Taxonomic Services, Macrofaunal analysis of sediment samples

Macrofaunal analysis of sediment samples collected around fin fish farms is required to assess the impacts of anti-sea lice chemicals on the benthic infauna community surrounding aquaculture facilities in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. The work described in this SOW is to support a CSRF research project funded under the research priority focused on the understanding and assessment of the environmental impacts of aquaculture. The project requires a high level of expertise in benthic fauna identification and experience in benthic impact assessments. Risk assessments on the presence of aquaculture-derived deposits are often based on what is known about toxic effects through lab-based tests and mesocosm experiments. However, these do not include the complexity of environmental studies which are fundamental in anticipating the consequences on ecosystems despite the difficulty in interpreting effects observed in the field. Infauna monitoring is based on well-established knowledge of the response of soft-sediment benthic infaunal communities to farm waste material, which is typified by a decrease in species diversity and a corresponding pronounced increase in the abundance of opportunistic species. However, anti-sea lice chemical effects that might target particular groups (e.g., crustaceans) are less understood in parallel with the effects of OM enrichment. Preserved sediment grab samples sampled from sites in the Maritimes and NL will need to be sorted, and extracted organisms enumerated and identified to the lowest practical taxonomic level by experienced taxonomic technicians who have experience in identifying infauna species of the targeted research areas. The government of Canada (DFO) will retain ownership of any Foreground Intellectual Property arising from the performance of the Work to be completed under the proposed contract on the basis that the main purpose of the contract, or of the deliverables contracted for, is to generate knowledge and information for public dissemination.