A radiated shanny (Ulvaria subbifurcata) spotted during a recent bio blitz event in Dartmouth Cove. Photo by Hunter StevensArticle contentThere are plenty of Dartmouth Cove residents who haven’t really been counted in the infilling back and forth — the ones that live under the water.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentLast month, at the request of the Friends of Dartmouth Cove, marine biologist Hunter Stevens led a bio blitz (a biodiversity survey) where volunteer divers took stock of the life in the cove.Article contentArticle content“It’s just showing that, you know, the Halifax Harbour is not devoid of life,” he said.Article contentArticle content Hunter Stevens is a marine biologist who has explored the bottom of Dartmouth Cove. He is seen at the cove in Dartmouth on Nov. 25. Photo by Tim Krochak /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentThe community group has pushed back hard on the claims of Atlantic Road Construction and Paving (ARCP), which says on its project website: “The water lot is in an area of Dartmouth Cove with a 100-year history as a disposal site for raw sewage and other industrial activity, which make it of relatively poor quality and low productivity to support significant populations of marine life and unsafe for human interaction.”Article contentThe company says it’s fully committed to offsetting the infilling impacts with the creation of “enhanced marine habitats.”Article contentIt was these comments about the cove being lifeless that piqued Stevens’ interest.Article content“I know from experience and years of diving around here that that’s really not true. I just wanted to show that that was the case, that there is a lot of life to be found in the harbour.”Article contentSo on Nov. 15, 17 divers took to the chilly waters to photograph and inventory life on the ocean floor.Article contentArticle content“In about an hour period, we documented, I believe, 47 different species in the water,” Stevens said.Article content Hunter Stevens is a marine biologist who recently took an inventory of the sea life at Dartmouth Cove. Photo by Hunter StevensArticle contentSea ravens and eel blenniesArticle contentThey found what they expected to see — plenty of sea urchins and mussels — and some creatures they didn’t.Article content“The sea urchin in particular is something that I always get excited about and can talk at length about because sea urchin in the ‘90s here in Nova Scotia actually experienced a decline and mass mortality due to disease, with losses of up to 90 per cent,” he said. “So the Halifax Harbour is actually the one place where we really still find green sea urchin in large amounts.”Article contentBut one find that jumped out to him was the slender eel blenny, a long, skinny-looking creature that he found perched on a rock. It’s a species that prefers a colder environment like in northern Quebec and Labrador.Article content An eel blenny (Lumpenus fabricii) spotted during a recent bio blitz event in Dartmouth Cove. Photo by Hunter StevensArticle content“There’s only been one other observation of it in Nova Scotia, and that was also actually made by me in the Halifax Harbour four years ago,” Stevens said. “It just again speaks to how the Halifax Harbour is actually this unique ecosystem that is unlike a lot of the others in Nova Scotia, and it has these unique species.”
There is a lot of life to be found in the harbour: Dive in Dartmouth Cove shows vibrant underwater world
