===FORM START===
0. Intended/preferred project project code, if known? (May be altered by OTNDC)
format: XXXX (3-6 uppercase letters that do not already have a representation in the OTN DB. Will be assigned if left blank)

GULMPA


1. Title-style description of the project?
format:  < 70 words in 'paper title' form

Maritimes Conservation Network: Gully Marine Protected Area (MPA) Acoustic Tracking Study


2. Brief abstract of the project? 
format: < 500 words in 'abstract' form

The Gully Marine Protected Area (MPA) is the largest underwater canyon is the western North Atlantic and hosts complex habitats and species diversity in an area that is understudied regarding animal movement and distribution. Understanding how animals are moving within and among conservation areas is a key component of Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network monitoring, informing on the state and change of protected ecosystems, and to gauge the efficacy of MPA networks in achieving their conservation objectives. As part of the Maritimes Conservation Network, this tracking study will directly contribute to understanding species connectivity among sites of conservation interest in the region. This information can be used by managers to understand gaps in protection for priority species, and to better understand how spatial conservation measures align with fundamental spatial ecological features (e.g., source-sink dynamics, recruitment, etc). Data describing the spatial-temporal patterns of species movement relative to the MPA boundaries is essential for evaluating species composition and to gauge connectivity between the MPA and outside areas. Acoustic receivers deployed as part of this project provide the opportunity to record the presence of tagged species who reside, or transit through, the MPA. An array of 15 VR4 acoustic receivers are deployed in the north western portion of the Gully MPA and data is offloaded using ocean gliders. This part of the MPA is close to an area of high juvenile Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) abundance ('hotspot'), which is one of two known hotspots on the Scotian Shelf. Detections of halibut tagged as part of ongoing efforts to understand spatial-temporal attributes of these hotspots and movement of halibut on the Scotian Shelf will help detail how the Gully MPA might intersect with this regional hotspot. 

3. Names, affiliations, email addresses, and ORCID (if available) of researchers involved in the project and their role. 

The accepted Project Roles are defined as:
Principal Investigator: PI or Co-PI. The person(s) responsible for the overall planning, direction and management of the project.
Technician: Person(s) responsible for preparation, operation and/or maintenance of shipboard, laboratory or deployed scientific instrumentation, but has no invested interest in the data returned by that instrumentation.
Researcher: Person(s) who may use/analyse the data to answer research questions, but is not the project lead. Can be a student if their involvement spans past the completion of an academic degree. 
Student: Person(s) researching as part of a project as part of their work towards an academic degree. 
Collaborator: A provider of input/support to a project without formal involvement in the project.

Please add 'Point of Contact' to the contact(s) who will be responsible for communicating with OTN. 

format: Firstname Lastname, Employer OR Affiliation, Project Role (choose from above list), email.address@url.com, point of contact (if relevant), ORCID

Ryan Stanley, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Principal Investigator, Ryan.Stanley@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, Point of Contact, 0000-0002-6313-0844 
Harri Pettitt-Wade, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Researcher, Harri.Pettitt-Wade@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, Point of Contact, 0000-0002-2729-928X
Nick Jeffery, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Researcher, Nick.Jeffery@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, 0000-0003-4242-5712
Nell den Heyer, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Researcher, Nell.denHeyer@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, 0000-0002-1933-5885 
Sean Smith, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Collaborator, Sean.Smith@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Susan Heaslip, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Collaborator, Susan.Heaslip@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, 0000-0003-1122-3923 


4. Project URL - can be left blank
format: http[s]://yoursite.com 



5. Species being studied?  
format: Common name (scientific name)



6. Location of the project? 
format: (city, state/province OR nearby landmark OR lat/long points in decimal degree), one per line

Gully Marine Protected Area, Nova Scotia

7. Start and end dates of the project, if known? 
format: YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD ('ongoing' is an acceptable end date)

2021-08-28 to ongoing

8. Citation to use when referencing this project:
format: Lastname, I., Lastname, I. YYYY. [Title from question 1 or suitable alternative] Will be assigned if left blank.

Stanley, R.R.E, Pettitt-Wade, H., Jeffery, N.J., Heaslip, S.G., Smith, S.C.,  and den Heyer, C.E. 2021. Maritimes Conservation Network: Gully Marine Protected Area (MPA) Acoustic Tracking Study



===FORM END===