Maritimes regional application of the national framework for assessing the vulnerability of biological components to ship-source oil spills in the marine environment

Abstract

An important contribution to fulfilling Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) commitment in oil– spill response planning was the development of a framework for the rapid assessment of vulnerability of marine biological components to ship-source oil spills that fall under the DFO mandate, contributing to the ecological aspects of the ‘Resources at Risk’ component of oil spill planning and response. A National framework, developed in 2017 (Thornborough et al. 2017) – uses a structured approach for assessing and screening biological components expected to be most affected by a ship-source oil spill, utilizing a suite of criteria to assess vulnerability. The framework identified two key phases for assessing vulnerabilities of marine components: 1. Grouping of biological components (sub-groups) based upon shared characteristics related to oil vulnerability; and 2. Scoring of biological sub-groups against ecological vulnerability criteria (Exposure, Sensitivity, and Recovery) to identify those most vulnerable to oil using a binary scoring system. For validation purposes, the National framework stressed the need to apply and test the framework in a variety of marine aquatic environments across Canada. This research document describes how the National framework was used in the Maritimes Region, to: 1. Adapt the National framework to create appropriate sub-groups for Maritimes Region biota; 2. Apply the National scoring criteria to Maritimes Region sub-groups, adapting scoring criteria where necessary; and 3. Develop a rank list of sub-groups most vulnerable to a ship-source oil spill in the Maritimes Region. The vulnerability results from the application of the National framework in the Maritimes Region will help identify marine sub-groups that are most vulnerable to oil and will be used to inform oil spill response strategies in an effort to manage and limit the impacts of oil spills in the Region.