Considered the "king" of sea lions, the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is the biggest of all sea lions and enjoys a lifespan of up to thirty years. In Canada, the Steller can be spotted along the rocky coast of British Columbia. This hefty mammal usually travels alone or in a small group, but wisely, it joins others for protection during the mating and birthing season. Little is known about its oceanic lifestyle; however, the good news for this sea-loving mammal is that since the Steller sea lion first became protected in 1970, the size of the adult population has more than doubled. Recent trends in the abundance of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in British Columbia were assessed based on a series of thirteen province-wide aerial surveys conducted during the breeding season (27-June to 06-July) between 1971 and 2013.

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to important geographic features in the Strait of Georgia (SOG) ecoregion. This data was mapped to inform the selection of marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA). Experts have indicated that these areas are relevant based upon their high ranking in one or more of three criteria (Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences). The distribution of IAs within ecoregions is used in the designation of EBSAs.Canada’s Oceans Act provides the legislative framework for an integrated ecosystem approach to management in Canadian oceans, particularly in areas considered ecologically or biologically significant. DFO has developed general guidance for the identification of ecologically or biologically significant areas. The criteria for defining such areas include uniqueness, aggregation, fitness consequences, resilience, and naturalness. This science advisory process identifies proposed EBSAs in Canadian Pacific marine waters, specifically in the Strait of Georgia (SOG), along the west coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI, southern shelf ecoregion), and in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA, northern shelf ecoregion).Initial assessment of IAs in PNCIMA was carried out in September 2004 to March 2005 with spatial data collection coordinated by Cathryn Clarke. Subsequent efforts in WCVI and SOG were conducted in 2009, and may have used different scientific advisors, temporal extents, data, and assessment methods. WCVI and SOG IA assessment in some cases revisits data collected for PNCIMA, but should be treated as a separate effort.Other datasets in this series detail IAs for birds, cetaceans, coral and sponges, fish, invertebrates, and other vertebrates.Though data collection is considered complete, the emergence of significant new data may merit revisiting of IAs on a case by case basis.

This service provides a compilation of Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) produced by the Canadian Hydrographic Service. All information provided by this service conforms to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Publication S-57. An ENC contains all the chart information useful for navigation, and may contain supplementary information in addition to that contained in the paper chart. This service is not for navigation.

The Biodiversity Science Database is a compilation of fish community data from DFO Science Surveys. Data includes: sampling site, date, fish counts, fish species, and associated habitat information.

These data were created under DFO’s Strategic Program for Ecosystem-based Research and Advice - Aquatic Invasive Species Program: “Evaluation of the movement of marine infrastructure as a pathway for aquatic invasive species spread”. This geodatabase contains floating dock locations in coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest, from Puget Sound, Washington to Southeast Alaska. These data were assembled by Josephine Iacarella and used in an analysis to understand the role of floating infrastructure as a vector in the spread of marine nonindigenous species (Iacarella et al., 2019). The data are represented as point vectors, though docks have associated size estimates. Data were collected with the aim to have the most accurate representation of coastal coverage of structures in 2017. The most recent images from Google Earth were used, though in some areas these date back a few years.Floating docks included those that extended into the subtidal and were not fixed on pilings. Dock locations were binned into size categories, with small docks and associated marina structures grouped together as ‘marina areas’ based on spatial clustering and a visual estimate of size (haphazard measurement selection, n=35 per category; small: 57.2 m2 ± 6.7, medium: 379.1 m2 ± 42.8, marina area: 4,453.5 m2 ± 744.4). A total of 7,809 floating dock sites were recorded, covering an estimated area of 2.3 km2.

This geodatabase includes hotspot maps of 1) nearshore habitat richness, 2) diversity (fish and invertebrates), and 3) biomass (using catch per unit effort of fish and invertebrates), as well as two layers showing the spatial extent of the diversity and biomass hotspot analyses. Full details and methods can be found in the Rubidge et al. 2018 CSAS Research Document 2018/053 available here or at https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/40759842.pdf. These data were reviewed as part of a Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) regional peer review process on Nov 1-2, 2017.Habitat Richness Hotspots: Because there are no systematic surveys of nearshore species that span the entire coastline of Northern Shelf Bioregion, the nearshore habitat richness hotspots were developed as a proxy for species diversity in nearshore areas. Habitat richness was calculated from eight habitat features: eelgrass, surfgrass, canopy-forming kelp, estuaries, areas of high rugosity, and hard, mixed, and soft substrate. The number of features within 1 km x 1 km planning units was counted, and hotspots were identified using the Getis-Ord G* tool in ArcGIS. Planning units with Gi_Bin values of 3 (99% confidence) were classified as habitat richness hotspots.Diversity and Biomass Hotspots: Hotspots of fish and invertebrate diversity and biomass were developed as proxies for spatial patterns of productivity in the Northern Shelf Bioregion. Diversity (Shannon diversity) and biomass (kg/hour or count/hook/hour) were calculated from DFO synoptic trawl and outside hard-bottom longline (HBLL) survey catch records. The outside HBLL survey was previously referred to as Pacific Halibut Management Area (PHMA) survey. The synoptic trawl and HBLL surveys have complementary spatial coverage, with the HBLL surveys occurring in more coastal areas (20–260 m) and the synoptic trawl surveys occurring on deeper shelf areas (50–1300 m). Hotspots were identified using the Getis-Ord G* tool in ArcGIS for five separate analyses: fish biomass (trawl), fish diversity (trawl), fish diversity (longline), invertebrate biomass (trawl), and invertebrate diversity (trawl). Using the Minimum Bounding Geometry Tool, convex hull polygons were drawn around groups of hotspot points (Gi_Bin values of 1, 2, or 3; confidence ≥90%) containing 10 or more points. The resulting polygons were then buffered by 1 km and manually edited where needed to exclude any large areas of the polygons that did not include hotspot points.

Identification of significant concentrations of sea pens in the Gulf of St. Lawrence biogeographic unit using Kernel density estimation (KDE).This method was applied to create a modelled biomass surface for each taxa and an aerial expansion method was permitted to identify significant concentrations. Only geo-referenced biomass data have been used to identify the “hot spots”. The borders of the areas were refined using knowledge of null catches and species distribution models. Predictive models were produced using a random forest machine-learning technique. For more details, please refer to this report: Kenchington, E., L. Beazley, C. Lirette, F.J. Murillo, J. Guijarro, V. Wareham, K. Gilkinson, M. Koen Alonso, H. Benoît, H. Bourdages, B. Sainte-Marie, M. Treble, and T. Siferd. 2016. Delineation of Coral and Sponge Significant Benthic Areas in Eastern Canada Using Kernel Density Analyses and Species Distribution Models. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2016/093. vi + 178 p.http://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/40577806.pdfThe present layer only contains the analysis results for sea pens. Purpose:As part of the Canada's commitment to the identification and protection of sensitive benthic marine ecosystems, maps of the location of significant concentrations of corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada were produced through quantitative analyses of research vessel trawl survey data, supplemented with other data sources where available. The taxa analyzed are sponges (Porifera), large and small gorgonian corals (Alcyonacea), and sea pens (Pennatulacea). However, only the sponges (Porifera) and sea pens (Pennatulacea) have been considered in the analysis concerning the Gulf of St. Lawrence biogeographic unit.

Catch, effort, location (latitude and longitude), and associated biological data from the Eulachon Migration Study Bottom Trawl surveys on the coast of British Columbia.Introduction:The Eulachon Migration Study Bottom Trawl surveys are divided into two parts; the Eulachon Migration Study Bottom Trawl – South (Eul –S) and the Eulachon Migration Study Bottom Trawl – North (Eul-N). The objectives of these surveys were to learn about the distribution, ecology, and migration timing of Eulachon into and out of the Fraser (Eul-S), Nass, and Skeena River (Eul-N) systems. This was achieved by observing Eulachon spatial and temporal occurrence and biological condition over a wide survey region each month. EUL-S covered portions of the Strait of Georgia and Juan de Fuca Strait in Pacific Fishery Management areas (PFMA’s) 17-20, 28, 29, and 121. There were nine trips conducted from October 2017 to March 2018 and one trip in January 2019. Eul-N consists of seven trips conducted between July 2018 and March 2019 mainly in Chatham Sound with sets in Hecate Strait, and Portland Inlet (Pacific Fishery Management areas (PFMA’s) 3, 4, and 104). Fishing was conducted using the Canadian Coast Guard Research Vessel Neocaligus to tow an American shrimp trawl net (Cantrawl Nets Ltd., Richmond, BC). The horizontal opening of the polypropylene net was estimated to be 34 to 37 feet (10 to 11 m), while the center of the opening had a vertical height of approximately 7 to 9 feet (2 to 3 m). A 0.4” (10 mm) liner was used in the codend. The net was configured with roller gear and 72” (1.8 m) Thyboron Type 2 trawl doors. Tow duration was typically 20 minutes for Eul-S and ranged from 5-20 minutes for Eul-N. The standard hours of fishing were 0700 to 1700 hours, depending on sunrise and sunset in winter months.These surveys follow a random block design in a targeted depth range of 80 – 200 metres for the Eul-S and 80-300 metres for Eul-N. The surveys were conducted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and was funded by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) National Rotational Survey Fund.

**CHS NONNA Data Portal was last updated: March 30, 2025 **The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) offers a complete inventory of bathymetric data free to the general public for non-navigational use called 'CHS NONNA' for the 'NON-NAvigational' purpose of the data. The product is available in a spatial resolution of 10 metres or 100 metres.To directly access the CHS NONNA Data Portal please follow this link - https://data.chs-shc.ca/login(Note: The data portal is NOT compatible with Internet Explorer browser).Terms of UseThe Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) NONNA Data products are for NON-NAVIGATIONAL USE ONLY. Please see the Open Data Licence below and the CHS NONNA LICENCE viewable on https://data.chs-shc.ca/login and downloadable with the NONNA data, for the full terms and conditions governing the use of this data.----- PRODUCT DESCRIPTION -----The CHS NONNA-10 NONNA-100 and NONNA Package Bathymetric Data products represent a consolidation of digital bathymetric sources managed by the CHS in Canadian jurisdiction.The « NONNA » refers to NON-NAvigational.The « 10 » or « 100 » references the approximate resolution (in metres) of the data.NONNA PackagesA NONNA Package is a ZIP file containing a collection of NONNAP datasets to ease the download of large amounts of high resolution data. Packages are currently available for data sources of approximately 10 metre resolution.The «P10 » refers to the Packages and approximate resolution (in metres) of the data.The CHS NONNA-10 individual product coverage (resolution) is as follows: • South of 68°N the products = 0.1° latitude X 0.1° longitude (0.0001 degrees) • 68°N-80°N the products = 0.1° latitude X 0.2° longitude (0.0002 degrees) • 80°N and north the products = 0.1° latitude X 0.4° longitude (0.0004 degrees)The CHS NONNA-100 individual product coverage (resolution) is as follows: • South of 68°N the products = 1° latitude X 1° longitude (0.001 degrees) • 68°N-80°N the products = 1° latitude X 2° longitude (0.002 degrees) • 80°N and north the products = 1° latitude X 4° longitude (0.004 degrees)The CHS NONNA-P10 Packages are ZIP files that contain product coverage (resolution) defined as: • South of 68°N the products = 1° latitude X 1° longitude (0.0001 degrees) • 68°N-80°N the products = 1° latitude X 2° longitude (0.0002 degrees) • 80°N and north the products = 1° latitude X 4° longitude (0.0004 degrees)----- DATUM ----- All CHS NONNA data sources are horizontally referenced to the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) ESPG:4326 and vertically referenced to Chart Datum (CD), a tidal or water level datum that is locally derived and, of which, the depth of water should seldom fall below. For more information on vertical references visit:https://tides.gc.ca/tides/en/vertical-datum-chart-references ----- DATA PRESENTATION -----CHS NONNA products adhere to the following naming convention: NONNAXXX_SouthwestCorner Example: NONNAP10_4360N07940W • NONNAP10 = the product NONNAP10 • 4360N07940W = the southwest corner of the NONNA cell.These products are available to view, query and download via the CHS NONNA Data Portal. The following formats are available for download:• 32-bit GeoTIFF• ASCII++ (XYZ)• CSAR• BAGThese formats can be opened using various GIS applications.Alternatively, the CHS NONNA products can be accessed via Web Map Service (WMS), Web Coverage Service (WCS) or Web Map Tile Service (WMTS) links: WMS https://nonna-geoserver.data.chs-shc.ca/geoserver/wms?request=GetCapabilitiesWMTS https://nonna-geoserver.data.chs-shc.ca/geoserver/gwc/service/wmts?request=GetCapabilitiesWCS https://nonna-geoserver.data.chs-shc.ca/geoserver/wcs?request=GetCapabilities*Note*Gaps in the data may be visible where modern surveys have not yet been conducted, the data is not updated to Chart Datum (CD) or where legacy data has not yet been digitized. In addition, there may be data sources removed from the Data Portal for further processing in the CHS’ Bathymetric Database, and will not be available until such work is complete.Data sources included in the NONNA products may not have been subjected to the same level of quality assurance as those in official navigational products.*Help*New users of the CHS NONNA Data Portal are encouraged to fully review the 'CHS NONNA Data Portal Guidance Document' (PDF) which is available below in the RESOURCES section of this page.

The Fishery Operations System (FOS) is the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) centralized Oracle database that holds commercial salmon fishery catch, effort and biological data. The FOS database was built in 2001 and continues to be the current repository for all data pertaining to DFO’s Pacific Region Commercial Salmon Logbook program.The Commercial Salmon Logbook program was initiated in 1998 with fleet wide participation made mandatory during the 2001 season. The program requires all commercial salmon fishers to record their daily catch and effort information in a harvest logbook and to subsequently report it to DFO using a service provider within deadlines defined in the conditions of licence. A portion of the information collected from the logbook program contains fisher personal information and is therefore protected and un-releasable. Fishery Managers use the fisher reported catch and effort, in addition to information collected from other sources such as overflights, to calculate in-season catch estimates.NOTES:- This report contains ONLY commercial catch estimates; it DOES NOT include test fishing, recreational or First Nations data.- These figures are preliminary in-season catch estimates and are subject to change.- Consult the applicable Fishery Manager or Biologist as to the status of particular catch estimates- All catch estimates are reported in pieces (numbers of fish).- Catch estimates include adults and jacks combined.----------------------------------------------------------Pacific Fishery Management Areas (PFMAs):https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/maps-cartes/areas-secteurs/index-eng.html----------------------------------------------------------DFO Integrated Fisheries Management Plans (IFMP):http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/ifmp-eng.html ----------------------------------------------------------DFO Salmon Catch Statistics and Logbook Reports:http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/stats//smon/index-eng.htm----------------------------------------------------------Pacific Region Commercial Salmon Fishery Post-Season Catch Estimates, 1996 - 2004:https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/82c7eaa7-7078-4d38-a880-25d53f00c579----------------------------------------------------------