DFO Monitoring Indicators for the Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area : Review, Choice of Measures and State of Knowledge

Abstract

Following the 2018 peer review of DFO’s ecological monitoring indicators for the Banc-des Américains Marine Protected Area (MPA), a DFO Scientific Monitoring Committee (BDA SMC) was established. The committee’s work has included finalizing the choice of indicators and associated measures, calculating the results, and identifying methods for assessing status and trends in the MPA. To provide information on the various indicators, each measure used was described and the rationale for its use was explained. The spatial and temporal scales and the databases utilized in the calculations were specified. The results for the available time series were presented and the historical trends (pre-MPA) were described. The status of all indicators and measures for which data of sufficient quantity and quality are available was assessed. Two methods are proposed for assessing the status of the indicators and their associated measurements: anomalies (deviation from the mean of a reference period) and fixed thresholds. The status of the indicators is described using three categories: (1) Good/Low/Small change; (2) Medium/Moderate change; and (3) Poor/High/Important change. The limitations associated with the indicators, surveys and associated databases were reviewed. Lastly, a list of priority indicators, which will be reported on more frequently and consistently, was proposed.