The purpose of this study was to characterize the kelp bed at Batture-aux-Alouettes, a preferred food source for the green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis). The green urchin is fished commercially in Quebec and the fishing effort is concentrated on the Batture-aux-Alouettes near Tadoussac, at the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord. The study was conducted in two separate phases in 2018 and 2019. The main objective of this study was to determine the abundance and biomass of the kelp bed at Batture-aux-Alouettes. The first phase, using a stratified random sampling design, was conducted from August 21th to August 24th, 2018. Sampling of two 50 x 50 cm quadrats, separated by a distance of approximately 30 m, was conducted at eleven sites during twelve dives in the eastern section of the Batture-aux-Alouettes to collect kelp for biomass estimation and macroalgal species richness assessment. In the second phase, a total of 429 stations were first sampled between July 15 and 18, 2019 with a camera system dropped in two 50 x 50 cm quadrats. The presence or absence of kelp, percent macroalgal cover, and substrate type were assessed for each photo. As a result of this underwater photographic analysis, 129 of these stations were identified as having a presence of kelp and 88 of these stations had a presence of other algal species. To ensure equal representation of the different depth strata, the stations with kelp were divided into three depth categories: shallow (-1.7 m to 0 m), medium (0 m to 2 m) and deep (2 m to 5 m). Dives were conducted from August 13 to 15, 2019, at ten of these stations using a stratified random sampling design, taking care to ensure a balanced spatial distribution as well as an equal distribution of the different depth strata (four in the shallow, three in the medium, and two in the deep). Sampling of the 50 x 50 cm dive quadrat took place at three different distances spaced 5 m apart from a transect, i.e. at the 3 m (_3m), 8 m (_8m) and 13 m (_13m) mark. If there was little or no kelp in the quadrat, the quadrat sampling could be repeated for up to four quadrats per distance for a total area of 1 m². Two additional quadrats were conducted (_x) at two stations. Biomass assessment was also done via "cookie cutter" sampling (_CC). Divers took the same 50 x 50 cm quadrat and placed it on a selected (i.e., non-random) plot with 100% kelp cover.The three files provided (DarwinCore format) are complementary and are linked by the "eventID" key. The "event_information" file includes generic information about the event, such as date and location. The "additional_information_event_and_occurrence" file includes sample size, protocol and sampling effort. The "taxon_occurrence" file includes the taxonomy of the species observed, identified to the species or lowest possible taxonomic level. To obtain the abundance and biomass assessment of the kelp bed at Batture-aux-Alouettes, contact Rénald Belley (renald.belley@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).For quality control, the organisms were identified in the field fallowing the guide: Chabot, Robert et Anne Rossignol. 2003. Algues et faune du littoral du Saint-Laurent maritime : Guide d'identification. Institut des Sciences de la mer de Rimouski, Rimouski; Pêches et Océans Canada (Institut Maurice-Lamontagne), Mont-Joli. 113 pages. The taxonomy was checked against the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) to match recognized standards and using the R obistools and worrms libraries. The WoRMS match was placed in the "scientificNameID" field of the occurrence file. All sample locations were spatially validated. This project was funded by DFO Coastal Environmental Baseline Program under Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan. This initiative aims to acquire environmental baseline data contributing to the characterization of important coastal areas and to support evidence-based assessments and management decisions for preserving marine ecosystems.

Historical finds of Pristiphora erichsonii

The lobster recruitment project is run by the Fishermen and Scientist Research Society (FSRS) through DFO funding. Fishermen participating in the lobster recruitment project collect information about lobster in their fishing area by fishing 2-5 scientific project traps (SPTs) (fished in fixed locations) within the regular commercial season. The SPTs used in all fishing areas are smaller than commercial traps and designed to primarily catch juvenile lobsters below the legal-size limit.These traps are additional to the vessel's legal number of commercial traps. The lobster recruitment project has more than 120 fishers participating from all LFAs along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia from LFA 27 in Cape Breton to LFA 35 in the Bay of Fundy (excluding LFA 28, who have not participated to-date).The number of fishermen per LFA and number of SPTs per fisherman are decided on by the LFA Advisory Committees. This decision considers how much additional effort they were comfortable having in the LFA (i.e. number of SPTs) and from how many traps each fisher could be reasonably expected to collect data. It is also important to have fishers dispersed enough to maximize study footprint. DFO Science consults on project design. SAMPLING METHODS: The fishers record the number, sex and length of lobsters captured in each SPT, as well as presence of eggs, tags or v-notch. Bottom temperatures are monitored by placing a temperature recorder in one of their SPTs for the entire lobster season.Cite this data as: Tibbets-Scott, S., Zisserson, B. Data of: Fishermen and Scientist Research Society (FSRS) Lobster Recruitment Trap Project. Published: November 2020. Population Ecology Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/a88f9b4d-b59a-44f6-ae7e-d36550266940

Atlantic sturgeon. Important sites: reproduction, feeding juvenile and adult concentration area. Data extracted from the Fish Habitat Management Information System (FHAMIS) according to a literature review of documents produced between 1978 and 2002.

Historical finds of Pristiphora geniculata

These datasets show commercial fisheries catch weight landings of directed fisheries and bycatch from the Scotian Shelf, the Bay of Fundy, and Georges Bank from NAFO Divisions 4VWX and the Canadian portions of 5Y and 5Z. Five-year composite maps (2019–2023) that aggregate catches for each map series are publicly available. The maps aggregate catch weight (kg) per 10 km2 hexagon grid cell for selected species, species groupings and gear types to identify important fishing areas. These maps can support decision making in coastal and oceans management, including marine spatial planning, environmental emergency response operations and protocols, Marine Stewardship Council certification processes, marine protected area networks, and ecological risk assessment.Reported catch locations may have rounded coordinates or contain errors. Although some errors have been corrected, it is assumed that additional errors remain in the data. These datasets have been filtered to comply with the Government of Canada's privacy policy. Privacy assessments were conducted to identify DFO unit areas containing data with less than five vessel IDs, licence IDs or fisher IDs. If this threshold was not met, catch weight locations were withheld from these unit areas to protect the identity or activity of individual vessels or companies.Maps were created for the following species, species groupings and gear types:1. Groundfish (all species)2. Groundfish Bottom Trawl3. Groundfish Bottom Longline4. Groundfish Gillnet5. Groundfish (seasonal composites)6. Atlantic Cod7. Atlantic Cod, Haddock and Pollock8. Flatfish9. Atlantic Halibut10. Greenland Halibut (Turbot)11. Hagfish12. Cusk13. Dogfish14. Redfish15. Red Hake16. Silver Hake17. White Hake18. Monkfish19. Sculpin20. Skate21. Wolffish22. Squid23. Herring24. Mackerel25. Herring and Mackerel Gillnet26. Purse Seine27. Large Pelagics28. Bluefin Tuna29. Other Tuna30. Swordfish31. Snow Crab32. Other Crab33. Scallop34. Scallop (seasonal composites)35. Offshore Clam36. Shrimp Trawl37. Shrimp Trap38. Offshore Lobster39. Disputed Zone Area 38B Lobster40. Whelk

Historical finds of Gilpinia hercyniae

Historical finds of Profenusa thomsoni

The Department of Fisheries established a survey of demersal juvenile Atlantic cod (*Gadus morhua*) in the nearshore (<10 m deep) in 1959. This survey aimed to characterize the distribution and abundance of juvenile Atlantic cod and was based upon Norway's Flodevigen sampling program which has been conducted continuously since 1919. A 25 m seine was used to sample juvenile Atlantic cod nursery locations on the Avalon Peninsula and Northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland in September and October. The survey continued until 1964 and became known as the Fleming survey, after original initiator Alistair Fleming. The survey was reinstated by Memorial University of Newfoundland from 1992 to 1997. Multiple tows were conducted at a subset of the original 55 Fleming sites located in St. Mary's Bay, Trepassey Bay, the Southern Shore, Conception Bay, Trinity Bay, Bonavista Bay, Gander Bay, New World Island, Fortune Harbour, Badger Bay, Halls Bay and Green Bay.This data set includes several different subsets, some of which span both Fleming Survey periods (1959-1964 and 1992-1997):I. JuvCodCatch60s90s:Catches of juvenile Atlantic cod (1959-1964, 1992-1997) from the first two consecutive tows at each site. This is a summary based on JuvCodLengths90s and FlemingSurveyData60s;II. JuvCodLength90s:Lengths of all individual juvenile Atlantic cod caught for each site (1992-1997);III. SiteEnvData60s90s:Station data for Fleming data 1992-1997;IV. FlemingSurveyData60s:Fleming survey data from 1959-1964 (note there are three record types pertaining to: station data "type 1"; general species catch data including juvenile Atlantic cod grouped by age class ("1+", "Zeroes", and "Total") "type 2; and juvenile Atlantic cod (species 223) listed in length bins "type 3"; andV. FlemingBycatch60s92to96:Bycatch data from 1959-1964 & 1992-1996 from first two tows at each site. This is a summary based partly on the FlemingSurveyData60s set.

PURPOSE:To provide a permanent repository of key data series necessary to build a range-wide American eel stock assessment. DESCRIPTION:This collection presents data associated with the following report:Cairns, D.K. 2020. Landings, abundance indicators, and biological data for a potential range-wide American eel stock assessment. Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Science. No. 1311: v + 180 pp.Much of the data collection is from the Atlantic Provinces of Canada, particularly the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. The collection also includes data from elsewhere in the American eel's range in Canada, and also the United States and the Caribbean Basin. Files in the collection are as follows.Cairns2020_AnnexA_ReportTables.xlsx: This Excel file (file size 756 kb) contains all 37 tables in Cairns (2020) exactly as they appear in the report. Cairns2020_AnnexB_EelLengthsAgesEfishingRecords.xlsx: This Excel file (file size 3.1 mb) contains 20,047 records of American eel lengths and other biological data from the Canadian Atlantic Provinces, 1983-2017. Records include weights of 8,915 eels and ages of 2,212 eels. Records of 3,224 electrofishing sessions in the Miramichi River, New Brunswick, 1952-2019, and records of 2,590 electrofishing sessions in the Restigouche River, New Brunswick, 1972-2019 are included.Cairns2020_AnnexC_EelLengthsAgesDataDefinitions.csv: This .csv file (file size 4 kb) gives data definitions in English and French for the table of eel lengths and other biological data that is contained in Cairns2020_AnnexB_EelLengthsAgesEfishingRecords.xlsx and in Cairns2020_AnnexD_EelLengthsAges.csv.Cairns2020_AnnexD_EelLengthsAges.csv: This file (file size 2.0 mb) presents in .csv format the table of eel lengths and other biological data that is also presented in Cairns2020_AnnexB_EelLengthsAgesEfishingRecords.xlsx.Cairns2020_AnnexE_EelEFishingDataDefinitions.csv: This .csv file (file size 2 kb) gives data definitions in English and French for the table of eel electrofishing data that is contained in Cairns2020_AnnexB_EelLengthsAgesEfishingRecords.xlsx and in Cairns2020_AnnexD_EelLengthsAges.csv.Cairns2020_AnnexF_EelEFishing.csv: This file (file size 314 kb) presents in .csv format the table of eel electrofishing data that is also presented in Cairns2020_AnnexB_EelLengthsAgesEfishingRecords.xlsx.Cairns2020_AnnexG_OtolithImageMetadata.csv: This .csv file (file size 2 kb) provides metadata for the collection of eel otolith images.Files with names starting with EelOtos . . . . : These .tif, .jpg, and .bmp image files are in zipped format with a summed size of 5.3 gb. The files give magnified photos of 1,838 eel otoliths that have been prepared for age reading. Samples are from the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. Individual otolith codes in Cairns2020_AnnexB_EelLengthsAgesEfishingRecords.xlsx and in Cairns2020_AnnexC_EelLengthsAgesDataDefinitions.csv match the codes embedded in otolith image filenames. PARAMETERS COLLECTED:American eel landings, number caught, and effort of commercial and research fishing gear. American eel lengths, ages, sex and other biological data and sampling locations.NOTES ON QUALITY CONTROL:All keypunched records of landings, densities, and other data were verified against original sources. Landings and abundance indices were reviewed in a Department of Fisheries and Oceans scientific workshop and corrected as necessary. Length and age data were examined by length-weight and length age plots and implausible records were discarded.PHYSICAL SAMPLE DETAILS:No physical samplesSAMPLING METHODS:Landings are from government fisheries agencies.Abundance indices are from commercial fyke, spear, and trap catch per unit effort, and from research ladder counts and electrofishing records.Mean elver lengths are compiled from published literatureSex ratios are compiled from published literatureLocations of biological and genetic sampling are compiled from published literatureAmerican eel lengths are total length of live specimens. Ages are from otolith annulus readingsElectrofishing records are from backpack electrofishing surveys in wadeable watersUSE LIMITATION:To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.