Tour Tuesday: Blockhouse

This year marks the 200^th anniversary of the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain.  Although St. Andrews never saw any action during the war the townspeople were still nervous with the US just across Passamaquoddy Bay.  They were not fearful of attacks from their Maine neighbours and trading partners but from the raiding privateers coming from states further south.  Due to this fear the townspeople decided to increase the existing defenses by building new blockhouses. 

Students visiting the Huntsman often have a chance to see the existing Blockhouse and its cannons from the outside and learn a little of the history from the War of 1812.  Those visiting from the first of June to the end of August have the chance to enter the Blockhouse with an interpreter.   

Interested in offering your students a unique field trip rich with marine biology and history?  Visit our website to learn how we can create a field course to fit the needs and interests of you and your students www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/education.html.

Students enjoying the Blockhouse.

Marine Biology Posters

Huntsman produced marine biology posters are now available at the Fundy Discovery Aquarium’s gift shop.  These beautiful posters would be great for your classroom or for your budding marine biologist!  The three themes for the posters are: Life in the Bay of Fundy Intertidal Zone, Bay of Fundy Whales, and Phylum Arthropoda.  Below is the 'intertidal zone' poster displayed in one of our labs.  

Summer Marine Biology Courses

Every July the Huntsman hosts a number of marine biology field courses for high school students and for teachers.  This year we are offering two week-long field experiences:

·         Introduction to Marine Biology, July 9-13, for students 15-18 years old.

Learn about the Bay of Fundy marine environment and some of the animals that call it home, such as sea stars, seals, crabs, and worms.  If you want to be a marine biologist then this course is for you!

www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/high_school.html

·         All Things Marine, July 16-20, for teachers and friends.

This fun new course offers connections between biology, art, history, culture, cooking and more.  What we catch and collect will be what we study, draw, print and even eat! 

www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/adult_teachers.html

(Also, check out our list of teacher professional development funding www.huntsmanmarine.ca/Teacher_funding.pdf)

For the first time ever we are offering discounts if your book early!  Check out the course you are interested in for discounts.

Tour Tuesday: Ministers Island

Field courses at the Huntsman are not always just about marine biology.  In a place as rich in history as St. Andrews we sometimes mix a little of that in as well! 

A popular historical tour for some of our spring student groups is Ministers Island, which is accessible by a sand bar at low tide.  The island is of historical significance because it was the summer estate of Sir William Van Horne, the driving force behind the building of the railroad in Canada.  Students get to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the island, as well as touring the residence, barn, and bathhouse.     

Visit our website to see how we can create a unique field course to fit the needs and interests of you and your students www.huntsmanmarine.ca.

Students walking on the ocean floor on the way to the island.

Sir William Van Horne's summer residence.

Students having a tour inside the residence.

From the bathhouse students have a wonderful view of Passamaquoddy Bay.

Nature Camp

Each summer NB Nature runs a fun, week-long camp, for youth from 9 to 14 years old, at the Huntsman.  The campers learn about marine biology, birds, climate change, and wilderness ethics, from the NB Nature councilors, Huntsman staff and special guests.  Campers who enjoy the outdoors and learning about animals and nature will find this is the camp for them!    

For more information on the Nature Camp visit www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/junior_level.html.   

Worms are wonderful!

Plankton bingo.

Night of Environmental Science

Last night I visited St. Stephen Middle School to take part in a Night of Environmental Science.  This event let’s students, their siblings and parents get hands-on with New Brunswick’s environment.  I took along with me a collection of live marine invertebrates for students to touch and learn about, including hermit crabs, urchins, sea stars, a sea peach, a sand dollar and the star of the show, a baby lobster!  It is always great to give people the opportunity to learn about local animals firsthand.  Thank you to Science East for putting on this great event!

Students enjoying the animals!

Baby lobster

Blue mussels

The blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) is a common seafood item on many restaurant menus.  In the past mussels were collected from the wild for consumption, however most of the mussels consumed today are grown on farms in the ocean. 

Blue mussel information:

• A filter feeder, which consumes microscopic organisms and detritus.
• Attach to objects (and each other) using strong byssal threads.  These threads are sometimes called the mussel’s “beard”.
• Clumping allows the mussels protection from drilling predators such as moon snails and dogwinkles.
• The threads can be shed allowing a mussel to move around using its small foot.
• Mussels are grown around some salmon aquaculture sites in the Bay of Fundy to help remove organic waste from the water.  This method of using one species waste to feed another is called Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture.  This video from IMTA Canada shows mussels feeding www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYsRI00GTFM&feature=plcp&context=C31646a6UDOEgsToPDskI07_5_FHE4eXGI0m5QZP-q.

For information on mussels and other animals in our area, check out the Intertidal Zone Field Guide and the Introduction to Classification on our website www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/resources1.html.

Mussel clump.

Mussel with a drill hole from a predator.

Zonation field study

Intertidal zonation is the occurrence of animals and seaweeds on certain sections of a shoreline based on their ability to tolerate the factors within the intertidal zone.  Some of the factors include large fluctuations in temperature, periods of drying when the tide is out, and large changes in salinity due to evaporation and freshwater input. 

A common field study conducted by students while at the Huntsman is collecting data to determine intertidal zonation patterns.  Students use transect lines, quadrats and meter sticks to gather data from the high tide to low tide mark.  After gathering the data students create a graph which helps them to interpret the data and determine the different zones on the shoreline and what species inhabit each zone.  Students then present their data to Huntsman staff, their teachers, and fellow students as a final activity.

The zonation field study allows students a taste of research science by allowing them to collect, interpret and present their own results.  Check out our website for information on how to give our students this experience www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/education.html.

Measuring elevation.

Counting animals and seaweed.

Tour Tuesday – Fundy Lighthouses

Lighthouses are iconic figures of the sea.  Students taking part in Huntsman field courses have the opportunity to view a number of the lighthouses situated around the Fundy Coastal Region.

When visiting the intertidal zone at Indian Point students can see the Pendlebury lighthouse on the edge of the point (visible in the header of this blog).  This non-functioning lighthouse dates from 1833 and is the oldest mainland lighthouse in New Brunswick. 

The Swallowtail lighthouse greets students arriving by ferry to Grand Manan.  Often we take students for a quick hike to the light after disembarking the ferry.  Swallowtail is a great place for students to have a picnic lunch, view a herring weir from above, view seals, and watch fishing boats and the ferry leaving the wharf.

The craggy point where the Green’s Point lighthouse stands is an excellent location for students to conduct their intertidal zonation project.  It is also a great location to witness the strong tidal currents of the area and see the Deer Island ferries doing their runs.

Head Harbour lighthouse on Campobello, also called the East Quoddy lighthouse, is one of the most photographed lighthouses in NB and is known for its red cross.  Students often see this light when whale watching.

Want to experience the Fundy Coastal Region?  Check out what the Huntsman has to offer www.huntsmanmarine.ca.

Swallowtail seen on the ferry's approach to Grand Manan.

Green's Point Lighthouse

Head Harbour light while out whale watching.

Periwinkle Mark/Recapture

One of the field studies offered to students attending Huntsman field courses is periwinkle mark/recapture.  This field study introduces students to a method that is commonly used by scientists and researchers to estimate animal populations.

 To complete this study students visit the intertidal zone twice, the first time to mark a set number of periwinkles and the second time to collect marked and unmarked specimens.  Data is also collected on the distance and direction the marked periwinkles moved.   Analyzing the data allows students to get an estimate of the periwinkle population and also their rate of movement. 

Interested in giving your students this experience?  Check out our website for more information www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/education.html.

Collecting the periwinkles.

Marking the periwinkles.

Fish lab

One of the options available to classes attending Huntsman is the fish anatomy lab.  Before this lab students assist with fish collection onboard our research vessel.  A number of different species, including flounder, sculpins, sea ravens, skates, and herring are collected using an otter trawl in Passamaquoddy Bay.  In the lab students identify the fish collected and have a detailed look at the external and internal features of an individual specimen.

Interested in giving your students the exciting experience of catching and dissecting a marine fish species?  Visit our website for more information, www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/education.html.

Deploying the otter trawl.

Our catch.

Sorting through the catch.

A flounder from the trawl.

The dissection begins after studying the external anatomy.

Rough-mantled nudibranch

The rough-mantled nudibranch (Onchidoris bilamellata) is a mollusc thus it is related to periwinkles, scallops, and mussels.  However, it is a shell-less mollusc, called a sea slug.

Nudibranch information:

• Commonly found in the intertidal zone.
• Feeds on barnacles.
• Have a pair of tentacles (rhinophores) at the front which are used for scent detection.  These are retractile.
• Surrounding the anus at the rear are gills used for respiration, which collapse when out of water.
• Oval in shape with a maximum length of about 2.5cm (1 inch).
• They are hermaphrodites but need another to spawn.  Will form dense aggregations when spawning.
• Produce a ribbon-like white egg mass that contains many thousands of eggs. 

For information on other animals in our area, check out the Intertidal Zone Field Guide and the Introduction to Classification on the following website, www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/resources1.html.

Toward the top of the rock are the nudibranchs and a white egg mass.

Nudibranch on the middle of the rock.

Intertidal species field guide

One of the educational resources on our website is a Field Guide to the Intertidal Zone.  This field guide contains information about the animals commonly found on the rocky shores in our area.  This is a great resource for teachers who want to take their students to a rocky shore or who would like to conduct research projects in class.  The phyla covered in the field guide are Porifera, Cnidaria, Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, and Chordata.  

The Field Guide can be found at www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/field_guide.html.

All of the pictures below show what animals can be found under a rock in the intertidal zone.

Marine Biology Websites

Want to add more marine biology to your classroom?  Check out the Useful Links section of our website as it lists sixteen websites full of marine biology games and teacher resources, www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/links.html.

Want to give your students firsthand experiences in marine biology?  Check out what we offer www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/high_school_trips.html.

Using the Secchi disk on the Fundy Spray.

Marine animal observations in the lab.

Sea mouse

An interesting animal that we sometimes pull up in the scallop drag is the sea mouse (Aphrodita hastata).  It’s not a chordate like a real mouse but an annelid, a segmented worm.  Flip it over and underneath the segments of its body are visible.       

Sea mouse information:

·         Found below low tide on muddy bottoms.

·         Has a ‘furry’ covering that can appear iridescent green/gold.

·         Predatory on other polychaete worms.

·         Short and wide; maximum length is about 15cm (6 inches).

For information on other animals in our area, check out the Intertidal Zone Field Guide and the Introduction to Classification on our website, www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/resources1.html.

Sea mouse

Underside

Invasive species monitoring

One of the invasive species in Passamaquoddy Bay is the European green crab (Carcinus maenas).  We have recruited a number of student groups taking part in our field courses to assist us in monitoring this species.  In the field students collect data on carapace size, sex of the crabs, and if females have eggs.  Students also mark the crabs with nail polish to denote those that have been counted.  Monitoring data is conveyed to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and can also be used by the schools for a variety of purposes.

Can you spot the green crabs?

Recording the data.

Marking with nail polish.

Tides of the Bay of Fundy

One of the amazing phenomena students visiting the Huntsman get to experience is the tides.  The Bay of Fundy has highest tides in the world, which when they recede can expose large intertidal zones for student exploration.

The highest recorded tide in the Bay of Fundy was in Burntcoat, Nova Scotia, where they recorded a difference of 53.38 vertical feet or 16.27 metres! In the St. Andrews area, where the Huntsman is located, the tide rises anywhere between 20 to 26 feet or 7.92 metres; that is about as tall as a 2-story building.

For an explanation about the tides and why the Bay of Fundy tides are so high visit the Educational Resources section of our website, www.huntsmanmarine.ca/html/resources1.html.

Our research vessel at high tide...

and low tide.