tlantic Canada has many sheltered coastlines, bays and islands, providing excellent conditions for marine life. With the added feature of the highest tides in the world, the intertidal zone of the Bay of Fundy is especially rich in marine resources.

Shellfish were an essential year-round part of the aboriginal diet in these coastal settings. Mollusks and other edible plant and animal life were easily collected at low tide. Middens - accumulations of discarded shells from native encampments, often several metres deep - are preserved in many parts of the Maritimes and New England. New Brunswick's Passamaquoddy Bay has literally hundreds of such sites, indicating the presence of aboriginal settlements for thousands of years.