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Coastal Update    Newsletter Archives

July - December 1998

DECEMBER 1998 ATLANTIC COASTAL COMMUNITY PROFILE The December issue of the Atlantic Coastal Community Profile features articles on the Spectacle Marine Underwater Dive Park in Port Mouton Harbour, Nova Scotia and Coastal Zone Activities and Programs at MREAC, the Miramichi River Environmental Assessment Committee. ACZISC DATABASE DIRECTORY Version 4 of the Atlantic Coastal Zone Database Directory will be available in March 1999. If you would like to submit a database description for inclusion in Version 4, please download and fill in the Directory Questionnaire and fax it to the ACZISC Secretariat at 902-667-3087. Definitions and Instructions are available to assist you . For further information, email the ACZISC Secretariat COASTAL MAPPING WORKSHOP REPORT The Report of the Atlantic Provinces Coastal Mapping Workshop, including recommendations, is available from http://aczisc.dal.ca/docs.htm. The Workshop was held on Wednesday, 30 September 1998 at the NS Geomatics Centre in Amherst, Nova Scotia. The Workshop was organized by the ACZISC Coastal Mapping Working Group and Secretariat. ACZISC AND CEONET Members of the ACZISC met with representatives of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) initiative on 4 December in Halifax. Discussions centred on the future development of the ACZISC Directory in relation to CEONet and the ACZISC's ongoing concern with Canada's lack of a coherent data exchange/dissemination policy. For further information, contact the Chair of the Database Working Group, Claudette LeBlanc. NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE COASTAL ZONE The ACZISC Coastal Mapping Working Group is planning a Workshop for the Spring of '99 which will address the need for high resolution coastal base maps. Flood mapping of coastal lowlands due to rising sea levels and increased storm surge threat requires precise digital terrain models (DTM) of coastline. For information on the Workshop, contact Michael Butler, ACZISC Secretariat. STATISTICAL PROFILE OF COMMUNITIES Check out the Statistical Profile of Canadian Communities website of Statistics Canada. It contains statistical profiles for all Canadian communities highlighting information on education, income and work, families and dwellings, as well as general population information. A mapping feature is available for viewing the location of communities within Canada. SABLE ISLAND - PILOT MPA On 3 December, David Anderson, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced that the Sable Gully has been selected as Atlantic Canada's first pilot Marine Protected Area (MPA) under Canada's Oceans Act. DFO will establish a working team composed of resource users, federal and provincial agencies, and other interests with the aim of developing a management plan for the area. For further details, email DFO Maritimes MPA coordinator Bob Rutherford. PEI ROUND TABLE REPORT Prince Edward Island has released the Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations made by the Round Table on Resource Land Use and Stewardship. For information, contact Jean-Paul Arsenault at 902-368-4831. GEORGES BANK REVIEW Public Hearings for the Georges Bank Review are provisionally scheduled as follows: - Yarmouth, 11,12,13 & 14 January 1999 - Shelburne, 18 & 19 January 1999 - Lunenburg, 21 January 1999 - Halifax, 25, 26, 27 & 28 January 1999 For further information or to register to make submissions or presentations at the Hearings, email the Georges Bank Review Office. NOMINATIONS - CZC ASSOCIATION As a follow-up to the AGM of the Coastal Zone Canada Association held in Victoria on 3 September and the decisions of a subsequent meeting of the Board of Directors in Halifax on 23 October, nominations are being sought for 3 Vice Presidents and 17 Directors. Further the establishment of Regional Associations under the aegis of the CZC Association will now be encouraged. For details on the election of VPs and Directors and the CZC Association, email the CZCA President, Barry Jones. CONSERVATION LOST AT SEA On 2 December the Nova Scotia Ecology Action Centre and the Conservation Council of New Brunswick released a report entitled Conservation Lost at Sea: Discarding and Highgrading in the Scotia-Fundy Groundfishery in 1998. According to Heather Breeze, the report's author, interviews suggested that up to one million pounds of fish were discarded this year on Georges Bank, mostly cod. Current fishery management regimes are critiqued in this context. For details, email Mark Butler at the Ecology Action Centre or David Coon at the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. CONSERVATION DATA CENTRE The Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre (AC CDC) has been established as the newest of the 86 Conservation Data Centres located in the western hemisphere. A December Progress report was recently released to partners and stakeholders. All CDCs use a standard yet evolving methodology as a means to keep up-to-date computerized inventories of rare biological and ecological features. For more information concerning the international network access http://www.accdc.com. COD FISHING IN THE GULF OF MAINE According to the Boston Globe, the New England Fishery Management Council will slash cod fishing in the Gulf of Maine by 80% next year in a drastic attempt to restore the species. AMRS NEWSLETTER For brief and informative articles on El Niña, Radarsat and marine remote sensing in Europe, read the November edition of Backscatter, the newsletter of the Alliance for Marine Remote Sensing - a subscription form is posted on the AMRS website. COASTAL SEAS, THE CONSERVATION CHALLENGE Coastal Seas, The Conservation Challenge by J.R. Clark was recently published by Blackwell Science in the U.K. The book is a succinct, technical reference of coastal zone resource management aimed at students taking courses in coastal management or marine conservation and practitioners in these fields. The book may be ordered from Blackwell Science. NEW PRESIDENT FOR IISD David Runnalls has been appointed Interim President of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in Winnipeg, replacing Dr. Arthur Hanson who stepped down from the post to become the Institute's Distinguished Fellow and Senior Scientist. GROWTH OF INTERNET The Internet is growing at a phenomenal rate and is estimated to be doubling in size every 100 days. Electronic mail, by far the most-used Internet application, is regularly sent and received by over 80 million people, and the Electronic Messaging Association estimates over 100 million people will be using email by the year 2000. CZM DATABASE The European Union for Coastal Conservation (EUCC) is developing a database and website which will provide good practice examples; codes of conduct for CZM; international policies and conventions; ecological assessments; and international funding opportunities. MANAGEMENT OF AUSTRALIAN ESTUARIES A study by the University of New South Wales has recently begun to develop a national framework for the management of Australian estuaries. The project will run until May 2000. If you are interested in receiving a more detailed discussion paper, email Tim Smith. The project team would appreciate any feedback regarding the project. HALIFAX DECLARATION The 26th Pacem in Maribus conference, organized by the International Oceans Institute, concluded in Halifax on 3 December with the Halifax Declaration. The Declaration consists of a series of recommendations which address the conference theme: The Crisis of Knowledge - New Directions for Learning and Informed Decision-making for Oceans and Coasts. For details of the Conference, the Declaration and the Conference proceedings, contact Rob Race. UPCOMING CONFERENCE - National Conference on Marine Bioinvasions, 24-27 January 1999, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts Top of Page   NOVEMBER 1998 GULF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT REGION On 30 October, David Anderson, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans announced the establishment of the Gulf Fisheries Management Region. Under the arrangement, a Regional Director General, Gulf Fisheries Management Region, will be established and report directly to the Deputy Minister on fisheries management matters. For further information, access http://www.gfc.dfo.ca/communic/maritime/1998e/m98039.htm. ACZISC DATABASE DIRECTORY A meeting of the ACZISC Database Directory Working Group was held at the NS Geomatics Centre in Amherst on 9 November to review the status of metadata standards and the ACZISC Database Directory. Also, the Environment Canada Information Knowledge System was demonstrated by Charles LeBlanc, EC Moncton. The Working Group will be organizing a Strategy Workshop on future directions for the ACZISC Directory. For information, email Claudette LeBlanc, Working Group Chair. FUNDY FORUM The Fundy Forum is a recently established internet-based open communications network. It has been designed to connect community groups, individuals, First Nations, industry, scientists, land use planners, government and anyone else with an interest in the Bay of Fundy. For information about the Fundy Forum and on joining the discussion group, access the Forum website. FIRST NATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE The Union of Nova Scotia Indians (UNSI) in Sydney, Nova Scotia hosted the First Nations Environmental Conference on 27-29 October 1998. The main themes for the information sessions were pollution prevention, water quality management, GIS and traditional knowledge, environmental health, and indoor air quality. Kenneth Paul, Native Fisheries, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, has provided a summary of the programs and workshops which he attended at the Conference. The summary is available from the recently introduced Atlantic Coastal Community Profile. FREE GEOSPATIAL DATASETS Check out the GeoGratis Project website. It provides access to geospatial datasets free-of-charge for research and educational purposes. MPA SITES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA On 1 September 1998, the federal government announced the establishment of Canada's first two pilot project MPA sites under the Oceans Act. The sites are in British Columbia: Race Rocks and Gabriola Passage. For information on the status of MPAs in Atlantic Canada, email DFO MPA coordinators: Bob Rutherford, Maritime Region at; Tim Anderson, Newfoundland Region at; Daniel LeSauteur, Région Laurentienne. SGSL COALITION ON SUSTAINABILITY A meeting to review the results of a user needs survey and to determine the future structure and activities of the renamed Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability was held on 5-6 November in Moncton. A meeting report is being prepared by the facilitator. For details, contact the Coalition Co-Chairs, Joe Arbour or Sabine Dietz. GULF OF MAINE COUNCIL The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment will be hosting an open forum on petroleum exploration in the Gulf of Maine on 19 November 1998 in Halifax, in conjunction with its Council and Working Group meetings. The purpose of the forum is to present an overview of the present review of the Canadian moratorium on petroleum exploration on Georges Bank that expires on 1 January 2000 and to share environmental information relevant to this process. For further information, email Megan Trites-Tolson, GoM Secretariat Coordinator. The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment was recently informed that it will be the recipient of a $500,000 US grant from the US government. The GoM Working Group will be reviewing the allocation of these funds in the context of the GoM 5-Year Action Plan. OUT OF THE FOG WORKSHOP The Out of the Fog: A Workshop Towards an Effective Electronic Environmental Information Exchange System was held in Boston at MIT and the New England Aquarium from 4-6 November. The ACZISC Secretariat was invited to make a presentation. Workshop proceedings will be available. For further information, contact Paul Boudreau. SUSTAINING MARINE FISHERIES According to a new report entitled Sustaining Marine Fisheries funded by the Washington-based National Research Council, an arm of the US National Academy of Sciences, the volume of fish caught globally has reached or exceeded levels that can be sustained by the world's oceans. For further information, access http://www2.nas.edu/whatsnew/2972.html. DATA EXCHANGE TO SUPPORT ICZM Given the need for increased data exchange to support ICZM, the Construction Industry Research and Information Agency (CIRIA) in the UK have commissioned HR Wallingford to produce a guide on maximising the use and exchange of coastal data. For more information on this project or to comment, visit the project website. PROJECT TRACKING SYSTEM An Internet-based system developed to track coastal and estuarine projects is featured on the LWI-NetCoast website. The system allows every project manager to maintain their part of the website by adding information, data, images, graphics, etc. thereby creating a dynamic ICZM database. SYMPOSIUM FOR SPATIAL DATA HANDLING PROCEEDINGS The proceedings of the International Symposium for Spatial Data Handling held from 12-15 July 1998 in Vancouver are now available. The cost is $77 ($157 for libraries). For information on obtaining a copy, email sdh98@sfu.ca. COURSE ON WEB CARTOGRAPHY A Course on Web Cartography is being organized by ITC's Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization from 8-12 February 1999 in Enschede, The Netherlands. The Course will offer participants both a theoretical and a hands-on experience with maps on the Web. For further information on the Course, access the website http://www.itc.nl/~carto/webcar. AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IN MARINE SCIENCES Dr. Paul Falkowski, Rutgers University will be awarded the 1998 A.G. Huntsman Award of Excellence in the Marine Sciences. Dr. Falkowski will receive his award at 14:30 hrs, 8 December in the Main Auditorium at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO) and present his paper The Origin of Life and the Evolution of Biogeochemical Cycles on Earth. The Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews, New Brunswick is named after Dr. Huntsman. OCEANS ROLE IN PLANETARY SURVIVAL The Independent World Commission on the Oceans is seeking to develop world consciousness of the unique role of the oceans in planetary survival and the critical importance of rational ocean management. GLOBEC The Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) research programmes focus on the functioning of the global ocean ecosystem, its major subsystems and its response to physical forcing. WORLD OCEAN CIRCULATION EXPERIMENT The World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) provides details of the research programme on the effect of ocean circulation on climate. It aims to produce a global description/model of oceanic circulation based on global satellite observations, in situ physical and chemical observations collected by some 30 countries. The WOCE Data Information Office website is located at http://diu.cms.udel.edu. GLOBAL DIRECTORY OF MARINE PROFESSIONALS The Global Directory of Marine (and Freshwater) Professionals and Directors (GLODIR) is a database containing information on individuals active on issues related to the marine (and freshwater) environment. The GLODIR is a product developed under the auspices of the IODE's Group Experts on Marine Information Management. UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND OTHER EVENTS - Annual conference of the International Oceans Institute, Pacem in Maribus XXVI, 29 November to 3 December 1998, World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Key speakers include: Roméo LeBlanc, Governor General of Canada; Diane Marleau, Minister for International Cooperation and Minister responsible for La Francophonie; Moritaka Hayashi, Assistant Director-General, Fisheries Department, FAO; Maurice Strong, Chairman, Earth Council; and David Anderson, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. For further information, email Robert Race, Director IOI - Canada. - National Conference on Marine Bioinvasions, 24-27 January 1999, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. This Conference focuses on the incidence, effects and management of exotic species in coastal, estuarine and marine ecosystems. Top of Page   CCMC CONFERENCE Oceans of Information, the 1998 CCMC Marine Information Technology Mini-Conference, will take place on Thursday, 5 November 1998 in the Hotel Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. The Conference is hosted by the Canadian Centre for Marine Communications (CCMC). Further details and an online registration form are available from the CCMC website, or email to David Mitchell, Corporate Communications Officer, CCMC. ATLANTIC COASTAL COMMUNITY PROFILE Community groups and environmental organizations are key providers and users of coastal information. To facilitate the exchange of this information, the ACZISC has "launched" the Atlantic Coastal Community Profile - a prototype can be viewed at http://aczisc.dal.ca/accp.htm. Communities and environmental organizations are invited to submit summaries of coastal community projects and activities for publication in the Community Profile. For details, email Claudette LeBlanc, ACZISC Secretariat. NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE COASTAL ZONE The ACZISC Coastal Mapping Working Group is planning a Workshop for the Spring of '99 which will address the need for high resolution coastal base maps. Flood mapping of coastal lowlands due to rising sea levels and increased storm surge threat requires precise digital terrain models (DTM) of coastline. Space-borne technology (e.g., SAR interferometry and Lidar) and shipboard multibeam sonar are being considered for producing dense DTMs with decimeter level vertical precision. For information on the Workshop, contact Michael Butler, ACZISC Secretariat. CANADA'S SPACE PLAN The Alliance for Marine Remote Sensing (AMRS), based in Bedford, Nova Scotia, has announced that it is taking a political advocacy position with regard to the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) proposed Long-Term Space Plan Three (LTSP 3). More information is available in Backscatter, the AMRS newsletter. OUT OF THE FOG WORKSHOP The Out of the Fog: A Workshop Towards an Effective Electronic Environmental Information Exchange System is scheduled for Boston at MIT and the New England Aquarium from 4-6 November. The ACZISC Secretariat has been invited to make a presentation. For further information on the Workshop, contact Paul Boudreau. GULF OF MAINE GPAC The next workshop of the Global Programme of Action Coalition (GPAC) of the Gulf of Maine is scheduled for Portland, Maine, 15-17 November. Sponsored by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the workshop will review reports prepared by consultants on priority GPAC topics identified at previous GPAC workshops, and also begin implementation of the GPAC Action Plan. For details, contact Heather Mair, Workshop coordinator, Atlantic Coastal Action Program Saint John at acapsj@fundy.net. GULF OF MAINE COUNCIL The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment will be meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 19-20 November. Agenda items include Round Table Discussions; NGO/Aboriginal Coordination Mechanisms; Report of the Long-Term Funding Committee; and the Proposed Aquaculture/Environment Committee. The GoM Working Group will be meeting on 18 November. FORUM ON PETROLEUM EXPLORATION The GoM Council will be hosting an open forum on petroleum exploration in the Gulf of Maine on 19 November 1998 in Halifax. The purpose of the forum is to present an overview of the current Canadian moratorium on petroleum exploration on Georges Bank that expires on 1 January 2000 and to share environmental information relevant to this process. For further details, contact Megan Trites-Tolson, Coordinator GoM Secretariat. GULF OF MAINE TIMES The Fall edition of the Gulf of Maine Times was recently published. The lead article addresses the subject of farming and associated land-based sources of pollution. GULF OF MAINE NEWS The latest Gulf of Maine NEWS (Summer 1998) was recently published by the Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine (RARGOM). Topics include Lobster Distribution and Abundance, Gulfwatch Five Year Summary, and Atlantic Cod Enhancement. SGSL COALITION SURVEY A survey organized by the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Environmental Coalition to determine the needs of the coastal communities within the Gulf of St. Lawrence has now been completed. A meeting to review the results of the survey and to determine the future structure and activities of the Coalition is being planned for November. For details, contact Coalition Co-Chairs, Joe Arbour or Sabine Dietz. TECHNOLOGY SPENDING IN CANADA At a recent OECD conference in Ottawa, the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) released a comprehensive international study which shows that Canada ranks third in per capita technology spending ($697 US) after the United states ($1,207) and Japan ($854). The study is available at http://www.witsa.org. RISE IN CARBON DIOXIDE One of the systemic changes in the total earth system that is most representative of global change is the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. Carbon dioxide has risen from a base of 280 ppmv before the industrial revolution to 370 ppmv at present, and is projected to reach 560 ppmv by 2065. For some of the marine implications of this trend, see the September edition of the LOICZ Newsletter at http://www.nioz.nl/loicz/. PROGRAMME ON COASTAL AND DEEP-OCEAN MANAGEMENT The International Geographical Union (IGU) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) have designed a co-operation programme on coastal and deep-ocean management. The programme will be submitted to the IOC Executive Committee for adoption by November 1998 and includes these foci (tentative titles): - Inter-disciplinarity in integrated coastal management; - Marine scientific and technological information system for integrated coastal management; - Methodology development in support of integrated coastal management; - Coastal monitoring system for integrated coastal management; - TEMA (Training, Education and Mutual Assistance) in marine sciences for integrated coastal management. APPLICATION OF GEOINFORMATION TO CZ STUDIES The International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences - ITC, The Netherlands, is offering a new Professional Master and Master of Science courses on the Application of Geoinformation to Coastal Zone Studies. The course will start in September 1999. For more information on the program, access the website http://www.itc.nl/ags/education/coastal_zones/main.htm MARINE AND COASTAL GIS Millington Lockwood of NOAA is editing a special issue on marine and coastal GIS for the Journal of Land Information and Surveying that will be published soon. For more information, email Mr. Lockwood. DECISION-SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR ICZM A decision-support system (DSS) for Integrated Coastal Zone management is featured on the COSMO-BIO Demo website. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MARINE GEODESY 10 November 1998 is the deadline for submission of manuscripts to be considered for publication in a special issue of the International Journal of Marine Geodesy. The issue entitled Marine and Coastal Geographical Information Systems will be published in 1999. For details email the guest editor, Dr. Rongxing Li of the Ohio State University. UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND OTHER EVENTS - GIS Is All Around Us, the 2nd annual GIS/GPS Cape Breton Conference, 15-16 October 1998, Sydney, Nova Scotia. For further information, email Joyce Babin. - Community Ecosystems Initiatives Workshop, 15-18 October 1998, Cornwallis Park Training and Convention Centre, Clementsport, Nova Scotia. For further information, email CARP. - First Nations Environmental Conference, 27-29 October 1998, held at the Coast Guard College, Sydport, Sydney and at Eskasoni, Nova Scotia. The Conference is hosted by the Union of Nova Scotia Indians. For further information, email Tanya Johnson. - International ECDIS Conference, 26-28 October 1998, Pan Pacific Hotel, Singapore. For further information, email iec@mpa.gov.sg. - International 1998 Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA), 26-29 October 1998, Toronto Convention Centre. For further information access the Meeting website. - 6th ACM Symposium on Geographic Information Systems, 6-7 November, 1998, Washington, DC. For further information, email Robert Laurini, Program Committee Chairman. Top of Page   FAO GUIDELINES FOR ICAM The FAO Guidelines for ICAM (Integrated Coastal Area Management) have recently been published. Those interested in receiving copies of this publications should contact Nadia Scialabba. MPAs IN THE ATLANTIC REGION The World Wildlife Fund Atlantic Bulletin on Marine Protected Areas (August 1998) provides an update on MPAs in Prince Edward Island, marine conservation legislation tabled, and a listing of Gulf of Maine MPAs project publications. For details contact Inka Milewski, WWF Atlantic MPA Coordinator. GEOMATICS FOR INFORMED DECISIONS On 17 June 1998, Keith Thomson, leader of GEOID (Geomatics for Informed Decisions) and director of CRG, Université Laval and 18 delegates of the GEOID Network, presented GEOID to the Expert Panel designated by the Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE). The Selection Committee of the NCE program will present the new NCE Networks at the beginning of October. The presentation to the Expert Panel can be found on the GEOID Website in the NEWS section. POLLUTION IN THE SAINT JOHN RIVER According to the latest National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) prepared by Environment Canada, the Saint John River in New Brunswick received the most pollution in Canada in 1996. The River received a reported 2468 tonnes of pollution which was almost twice as much as the second place river, the St. Lawrence in Québec which received 1540 tonnes. For further details refer to the Environment Canada website. POPULATION IN THE COASTAL ZONE According to a World Bank publication, more than 60% of the world's population lives within 60 km of the coast. By the year 2000, two-thirds of the population (3.7 billion) in developing countries is expected to occupy the coast. A recent FAO study provides further insight: 20% of the world's population currently live within 30 km of the nearest coastline; 30% within 60 km; and 40% within 120 km. For further details, see the paper by R. Gommes et al on the FAO website. ACAP PUBLICATION ACAP, the Atlantic Coastal Action Program, has just released a new publication entitled Keeping up with Communities. CANADA'S SPACE PLAN The Alliance for Marine Remote Sensing (AMRS) has announced that it is taking a political advocacy position with regard to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) proposed Long-Term Space Plan Three (LTSP 3). HABITAT IN ESTUARIES AROUND THE GULF OF MAINE The publication Habitat Lost: Taking the Pulse of Estuaries in the Canadian Gulf of Maine has been published by the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. It records a two-year effort to assess the state of habitat in estuaries around the Canadian Gulf of Maine, from the St. Croix estuary on the Maine-New Brunswick border to Lobster Bay in southwest Nova Scotia. For information on how to obtain a copy, email the CCNB. SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES FOR OCEANS As its contribution to the Year of the Oceans, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) has published Sustainable Strategies for Oceans: A Co-Management Guide. The document "examines some of the key factors contributing to the decline of Canada's oceans and explores innovative strategies for managing what have traditionally been conflicting environmental and economic interests". EUROPEAN DIRECTORY OF MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA The European Union's Marine Science and Technology (MAST) programme has developed the European Directory of Marine Environmental Data (EDMED) as a starting point for coordinating data, and then developing a policy for project data management. SUCCESSFUL CZC 98 CONFERENCE A successful Coastal Zone Canada '98 Conference concluded following a week of intensive activities on Thursday, 3 September in Victoria, British Columbia. The conference co-chairs (Mike Dunn and Joe Truscott) and the organizing committee members are to be congratulated on their tremendous efforts! Attendance exceeded 500 from over 40 countries. A number of innovative conference formats were introduced and the venue was a delight. Of particular note, in terms of participation, were the significant contributions from the youth delegates and First Nations participants. The Atlantic Provinces were well represented, including eight members of the ACZISC. Conference proceedings will be available. CONTRIBUTION TO OCEANS 11 PROGRAM 50 volumes of the CZC '94 Proceedings have been contributed by the Coastal Zone Canada Association to Nova Scotia high schools for the Oceans 11 Program. AGM - CZC ASSOCIATION The Coastal Zone Canada Association (CZCA) held its AGM following the last session of CZC '98 on 3 September in Victoria. Barry Jones, New Brunswick Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, was elected to succeed Larry Hildebrand, Environment Canada as the President of the Association. Mike Dunn (Environment Canada in British Columbia), a co-chair of CZC '98, was elected as Vice-president. The full slate of Directors will be determined at a later date. For details, contact Barry Jones. CZC 2000 CONFERENCE ORGANIZING MEETING The fifth meeting of the Coastal Zone Canada 2000 Steering Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, 14 October in Sackville, New Brunswick. The recently completed CZC '98 Conference in Victoria will be thoroughly reviewed to provide guidance for the further development of CZC 2000 and to ensure continuity as the CZC conference series develop. For further information, contact Barry Jones, Chair, CZC 2000 Steering Committee. OCEAN AND COASTAL MANAGEMENT The most recent volume of Ocean and Coastal Management ( Volume 39, Numbers 1-2, 1998) is a special issue devoted to selected papers presented at CZC '96 in Rimouski, Québec. The volume is entitled Integrated Management and Sustainable Development in Coastal Zones. The special edition editors are Mohammed El-Sabh and Serge Demers, the President and Program Chair respectively of CZC '96. GULF OF MAINE COUNCIL The next meeting of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment Working Group is scheduled for 21-22 September in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. For further details, contact Megan Trites-Tolson, Coordinator GoM Secretariat. OUT OF THE FOG WORKSHOP A workshop entitled Out of the Fog: A Workshop Towards an Effective Electronic Environmental Information Exchange System has been scheduled for Boston at MIT and the New England Aquarium from 4-6 November. The ACZISC has been invited to make a presentation. For further information, contact Paul Boudreau, Co-chair of the GoM Data and Information Management Committee. SGSL COALITION SURVEY A survey organized by the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Environmental Coalition to determine the needs of the coastal communities within the Gulf of St. Lawrence is being distributed. Recipients are urged to complete the survey as expeditiously as possible. For further information, contact Eric Tremblay. GULF OF MAINE GPAC The next workshop of the Global Programme of Action Coalition (GPAC) of the Gulf of Maine is scheduled for Portland, Maine, 15-17 November. Sponsored by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the Workshop will begin implementation of the GPAC Action Plan. For further details on the Workshop, contact Heather Mair, Workshop coordinator, ACAP Saint John. TRANSBOUNDARY AGREEMENTS INFOBASE The CEC has launched a new Transboundary Agreements Infobase which provides unrestricted access to agreements and treaties on transboundary environmental cooperation in North America. CGDI ROUNDTABLE MEETINGS With the assistance of the Canadian Committee on Geomatics (CCOG), a series of Roundtable Meetings on the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) are being organized for Toronto, Victoria, Regina, and St. John's in September and October. These meetings will help determine where the federal and provincial parts of the CGDI fit, develop a broader vision for building the CGDI, and identify opportunities for further collaboration. The agendas for the meetings will focus on Access, Interoperability, Data Distribution Policies and Partnerships. The meeting in St. John' s will be held on 23 September in conjunction with Geomatics Atlantic. For further details, email Tim Evangelatos. OCEAN YEARBOOK 30 October 1998 is the deadline for submission of articles for Volume 15 of the Ocean Yearbook. Articles or comments on one or more of the following topics will be considered for publication: Living Resources of the Ocean; Non-living Ocean Resources; Transportation and Communications; Environment; Coastal Management; Military Activities; Regional Developments; Training and Education; and Literature Review. For further information, email ocean.yearbook@dal.ca. UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND OTHER EVENTS - 3rd International CARIS Conference and training CARIS and the Year of the Ocean, 21-25 September 1998, De Ruwenberg B.V., The Netherlands. For further information, access the Conference website or email the Training Coordinator. - Geomatics Atlantic 98 Conference, 23-25 September 1998, St. John's, Newfoundland. For additional information, access the Conference website or email Randy Gillespie, Conference Chair. - The annual Forum on Land Use Issues and Business Meeting of the Federal/Provincial Committee on Land Use, 23-25 September 1998, Victoria, British Columbia. For additional information, email Joe Arbour, Member of the Planning Committee. - OCEANS 98, 28 September - 1 October 1998, Nice, France. For further information, access the Conference website. - 38th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists, 1-3 October 1998, St. John's, Newfoundland. For further information, access the CSEB website or email either of the Conference co-chairs: Patrick Ryan and Murray Colbo. - 17th Submerged Lands Management Conference, 4-8 October 1998, Harborside Inn at Palm Coast Resort, Florida. For further information, access the Conference website or email Marty Seeling. - 5th International Conference on Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Environments, 5-7 October 1998, San Diego, California, USA. For further information, access the Conference website. - CORE 98, 17th Annual Conference Benefits of an Emerging Industry, 7-8 October 1998, World Trade and Convention Centre, and the Nova Scotia Offshore Trade Fair, 7-8 October 1998, Metro Centre , Halifax, Nova Scotia. For further information, email OTANS. - GIS Is All Around Us, the 2nd annual GIS/GPS Cape Breton Conference, 15-16 October 1998, Sydney, Nova Scotia. For further information, email Joyce Babin. Top of Page   AUGUST 1998 UPCOMING AGM - CZC ASSOCIATION The AGM of the Coastal Zone Canada Association is scheduled for 3 September in Victoria, British Columbia in conjunction with Coastal Zone Canada 98. For further details, email Larry Hildebrand, CZCA President. GULF OF MAINE COUNCIL The next meeting of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment Working Group is scheduled for 21-22 September in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. For further details, email Megan Trites-Tolson, Coordinator GoM Secretariat. OUT OF THE FOG WORKSHOP The proposed concept of a Gulf-wide Information system was the subject of an organizational meeting on 20 July in Falmouth, Maine. The Data and Information Management Committee (DIMC) of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment is one of numerous organizations associated with this initiative. A workshop, provisionally entitled Out of the Fog: A Workshop Towards an Effective Electronic Environmental Information Exchange System has been scheduled for Boston at MIT and the New England Aquarium from 4-6 November. For further information, contact Paul Boudreau, DIMC Co-chair. SGSL COALITION The Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Environmental Coalition is undertaking a survey to determine the needs of the coastal communities within the Gulf. For further information, contact Eric Tremblay. GULF OF MAINE GPAC The next workshop of the Global Programme of Action Coalition (GPAC) of the Gulf of Maine is scheduled for Portland, Maine, 15-17 November. Sponsored by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the Workshop will begin implementation of the GPAC Action Plan. For further details regarding the Workshop, contact Heather Mair, Workshop coordinator, Atlantic Coastal Action Program, Saint John, New Brunswick. STATE OF NS ENVIRONMENT REPORT Don Downe, Minister of the Environment, Province of Nova Scotia, released the first State of the Nova Scotia Environment report on 29 July. The Report focuses on air and water quality and waste resource management, what is being done and what still needs to be done. The Report is available from the website http://www.gov.ns.ca/envi/soer/index.htm. CANADA RURAL PARTNERSHIP PROJECT IN PICTOU The Canada Rural Partnership Program recently awarded a contract to the Geological Survey of Canada - Atlantic, in partnership with the ACZISC, for a pilot project to facilitate access to and use of the GSC coastal video database by coastal communities. The Pictou area has been identified as the test location. For further details, contact Andy Sherin. ST. GEORGES BAY ECOSYSTEM PROJECT The ACZISC Secretariat met with personnel of St. Francis Xavier University responsible for the St. Georges Bay Ecosystem Project on 22 July. The Project is a collaborative partnership between the Interdisciplinary Studies in Aquatic Resources programme (ISAR), marine harvesters organizations in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. For further information, contact Tony Davis. CZC 2000 CONFERENCE ORGANIZING MEETING The fourth meeting of the Coastal Zone Canada 2000 Steering Committee was held in Saint John on 7 July. All aspects of the proposed Conference agenda were reviewed and responsibilities were assigned. The three sub-themes were revised as follows: Community-based Actions; Aboriginal Practices; and Coastal Health. For further information, contact Barry Jones, Chair, CZC 2000 Steering Committee. BOFEP MEETING A meeting of the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BOFEP) was held in Saint John, New Brunswick on 7 July to coincide with the CZC 2000 meeting, reported above. The major subject of discussion was information dissemination. For further information, email Graham Daborn, BOFEP Chairman. CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION OF MPAs The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has recently published the following report: Per Nilsson (1998). "Criteria for the Selection of Marine Protected Areas" (Swedish EPA Report 4834). The report can be ordered from: Customers Services, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm, Sweden - email: kundtjanst@environ.se. UNIVERSITY-COMMUNITY CROSSROADS PROGRAM SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) has announced a new "university-community crossroads" program. The program will bring researchers and students together with organizations such as community groups, public services and private businesses active in social, economic or cultural areas. The program description will be available early in the fall and the competition will be scheduled so that the results can be announced in the summer of 1999. For further details, access the SSHRC website. INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY September 19 has been identified as International Coastal Cleanup Day by the Center for Marine Conservation based in Washington, DC - not only a cleanup day but a way to educate citizens about marine debris and to raise awareness about coastal resources and issues. For information on participating Canadian agencies, access the Center's website. AMERICAN COASTAL COALITION The American Coastal Coalition is a national membership organization composed of governmental entities, government officials, business people, academics, national and regional interest groups and advocacy organizations, property owners' associations, individual coastal community residents, and others. It has been organized to serve as the voice of the nation's coastal communities in Washington, DC. The Coalition website is located at http://www.coastalcoalition.org/. The sub-page Coastal Facts contains information re economic studies. UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND OTHER EVENTS - American Fisheries Society (AFS), 23-27 August 1998, Hartford Civic Center, Connecticut, USA. For more information, access the Conference website or email C. Paola Ferreri. - Nori Integrated Aquaculture: A Workshop Toward Sustainable Aquaculture, 24 August 1998, University of New Brunswick in Saint John (UNBSJ), New Brunswick. For more information, email Judy McCrory. - Coastal Zone Canada Youth Conference '98, 28-30 August 1998, University of Victoria, British Columbia. For more information access the Conference website or email Beth Bornhold. - Coastal Zone Canada '98, 30 August - 3 September 1998, Victoria, British Columbia. For more information, access the Conference website or email the CZC98 Secretariat. - Canadian Waste Management Conference, 21-24 September 1998, Hamilton, Ontario. For more information, access the Conference website or email Rebecca Last, CWMC Secretariat. Top of Page   JULY 1998 MANUAL FOR COASTAL RESOURCE INVENTORIES A Procedures Manual for the Preparation of Coastal Resource Inventories has long been required, particularly by coastal communities. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland Region will be releasing such a document in the near future. For details, email Tim Anderson. BC's COASTAL ZONE POSITION PAPER The Coastal Zone Position Paper released on 5 June by the Province of British Columbia has been relocated at http://www.luco.gov.bc.ca/coastal/pt1.htm. GULF OF MAINE GPAC The next workshop of the Global Programme of Action Coalition (GPAC) of the Gulf of Maine is scheduled for Portland, Maine, 15-17 November. Sponsored by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the workshop will begin implementation of the GPAC Action Plan. To assist this process, Scoping Papers will be prepared on the following five topics: Toxics; Nitrogen Loading and Marine Culture; Coastal Development; Resource Use; and Hydraulic Changes. For further information, email the CEC Project Liaison, Colleen Mercer-Clarke. GULF OF MAINE COUNCIL The re-emergence of the Data and Information Management Committee (DIMC) of the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment continues apace. The proposed concept of a Gulf-wide Information system will be the subject of an organizational meeting on 20 July in Falmouth, Maine. If sufficient support is forthcoming, a workshop will be scheduled in October or November to plan the implementation process. For further information, email either of the DIMC co-chairs, Paul Boudreau or Seth Barker. The Secretariat of the GoM Council now resides at the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. For further information, email Andy Cameron. The summer edition of the Gulf of Maine Times is now posted at http://www.ns.ec.gc.ca/gom/. The spring edition of the Gulf of Maine News is available from the Regional Association for Research on the Gulf of Maine (RARGOM). Email Genie Braasch to obtain a copy. INTERCOAST NETWORK NEWSLETTER For a current and global perspective on ICZM, individuals can subscribe ($10 for three issues per year) to the International Newsletter of Coastal Management entitled Intercoast Network. The fall issue, Intercoast #32, will explore the relationship between the economy and coastal issues. For further information email Noëlle Lewis. WORKSHOP ON ICZ RESEARCH PROJECTS The Workshop Canada/Germany Workshop on Integrated Coastal Zone Research Projects will be held at the Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, British Columbia on 29-30 August 1998 prior to CZC 98. Canadian scientists engaged in scientific projects with potential for collaborative ICZ research under the Canada/Germany S&T agreement are invited. Attendance will be limited. To register, email Howard Edel. UPCOMING CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS - 8th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (EISME), 9-14 August 1998, Halifax, Nova Scotia. For further information, email Tim Hughes. - 1998 Fish Aid Festival, 14-16 August 1988, Chebogue, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. The featured headliners are Jann Arden, Bruce Cockburn and The Rankins. - 128th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society (AFS), 23-27 August 1998, Hartford Civic Center, Connecticut. For further information, email C. Paola Ferreric. - Coastal Zone Canada 98, 30 August to 3 September 1998, Victoria, British Columbia. For further information, email the Conference Secretariat. Make your reservations soon if you haven't already done so !!! Top of Page

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