grund, Acad ia University
Dr. Chalmers Sm ith. Acadia University
Dr. Peter Sm ith, Acadia Un iversity
Dr. George Stevens, Acadia University
Dr. Bogan. Acadia Un iversity
Dr. Ian Maclaren. Dalhous ie University
Dr. Fred Dobson. Dartm ou th
Dr. Dick Brown, Canadian Wild life Service. Dart mouth
D.L DeWolfe, B.J. Mooney. Bed ford Inst it ute
101
REFERENCES
ANON. PERSPECTIVE NOVA SCOTIA. N.S. Dept. of Develop-
ment, No date.
ANON. COUNTY PROFI LE-DIGBY. N.S. Dept of Develop-
ment No date.
A NON. HISTOR Y OF NORTH POINT LI GHTHOUSE, BRI ER
ISLAND. The Digby Courier, Thurs. March 9, 1972
ANON. NOVA SCOTIA TOUR BOOK. Dept. Trade & Industry,
Halifax, 1959.
ANON. CANA DA 1974. Information Canada, 1973.
A NON. ISLANDS DECLARED DISAS TER AREA. The Digby
CQurier. Feb. 5. 7976.
ANON. PETITION OF INHABITANTS OF LONG ISLA ND,
TOWNSHIP OF WES TPORT. DIGBY COUNTY, AGA INST A
GRA NT OF PART OF THE COMMON BEI NG MA DE TO
SHIPPEY LEN T AND JEREMIAH BROOKS. Westport. 10th
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