Kelp Survey in the Bay-of-Chaleurs: A Winning Partnership Between the Aboriginal and Applied Research Sectors

One objective of the Mi’kmaq Maliseet Aboriginal Fisheries Management Association (MMAFMA) is to promote the development, autonomy and innovation of fisheries of its member communities. In 2013, the Micmacs of Gesgapegiag Nation have obtained an experimental fishing licence for the sea urchin in the Bay-of-Chaleur and called the MMAFMA to evaluate this fishery's feasibility. Given that experimental fishing for sea urchin requires diving, which is costly and limited to small areas, the survey was expanded to other species including sugar kelp (Saccharina longicruris), a resource with great potential. The diving surveys used both underwater imagery and quadrate sampling. In order to increase the sampling area and provide kelp density maps for the Bay of Chaleur, the diving was paired with acoustic surveys conducted by the Centre interdisciplinaire de developpement et de cartographie des océans (CIDCO). Underwater imagery and related analyses were performed by Merinov and the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), in collaboration with our team. The scuba diving yielded a total of 31 video transects of 200 m and 94 quadrates. Our protocol allowed the CIDCO to validate its acoustic methods with underwater imagery and estimate the kelp biomass and distribution over a greater area.