Cumulative Effects Assessment of Marine Fish in Saint John Harbour

While any approach to assessing assimilative capacity has to be useful for predictive purposes, the methods for predictive and retrospective assessments will be similar, and the project is focusing at this point on developing a retrospective assessment process.

The long term goal is to develop a predictive model for assimilative capacity that can be used as a planning and coordination tool. The assessment and definition of assimilative capacity relies on ecological monitoring and adaptive management, but there are feedback, implementation, and communication barriers that currently limit adaptive ecosystem management. These barriers will be identified and evaluated, and mechanisms identified to develop an effective model for assimilative capacity.