===FORM START===
0. Intended/preferred project shortcode 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)

MUSQMPA

1. Title-style description of the project?
format:  < 70 words in 'paper title' form
Maritimes Conservation Network: Musquash Marine Protected Area (MPA) acoustic tracking study


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

The Musquash Marine Protected Area (MPA) is located 20 km south of Saint John, New Brunswick and encompasses the Musquash Estuary. It was designated as a Marine Protected area by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in 2007.  DFO is responsible for regular ecosystem monitoring of the MPA to understand the ecosystem of the estuary and ensure the conservation objectives of the MPA are being met.  As part of this monitoring initiative, acoustic receivers were deployed at the mouth and in the river to help determine the presence of migratory species within the estuary. In 2024 Musquash MPA was selected for a Vemco Positioning Study (VPS) consisting of a grid of receivers in the estuary to track finescale movements and habitat use of tagged species in the MPA. As part of the VPS study Tom cod and Winter flounder will be tagged in the MPA with temperature and depth sensor tags. As part of the Maritimes Conservation Network, this tracking study contributes to understanding species connectivity among sites of conservation interest in the region for the more mobile species that are detected.


3. Names, affiliations, email addresses, and ORCID(if available) of researchers involved in the project and their role 
(principal investigator, technician, researcher, student, collaborator) 
If the researcher is the point of contact for the project please identify? 


format: Firstname Lastname, Employer OR Affiliation, Project Role, email.address@url.com, point of contact, ORCID

Kaleb Zelman, co-principal investigator, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, kaleb.zelman@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, point of contact 
Harri Pettitt-Wade, co-principal investigator, point of contact, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, harri.pettitt-wade@dfo-mpo.gc.ca 
Michael Lawrence, co-principal investogator, point of contact, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Michael.Lawrence@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Ryan Stanley, researcher, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, ryan.stanley@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Paul Macnab, researcher, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, paul.macnab@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Marc Trudel, researcher, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, marc.trudel@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Brent Wilson, researcher, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, brent.wilson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Erica Stuart, researcher, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Erica.Stuart@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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



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

Tom cod (Microgadus tomcod)
Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)

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

Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area, New Brunswick. 
45.159642, -66.243858



7. Start and end dates of the project, if known? 
format: YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD
2018-08-21 - 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.

Pettitt-Wade, H, Lawrence, M, Stanley, R, Trudel, M, Wilson, B, Stuart, E, Macnab, P, and Zelman, K. 2023.  Maritimes Conservation Network: Musquash Marine Protected Area (MPA) acoustic tracking study  
===FORM END===