Keywords Coastal Waters

Fundy, Bay of
Fisheries are of great importance to many small communities around the Bay of Fundy (photo by John de Visser/Masterfile).

Tides
The TIDES of the Bay of Fundy are the world's largest, with a range from low to high tide that can exceed 16 m in MINAS BASIN at the head of the bay. The highest recorded tide (16.1 m), was at Burntcoat Head, NS. At peak flood tide the flow of water across the edge of the continental shelf into the Gulf of Maine is 25 million, 2000 times the average discharge of the ST LAWRENCE RIVER. The flow past Cape Split into Minas Basin is 40 times that of the St Lawrence.

The main reason for these large tides is that because of its shape, size and depth, the Bay of Fundy-Gulf of Maine system has a natural period of oscillation of about 13 hrs. As a result, its waters respond vigorously to the push they get every 12.4 hours from the North Atlantic tides - a phenomenon known technically as a near-resonant response. The Reversing Falls at SAINT JOHN, NB, and the tidal bores in rivers near the head of the bay are well-known natural phenomena associated with the tides.

The large tides also have dramatic effects on oceanographic conditions throughout the region. Large areas, such as Georges Bank, much of the Bay of Fundy, and the area off southwest Nova Scotia, are kept well mixed vertically by the strong tidal currents (with resulting cold surface waters and frequent fog), rather than developing the warm surface layer that occurs in less well-mixed waters in summer. The tides also contribute to the average circulation patterns in the region.

These effects influence biological productivity, generally favourably, by returning nutrients to surface layers where they can be utilized. Thus the waters off southwestern Nova Scotia form the summer feeding ground of the Nova Scotia herring, a major stock of several hundred thousand tonnes. Off BRIER and GRAND MANAN islands, where tidal currents interact with the sharp topographic relief, swarms of copepods and euphausiids (or krill) are often found at the surface. This condition attracts fin and humpback whales, along with large flocks of plankton-feeding birds such as phalaropes, shearwaters and gulls.

In the bay's upper reaches the strong tidal currents keep so much mud in suspension that light penetration, and hence biological productivity in the water, are greatly reduced. Most of the biological productivity occurs on the mud flats, which are important feeding grounds in late summer for the vast flocks of migrating shorebirds, particularly semipalmated sandpipers.

Tide (High)
High tide, Bay of Fundy, Alma, New Brunswick (photo by Greg Stott/Masterfile).

Tide (Low)
Low tide, Bay of Fundy, Alma, New Brunswick (photo by Greg Stott/Masterfile).

Deep Cove
Coast on Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, at the entrance to the Bay of Fundy.

Resources
The region's fisheries, particularly for scallops and groundfish on Georges Bank, for herring and lobster off southwestern Nova Scotia and for herring in the Bay of Fundy, are of great importance to many small communities, and indeed to the general economy of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the New England states. New developments are largely centered around fisheries and energy. Considerable effort is being devoted to research and international diplomatic activity to permit sensible regulation of the fisheries. The problem has been particularly acute on Georges Bank, where the US and Canada disputed the location of the international boundary and the setting and sharing of quotas for the various fisheries, and where exploratory drilling for oil and gas, with attendant risks to the fisheries, has occurred. Even with the October 1984 boundary decision by the International Court at The Hague, joint management of migratory fish stocks will still be required.

Tidal Energy
One major possible development in the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy is of tidal power. Schemes with a power output equal to that of several nuclear-power stations are technically feasible; a small pilot plant has been built in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Basin (see TIDAL ENERGY). Surprisingly, these large schemes may lead to a slight increase in the tidal range over much of the Bay of Fundy-Gulf of Maine outside the barrage. In the head pond behind the barrage, the operation of the plant would lead to a substantial change in low-tide level and to a reduction of the tidal range, and hence of currents, by a factor of about 3. The possible effects of such a change on the extent and biological productivity of the mud flats, and hence on migrating shorebirds, are not yet fully understood.

Author CHRIS GARRETT and TONY KOSLOW

Links to Other Sites
Bay of Fundy
Explore the many scenic around the Bay of Fundy. From the website for the Bay of Fundy Tourism Partnership.

St Stephen
The website for the Town of St. Stephen, the shopping and services heart of Charlotte County, NB. Often referred to as “Canada's Chocolate Town.”

Grand Manan Island
This beautiful island at the entrance to the Bay of Fundy will appeal to bird watchers, photographers and other nature enthusiasts.

The Fundy Trail
A detailed visitor’s guide to the spectacular Fundy Trail in New Brunswick. Includes trail maps, local tourist information and more.

Trace fossils
This site unravels the mysteries of trace fossils and highlights Nova Scotia’s unique paleontological sites such as the famous Joggins Fossil Cliffs. Also features loads of fun fossil activities. A Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.

Tides
An informative site about tidal activity. Learn about daily and monthly tide cycles, tidal terminology, and tide records at major Canadian ports. From the Atlas of Canada.

Cape d'Or Lighthouse on the Bay of Fundy
A brief video clip featuring Cape d'Or Lighthouse on the Bay of Fundy. From the novascotia.com website.

The Joggins Fossil Institute
The website for the Joggins Fossil Institute features visitor information, a photo gallery and a video tour of the fossil cliffs.

Nova Scotia's Natural History
An online guide to the natural history of various regions in Nova Scotia. From the website for the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.

Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network
The website for the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, a conservation program that aims to protect key shorebird habitats in the Americas. Click on the links for profiles of specific sites throughout Canada.

Marshland: Records of Life on the Tantramar
A virtual exhibition about the history of agricultural development in the northern coastal salt marsh Tantramar region of New Brunswick. From the Mount Allison University Archives.

Captain William Owen
A profile of 19th century British Navy surveyor Captain William Owen. Check out this site for more about local history. From the Owen Sound Marine & Rail Museum.