Maritime Aboriginal Aquatic Resources Secretariate

06/23/2026

One of our team members spotted an endangered Piping Plover on a recent beach walk!

If you spot a Piping Plover on a trip to the beach this summer, be sure to report the sighting with a photo, date and time, location (GPS coordinates or street address) to [email protected] to help conservationists keep track of the population and nesting locations.

*These photos were taken from a safe distance to not bother the birds or their nest.

06/09/2026

🌊Summer is just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean ocean learning has to end with the school year! ✏️🎓

Our Climate Action and Oceans team is ready to come to your summer camp or community event in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island. We will bring the ocean to your youth through hands-on activities, engaging lessons and our ocean touch tank, all free of charge!

Meet some of our ocean critters and learn how climate change is affecting their marine habitats. Understanding the ocean that surrounds us is important for everyone, and there is no better time to explore, discover and connect with our natural world. 🦞🐚🪸

Check out our website (link below) or contact [email protected] to learn about the lessons we offer or to book an interactive ocean touch tank.
https://sites.google.com/view/caafprograms/home

06/08/2026

🌊🐟🦀 Happy World Ocean Day! 🐚🐋🌿

Every year, the Maritime Aboriginal Aquatic Resources Secretariate is proud to take part in the World Ocean Day celebrations at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, sharing the importance of protecting our oceans and the life they sustain.

This year's event on June 5 was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who stopped by our two tables to learn, ask questions, and celebrate our marine environment with us. 💙

World Ocean Day reminds us that caring for our waters is a year-round responsibility. Every action we take, whether it be protecting shorelines to respecting marine habitats, helps ensure healthy oceans for generations to come. 🐠🦞🌎

Unfortunately, we were so busy sharing, we didn't get any pictures of this year's event! Here are some memories of World Ocean Days from years past

05/30/2026

Sometimes things just don’t go your way! In spite of our best efforts, Mother Nature is giving us a run for our money. We’ve been tagging smolts with our friends at the Ocean Tracking Network, but our net has certainly seen better days!

We shall persevere for another day so we can continue the work to better understand marine patterns. Wish us luck 🐠🌧️

05/15/2026

🌊✨ Did You Know? Starfish Are Walking, Eating Marvels! ✨🌊
Take a closer look beneath a sea star, and you’ll discover an incredible world of tiny moving parts working together in perfect harmony!
⭐ Tube Feet Superpowers
Starfish move using hundreds (sometimes thousands!) of tiny, flexible tube feet lining their arms. Powered by a unique water vascular system, these mini suction cups help them glide along the ocean floor, cling to rocks, and even pry open shellfish for a meal. Think of them as nature’s ultimate multitool—locomotion and grip all in one! 🐚🦀
🍽️ A Mouth Like No Other
At the center of their underside lies their mouth—and it’s full of surprises! Instead of bringing food inside right away, starfish can actually extend their stomach out through their mouth to digest prey externally. Yes, they eat outside their bodies first—how wild is that?!
🌟 Nature’s Ingenious Design
From hydraulic-powered feet to an inside-out dining strategy, starfish anatomy is a reminder that the ocean holds some of the most fascinating innovations on Earth.
Next time you spot a sea star, remember—you’re looking at a creature that can walk, grip, and feast in ways unlike almost anything else! 🌊💫

05/06/2026

As part of our Climate Action and Oceans project, we have some friends that hang out in our office - at least temporarily. They’re used to support fun learning about our ocean 🌊 and how climate change is impacting one of Earth’s most important features. This is Oscar, s/he’s a North American hairy hermit crab who thinks fashion isn’t just a word. In fact, why wasn’t Oscar invited to this year’s ? Big questions! 🐚🦀

04/30/2026

On April 29th, MAPC staff were proud to assist the staff from the Coldbrook Biodiversity Facility’s Live Gene Bank program with the final release of over 40,000 unfed Atlantic salmon fry (baby salmon) across rivers around the Inner Bay of Fundy. This program was through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in an effort to support the recovery of the Endangered inner Bay of Fundy (iBoF) population of Atlantic salmon.

Why is this important and why was it the last release? With the Live Gene Bank program ending and the Biodiversity Facility closing in 2026, these fry are last to be released. For 26 years, the Live Gene Bank program has worked to support the recovery of the iBoF population by preserving linages and rearing salmon which would then be released throughout rivers in Nova Scotia. With climate change, and largely unknown threats in the marine environment, Atlantic salmon recovery is more important now than ever.

A heartfelt thank‑you to the incredible team at the Coldbrook Biodiversity Facility for their years of dedication to conserving the Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon.

04/25/2026

A whale’s place in the ecosystem

🌍🐋 One whale is worth a thousand trees.

This Earth Day, let’s talk about one of the ocean’s most powerful climate allies: whales.

Whales don’t just inspire awe - they help fight climate change. Through a process known as the “whale pump,” they circulate nutrients throughout the ocean, fueling phytoplankton growth. These microscopic ocean plants absorb massive amounts of CO₂ and produce much of the oxygen we breathe.

In fact, phytoplankton capture around 40% of global CO₂ emissions - and whales help keep this system thriving. More whales = more carbon captured.

Scientists estimate that a single whale can have the climate impact of thousands of trees. That’s not just poetic - it’s science.

Protecting whales isn’t just about saving a species. It’s about protecting our planet.

🌊 This Earth Day, let’s protect the giants that protect us.

04/22/2026

🌊 Happy Earth Day 2026! 🌿 OurPowerOurPlanet 🌎

This Earth Day, we're celebrating the incredible communities, scientists, and ecosystems that make conservation possible because protecting our planet starts with all of us!
Here in our watersheds, our team is doing something pretty special. 🐟 Using fyke nets, we carefully catch inner Bay of Fundy (iBoF) Atlantic salmon smolts while they're still in freshwater. Each iBoF Salmon smolt is tagged and released, allowing us to track how they move through our rivers and streams out to sea.
Why does this matter? Understanding how iBoF Atlantic salmon migrate throughout the inner and outer Bay of Fundy and the Minas Basin helps us identify critical habitats, spot threats, and make smarter decisions to protect the species for generations to come.
iBof Atlantic Salmon aren't just fish - they're a keystone of healthy ecosystems and a vital part of our cultural heritage here in Atlantic Canada. When our salmon thrive, our watersheds thrive! 💙
This Earth Day, we're reminded that conservation is a people-powered effort. Every tag. Every data point. Every person who cares. That's our power.

04/20/2026

Hands-on learning in action! The Climate Action and Oceans Team visited a Math 9 class, where students learned about oyster aquaculture and participated in an oyster growth lab. Students measured shells that were grown by ShanDaph Oysters, plotted points, and created linear equations. We were also with Mi’kmaw Studies 11 students, who focused on Netukulimk, Etuaptmunk, and experimented with an ocean pollution lab. Check out the video to see one student’s creative “garbage patch trap” designed to help clean up ocean plastics!

If you are interested in booking with us for your school or organization, contact [email protected]