Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina concolor)
Harbour Seals are common year round in the Bay of Fundy. The adults average 1.5 m in
length and 90 kg in weight, with males being slightly larger than females. Their fur is
dark brown to black with darker irregular spots. They
have an almost dog-like appearance with their large dark round eyes.
Calves are born between April and mid June on isolated reefs and islands. At birth, the
calves are approximately 75 cm long and weigh up to 10 kg. The young may be white in colour
and can swim shortly after birth.
The Harbour Seal's diet consists of a variety of fish, including herring, hake, and
flounder. They can be found along reefs, and sandbars at low tide, sleeping in large groups.
More approachable from water, they can be observed from a distance on land, but will
quickly retreat to water if approached too closely.
Sea Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus)
Sea Scallops are found only in the North West Atlantic Ocean, from Virginia to
Labrador. Found concentrated in "beds" along the ocean floor at depths of 35 to 120 m. Scallops will vary in size, reproduction rate, growth rate, and meat yield from bed
to bed, and from area to area in larger beds. Growth rate is estimated by the position of
annual rings that form on the fan-shaped shell.
Sea scallops, unlike commercial species, have separate sexes. The females release eggs
into the water where the males fertilize them. The main spawning period is from late
August to early September. The larvae will drift in the water for approximately a month,
before settling to the bottom to mature.
American Lobster
The American Lobster lives along rocky-bottomed areas of the ocean floor at depths of
1.8 m to 37 m. Female lobsters mate primarily when they are in a soft-shell state after
molting. They can carry live sperm for up to 2 years, which allow them to fertilize the eggs
at any time. Generally, females produce between 3,000 and 75,000 eggs, with a half-kg female
averaging about 8,000 eggs. The females will carry the eggs for 9 to 12 months after
fertilization and then carry them attached to their body externally for another 9 to 12
months. At this point, the eggs hatch and the larvae will float near the surface for
approximately 4 to 6 weeks. Only a very few will survive to reach market size (0.5 kg or 1.5
pounds), because for every 5,000 eggs, only about 2 will live to reach legal market size.
Lobsters molt (shed their shell) as they age and grow. They do this by secreting a
substance that softens their shell; they then expand their muscles and crack the old shell
and step out of it. The new shell that is grown under the old one is soft, and the lobster
will hide until it hardens up. American Lobster will molt between 20 and 30 times before
reaching market or legal size and can live up to 15 years.
They were thought to be mainly scavengers, but research is now showing that they eat
mainly fresh food (with the exception of bait). This includes fish, crabs, mussels, and
clams, as well as smaller lobsters.
Sea Cucumbers
Although named after a vegetable, the sea cucumber is actually an animal. It is an
echinoderm (spiny-skinned animal), like the sea urchin. The Sea Cucumber has a long fleshy
body with a mouth located at one end, surrounded by branching tentacles that are used to
catch and trap food. They have five double rows of "tube feet" that are equipped
with suction cups on the bottoms, allowing the animal to attach itself to surfaces. They
breathe by pumping water through a respiratory tree, which removes oxygen from the water.
When threatened by another animal, the Sea Cucumber can throw its internal organs out at
the attacker to distract it, and then later, grow replacement organs. Considered a delicacy
in the orient, an experimental fishery was begun in the Bay of Fundy in 1990.
Krill
There are over 90 species of Krill in the world which range in size from 1 to 15 cm. They
molt as they grow, the same way lobsters do and undergo about 10 molts before they reach
adulthood. While Krill may be small, they are a vital part of the ocean, supplying many
animals with high protein food, especially whales. Recently, there has been interest in
harvesting Krill, and many studies are underway around the world to determine the impact
this would have on the health of our oceans.
