Saint John Harbour Macroalgal & Phytoplankton Monitoring Project (2020-2023)

This project provides a baseline survey of the macroalgae (seaweed) and phytoplankton of the Saint John Harbour and the microbiome of the nearby Musquash Estuary. Surveys were performed in Spring and Fall of 2020 and 2023 and encompassed 6 intertidal sites, 14 subtidal sites, 6 phytoplankton sites and 6 estuary sites. The provided data include: (1) quantitative intertidal counts of macroalgae based on morphological identification, (2) qualitative surveys of macroalgae present at each site based on molecular data (rbcL 3P), (3) eDNA of phytoplankton tows and (4) eDNA of estuarine mud scrapes. Quantitative macroalgal data were collected across a horizontal transect with 8 quadrats at each site in each of four sampling periods. Traditional molecular methods were used to generate the 3P end of the rbcL gene (for more details, see Saunders & Moore, 2013, https://doi.org/10.4490/algae.2013.28.1.031) and all eDNA data were generated by the Integrated Microbiome Resource at Dalhousie University. This project was funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Coastal Environmental Baseline Program under the Oceans Protection Plan.