while others drift across the BayofFundy 

 to Nova Scotia. 



Flow through the passages 



The electromagnetic induction method 

 of measuring water transport was used 

 in Western and Letite Passages, Lubec 

 Narrows, and the Saint Croix estuary. The 

 average duration of the flooding tide 

 into Passamaquoddy Bay is approximately 

 6 hours, while the tide ebbs for nearly 

 6f hours. Tidal currents during the 

 flood are slightly higher than during the 

 ebb. In Western Passage, slack water 

 occurs later than in Letite Passage. 

 This phase lag varies from 15 to 50 

 minutes with some degree of periodicity. 

 Evidence indicated that residual flow, 

 while seldom very pronounced, was on 

 the average outward through Western 

 Passage. 



Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine 



Considerable attention was given to the 

 oceanography of the Bay of Fundy and 

 the Gulf of Maine. Returns from 35,000 

 drift bottles launched in the Gulf of 

 Maine area since 1919 were examined 

 to determine the sources of surface 

 waters that enter the Bay of Fundy. 

 The area from which drift bottles enter 

 the Bay is restricted during January to 

 the immediate approaches to the Bay. 

 This area gradually expands during the 

 spring to a maximum in early summer 

 when it encompasses most of the Gulf of 

 Maine and part of Georges Bank. The 

 source area gradually retracts during 

 autumn to the eastern side of the Gulf of 

 Maine and northward away from Georges 

 Bank. Thus, there is little likelihood that 

 herring larvae spawned on Georges Bank 

 in the autumn would drift into the Bay 

 of Fundy. There is some evidence that 

 a sudden increase in runoff gives impetus 

 to increased circulation out of the Bay 

 of Fundy and along the Maine coast to 

 Massachusetts Bay. From January to 

 March, 1958, there was marked move- 

 ment down the coast of Maine; bottles 

 reached Cape Cod in as little as 3 weeks 

 after release in the Quoddy Region. This 

 occurred during and following a period 

 of high river runoff. During 1957, a 

 period of drought, few drift bottles 

 launched in Passamaquoddy Bay were 

 recovered outside the Bay of Fundy. 



Kennebecasis Bay, New Brunswick 



A study was made of Kennebecasis Bay 

 and the Saint John estuarial system, since 

 physical and biological conditions in 

 Kennebecasis Bay seemed similar to those 

 expected in Passamaquoddy Bay if dams 

 were installed. Results of the study showed 

 a degree of similarity between Kennebeca- 

 sis Bay and Passamaquoddy Bay when 

 dammed. There are two important fac- 

 tors, however, that are markedly different 

 for the two situations. One is that quan- 

 tities and relative locations of fresh 

 water discharged into the two areas differ. 

 The other is that two sills separate the 

 saline water of the Bay of Fundy from 

 the deep water in Kennebecasis Bay, 

 compared with one sill under the proposed 

 conditions for P a s s a m a qu o d dy Bay. 

 Therefore, distribution of properties in 

 Kennebecasis Bay represents a more 

 extreme condition than is anticipated in 

 Passamaquoddy Bay if power dams are 

 installed. The results of this study are 

 useful in estimating the extreme condi- 

 tions probable in Passamaquoddy Bay 

 after impoundment. 



BIOLOGICAL STUDIES 



The primary aim of biological studies 

 was to provide information on abundance, 

 distribution, habits, and reproduction of 

 fish stocks in the Quoddy Region. Results 

 apply particularly to herring, but con- 

 sideration was given to other species of 

 commercial importance in the region and 

 ways they would be affected by the dams. 

 Species not present in commercial quan- 

 tities now, but which might increase 

 under new conditions, were also con- 

 sidered as were species present in quan- 

 tity but not of current commercial interest. 



Herring 



Fishery statistics . --Herring landing 

 statistics for southern New Brunswick 

 and eastern Maine are not available before 

 the latter part of the 19th century when 

 the fishery was chiefly for large, mature 

 fish. Canadian landings of these fish 

 declined from about 25 million pounds in 

 the 1880's to less than 5 nnillion pounds 

 in the 1920's. Over the same period, 

 catches of small, immature "sardine" 

 herring increased from about 5 million 

 pounds to nearly 70 million pounds. During 

 the last 20 years, Canadian and United 



