Salt Marsh Tidal Restoration in Canada’s Maritime Provinces

Abstract

Salt marshes form an important component of the coastal landscape of the Canadian Maritimes. The characteristics of salt marshes are determined by a wide range of physical and biological controls. The coastal zone of the Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island) exhibits a diverse geologic and sea level history, sediment supply, tidal amplitude (micro- to macrotidal), and varying exposure to wave energy. These factors contribute to the development of three distinct biophysical regions of salt marsh: Bay of Fundy, Atlantic Coastal, and Gulf of St. Lawrence/Northumberland Strait (fig. 13.1; Hatcher and Patriquin 1981; Roberts and Robertson 1986; Wells and Hirvonen 1988). Most recent estimates indicate that there are approximately 287 square kilometers of salt marsh in the Maritimes (table 13.1; Hanson and Calkins 1996; Mendelsohn and McKee 2000). The majority of this (54 percent) occurs along the coast of Nova Scotia.