Using an autonomous underwater vehicle (Ecomapper) equipped with a sonde (EXO), DVL (RDI) and side-scan sonar (Sunfish), the Fisheries and Oceans Canada surveyed zones 2 and 3 of the Musquash Marine Protected Area in Southwestern New Brunswick between August and November of 2020.
The primary function of this survey was to identify differences in marine habitat in sub-tidal and inter-tidal zones of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) and provide baseline bathymetry data for identifying future changes in the MPA (sedimentation and erosion). Side scan sonar data (available in another dataset) provides baseline data for evaluating bottom type and structure.
This project was funded by DFO Coastal Environmental Baseline Program under Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan (OPP).