'Province' and 'territory' refer to the major political units of Canada. From a statistical point of view, province and territory are basic areas for which data are tabulated. Canada is divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories. Statistics Canada uses standard codes and abbreviations to represent provinces and territories. The two-digit code that uniquely identifies each province/territory is based on the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC). The code is assigned from east to west. The first digit represents the geographical region of Canada in which the province/territory is located and the second digit denotes one of the 10 provinces and 3 territories.

Mean fork length for returning adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that spent one or two years (1SW and 2SW, respectively) in the marine environment for 16 rivers throughout Eastern Canada spanning an 10° latitudinal gradient. These data were collected as part of monitoring programs for Atlantic salmon returns run by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Data from at least eight populations, spanning all provinces in Atlantic Canada, over a 50-year period (1970-2021) will be included in this meta-analysis.These data, as well as mean fork length for returning adult Atlantic salmon from three rivers in Québec (1979-2021) collected as part of monitoring programs for Atlantic salmon returns run by the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs, Government of Québec, are also available at: http://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/78PWT.

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.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), in partnership with other government organizations, indigenous groups, and community stakeholders, monitor the migratory return of Atlantic salmon to rivers each season. In Newfoundland and Labrador, there are 15 management areas, known as Salmon Fishing Areas (SFAs), with over 400 rivers containing populations of spawning salmon. Each year, salmon populations are enumerated at monitoring facilities (counting fences or fishways) on several rivers throughout the province. Monitoring begins in April or May for the downstream smolt run and in June or July for the upstream adult run and varies in timing by year and river. Not all rivers are monitored annually and years with incomplete data are often attributable to environmental factors that delay or stop monitoring during a season (e.g. fence washout due to elevated water levels). Days with zero counts can be attributable to no fish and/or closures to the monitoring facility. While monitoring facilities are used primarily to count Atlantic salmon, other freshwater fish may also be enumerated if encountered. The counts from these monitoring facilities, in addition to angling information and other monitoring activities, provide information for estimating returns for the annual stock assessment, which is an important part of conservation and management of Atlantic salmon populations in Newfoundland and Labrador. This data contains information for Atlantic salmon only.

The hydrographic 1991 to 2020 climatology for the Maritimes region Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program core transects, Cabot Strait, Louisbourg, Halifax, Browns Bank, and Northeast Channel, are calculated to support annual reporting on seasonal variability. Details on data coverage for these transects and ancillary transects occupied since the inception of the program are provided. Comparisons with the previous climatology period, years 1981 to 2010, are summarized when possible.Cite this data as: Layton, C. Data of:Maritimes Region Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program 1991 to 2020 Hydrographic Transect Climatology.Published: August 2025. Ocean Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S.https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/5f9c5d65-3ce1-4bdd-8b43-34086620d1e3

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Maritime Science Branch has collected grain size data from sediment and water column samples using bottle samples, sediment cores, and sediment grabs as part of numerous research projects not only in the Atlantic provinces, but also worldwide. The data collected by DFO focuses on the fine grained (<1mm) particles as these are both a source of food and means of contaminant transport. Grain size data are used to study the fate and distribution of complimentary chemistries like heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons, aquaculture waste as well as a variety of physical processes such as the resuspension and transport of sediment.

In place since fall 1994, the sentinel fisheries program is the result of a collaboration between Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Quebec and Newfoundland commercial fishermen's associations. Under this program, contracts are awarded by tender to fishermen’s associations to carry out fishing activities according to scientific protocols developed by DFO. The main objective of this survey is to collect data that will be used to calculate abundance indices for the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence Atlantic cod stock.Description of fixed gears surveyThe fixed gear sentinel fisheries of the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence are conducted in the sub-division 3Pn and the divisions 4R, 4S of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) using fixed gillnets or longlines (other fishing gears were also used at the start of the program). Fishing activities with nets must have a mesh size of 5 ½ inches (140mm) and are limited to a maximum of 6 to 20 nets depending on the region and capture and the target immersion time is between 19 to 24 hours. Longline fishing activities, for its part, must be carried out with traditional J #16 or C #12 hooks. The maximum number of hooks varies from 500 to 1000, depending on the catch, and the target immersion time is 4 to 6 hours. Data are collected by observers at sea or by technicians.DataFor each fishing activity, the total catch is sorted and weighed by species. For each species other than Atlantic cod, the number of individuals caught is noted. Atlantic cod are then measured at the fork (cm). Other biological data such as weight (total, gonad, liver and stomach), age, sex and maturity can then be collected on a subsample of cod.The biological data are divided into 4 files: a “Metadata” file containing set information, a “Catches” file containing catches per set for fish taxa, a “Carbio” file containing biological and morphometric measurements per individual, a “Freql” file containing the length frequency of fish.The data collected as part of this program is available below. It is important to note, however, that 1) only traits deemed successful have been retained; 2) historical data may contain inaccuracies; 3) the most recent survey is not available for validation purposes.

The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Secretariat, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) have collaborated to update the spatial representation of the NAFO Subareas, Divisions, and Subdivisions as defined in Annex 1 to the Convention on Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (2020) (https://www.nafo.int/Portals/0/PDFs/key-publications/NAFOConvention.pdf). The NAFO Convention does not indicate which datum should be used for spatial representation. The datum used at the time of development of the NAFO Convention would have been North American Datum 1927 (NAD27). However, all datasets were derived using NAD83.International boundaries have been updated based on accepted coordinates between the USA and Canada (http://www.internationalboundarycommission.org/en/maps-coordinates/coordinates.php), and Canada and Greenland (https://www.treaty-accord.gc.ca/text-texte.aspx?id=105136).This version of the NAFO Divisions is not intended to be used for legal purposes and is being provided for mapping / illustrative purposes only.

Cartographic representations of Fisheries Management Areas (FMA)s in the Atlantic and Arctic Regions.Currently Published Fisheries Management Areas:CapelinCrabHerringMackerelSalmon, AtlanticScallopShrimpSnow CrabSquidEach polygon feature class delineates the coordinates of a different series of FMAs. Shapes have been drafted based on a combination of sources including: the Atlantic Fisheries Regulations, Integrated Fisheries Management Plans, indigenous treaties, the bounds of the Territorial Sea, and other information made public on Fisheries and Oceans websites. Information from Variation orders and Conditions of License were also incorporated. The specific sources used to construct each feature class is listed in its metadata and direct links to public sources are included.The original documentation uses a diverse combination datums, or include coordinates with no listed datum. This data series has been projected into NAD83. Vertices in this dataset may differ from the original source documents to fix slivers, make areas congruent with coastlines, or align with other administrative boundaries. Changes made to the original areas in order to make drafting possible have been highlighted in the comments field in the attribute tables. Lines were first drafted as geodesics and vertices were added to approximate loxodromes using the Construct Geodesic Tool in ArcGIS Pro 2.9.8.As documentation is drafted, additional FMAs will be added to the dataset. Currently drafted FMAs my change and expand into currently unmapped areas as new information is incorporated.The feature classes produced as a part of this data series are cartographic representations of legal documents and are meant to be used for general reference in support of marine planning. Whenever there is a difference between the original written source documentation and this digital representation, the originals should be considered authoritative. Every effort has been made to ensure that these files are as accurate as possible but these feature classes are not intended to be used for navigation, legal interpretation or enforcement.

Species Distribution Models (SDM) were used to predict and identify priority areas for enhanced monitoring of cetaceans in eastern Canadian waters off Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. This data set represents information presented in Gomez et al. (2020) and includes sighting records and SDM outputs for ten cetacean species with sufficient records (n > 450) and sightings only for an additional six species. For more information about sighting records including which were included in each SDM, please see Gomez et al. 2020. This study used a compilation of aerial- and vessel-based cetacean sightings data from 1975-2015 assembled in Gomez et al. (2017) from variety of sources. Note that sightings data from many of these sources are not effort-corrected and apparent distribution patterns based on these opportunistic sightings data are biased by when and where survey activities were conducted. Unfavorable weather and reduced visual effort in winter, spring, and autumn likely account for the fewer sighting records in these seasons compared to summer. The dataset does not include dead animal, stranding, entanglement or entrapment data. While some of the databases include records obtained during the whaling period (catches or sightings recorded prior to 1975), for all analyses/modelling conducted in this study, only sightings of free-swimming whales obtained during the post-whaling period (1975-2015) were used. Quality control checks included discarding all records outside of our study area and removing redundant records (identical species, day, month, latitude and longitude).The data used do not reflect any updates or corrections to the databases that have occurred since the data were compiled in 2016. Sightings are not available for download here, please contact the original data sources listed below to obtain raw sightings data. This study represents an important initiative in eastern Canada to highlight key areas for cetacean monitoring in waters off Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. Habitats with high suitability are interpreted as areas where cetacean monitoring efforts may be prioritized, and results can help direct future survey efforts. These model outputs used cetacean sightings from several decades and dynamic environmental predictors that used seasonal averages across multiple years. As proxies for prey availability, five predictor environmental variables were selected for the SDM: ocean depth, compound topographic index, sea surface temperature, areas of persistently high chlorophyll-a concentration, and regional chlorophyll-a magnitude. See Gomez et al. (2020) for further details on modelling methods. Persistent patterns over time (between 1975-2015) are the main patterns expected to be captured by these models. Further, SDM results presented here are not the same as species density maps; rather, they portray predicted suitable habitat based on environmental characteristics and sightings data that were not always derived from effort-based surveys. Consequently, the use of these models in marine spatial planning processes should be accompanied by complimentary approaches such as acoustic and visual validation of the SDM results as well as additional monitoring and modeling efforts. Please refer to Gomez et al. (2020) for examples on how to best use these data outputs. Future efforts will focus on using more recent data and improving these models to facilitate the inclusion of cetaceans in marine spatial planning processes that are currently underway. Data sources: Fisheries and Oceans Canada Maritimes region and Newfoundland and Labrador region (Whale Sightings Database, Ocean and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Dartmouth, NS; http://www.inter.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Maritimes/SABS/popec/sara/Database, MacDonald et. al. 2017) Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS; http://www.iobis.org/), North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium (NARWC; http://www.narwc.org/) Whitehead Lab at Dalhousie University (http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/) Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (Canadian Wildlife Service) Eastern Canada Seabirds at Sea (ECSAS) program (Gjerdrum et al. 2012). References: Gomez, C., Konrad, C.M., Vanderlaan, A., Moors-Murphy, H.B., Marotte, E., Lawson, J.,Kouwenberg, A-L., Fuentes-Yaco, C., Buren, A. 2020. Identifying priority areas toenhance monitoring of cetaceans in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Can. Tech. Rep.Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3370: vi + 103 p. http://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/40869155.pdfGomez C, Lawson J, Kouwenberg A, Moors-Murphy H, Buren A, Fuentes-Yaco C, Marotte E, Wiersma YF, Wimmer T. 2017. Predicted distribution of whales at risk: identifying priority areas to enhance cetacean monitoring in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Endangered Species Research 32:437-458 https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v32/p437-458/Gjerdrum, C., D.A. Fifield, and S.I. Wilhelm. 2012. Eastern Canada Seabirds at Sea (ECSAS) standardized protocol for pelagic seabird surveys from moving and stationary platforms. 31 Canadian Wildlife Service Technical Report Series No. 515. Atlantic Region. vi + 37 p. MacDonald, D., Emery, P., Themelis, D., Smedbol, R.K., Harris, L.E., and McCurdy, Q. 2017. Marine mammal and pelagic animal sightings (Whalesightings) database: a user’s guide. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3244: v + 44 p.