Research Portal

Whale Tails & Other Stories

June 2019 – December 2020

The Marine Mammal Observer Program studied the potential interactions between marine animals and Sustainable Marine Energy Canada’s floating tidal power platform located in Grand Passage, NS.  The Program also evaluated the effectiveness of various tools and equipment to detect, locate, and class

Geoscience » Play Fairway Analyses Atlases 2010–Present

Greater North Atlantic Liassic Petroleum Systems Synthesis

October 2019 – February 2020

In the absence of definitive, direct evidence for a Liassic (i.e. Lower Jurassic) petroleum system offshore Nova Scotia, information is required on source rock analogs around the greater North Atlantic region.

Testing of 360-Degree Imaging Technologies for Improved Animal Detection around Tidal Energy Installations

May 2019 – February 2020

The research goal was to conduct a field study to test the performance of a new imaging camera system mounted on a floating tidal platform deployed in Grand Passage, Bay of Fundy.  Field testing featured testing of different camera mount locations on the platform in order to optimize field-of-vie

Integrating Hydro-acoustic Approaches to Predict Fish Interactions with In-Stream Tidal Turbines

October 2017 – December 2019

Understanding exactly how fish interact with tidal turbines is still a critical knowledge gap for the tidal energy sector.

Quantifying Fish-Turbine Interactions Using New VEMCO Tagging Technology

October 2017 – December 2019

This project tested innovative acoustic fish tagging technology made by VEMCO, a Nova Scotian engineering technology company. Their acoustic telemetry tags are expected to be more effective in noisy, high-current environments like the Minas Passage.

Multipurpose X-Band Marine Radar Network for the Minas Passage

January – November 2019

Marine X-band radar locates vessels and features, including coastlines and buoys.  It filters distracting signals (eg.

Geoscience » Play Fairway Analyses Atlases 2010–Present

Shelburne Sub-Basin Play Fairway Analysis Update

November 2018 – June 2019

Shortly after the Scotian Shelf and Slope Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) was released in 2011, Shell Canada acquired six exploration parcels in the Shelburne Subbasin and collected approximately 10,850 square kilometers of wide azimuth 3D seismic data.

Application of (Low-Cost) Drifters with Suspended Hydrophone Arrays to Assess Harbour Porpoise Use of the Water Column and Spatial Overlap with MRE Devices in the Minas Passage

October 2017 – April 2019

The project investigated the use of a new low-cost drifter technology to monitor the activity and depth distribution of harbour porpoises frequenting the Minas Passage and Minas Channel.

Quantifying Demographics and Monitoring Movement of American Lobster in the Minas Passage and Basin

October 2017 – March 2019

The project consists of lobster fishing in Minas Passage during the fall lobster season to collect, assess and tag lobsters in this area, then fishing in Minas Basin from April to May to assess the spawning characteristics of lobster tagged the previous fall, then returning to Minas Passage to fi

Real-Time, Targeted Imaging of Turbine-Marine Life Interactions

March 2017 – February 2019

The research goal is to redesign and validate a dynamic mount to improve targeted real-time imaging of marine life in the near-field zone of a tidal turbine. The adjustable mount will enable imaging sensors to be aimed directly facing the tidal turbine.