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.

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key cetacean species 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 IA's within ecoregions is used in the designation of EBSA's.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 IA's 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, coral and sponges, fish, geographic features, invertebrates, and other vertebrates.Though data collection is considered complete, the emergence of significant new data may merit revisiting of IA's on a case by case basis.

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key cetacean species in the West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) 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, coral and sponges, fish, geographic features, 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 layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key cetacean species in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA). 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, coral and sponges, fish, geographic features, 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 layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key vertebrate species, other than fish and cetaceans, in the West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) 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, geographic features, and invertebrates.Though data collection is considered complete, the emergence of significant new data may merit revisiting of IAs on a case by case basis.

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key vertebrate species, other than fish and cetaceans, 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 IA's 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, corals and sponges, fish, geographic features, and invertebrates.Though data collection is considered complete, the emergence of significant new data may merit revisiting of IA's on a case by case basis.

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key vertebrate species other than fish and cetaceans in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA). 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, geographic features, and invertebrates.Though data collection is considered complete, the emergence of significant new data may merit revisiting of IAs on a case by case basis.

The Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Unit dataset is comprised of the polygons representing Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Units in Alberta. Alberta Public Safety and Emergency Services, Government of Alberta, manages the Fish and Wildlife enforcement services to provide the public and other government departments' information regarding the locations of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Units throughout the province.

Modeled data showing the likely distribution of gray whales. CRIMS is a legacy dataset of BC coastal resource data that was acquired in a systematic and synoptic manner from 1979 and was intermittently updated throughout the years. Resource information was collected in nine study areas using a peer-reviewed provincial Resource Information Standards Committee consisting of DFO Fishery Officers, First Nations, and other subject matter experts. There are currently no plans to update this legacy data.

Species characterization by environmental DNA (eDNA) is a method that allows the use of DNA released into the environment by organisms from various sources (secretions, faeces, gametes, tissues, etc.). It is a complementary tool to standard sampling methods for the identification of biodiversity. This project provides a list of invertebrates species whose DNA has been detected in water samples collected at 2018 using the marker COI.The surveys were carried out in the summer of 2018 from August 11 to 14, between Forestville and Godbout (Haute-Côte-Nord). Sampling was carried out between 9-52 meters depth in 40 stations with one sample par station. Two liters of water were filtered through a 1.2 µm fiberglass filter. DNA extractions were performed with the DNeasy Blood and Tissue extraction kit (Qiagen). Negative field, extraction and PCR controls were added at the different stages of the protocol. Libraries at the COI locus were prepared by Genome Quebec and sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq PE250 system. The bioinformatics analysis of the sequences obtained was carried out using an in-house analysis pipeline as reported in Bourret et al. 2022. A first step made it possible to obtain a molecular operational taxonomic unit table (MOTU) using the cutadapt software for the removal of the adapters and the DADA2 R package for the filtration, fusion, chimera removal and data compilation. The MOTUs table was subsequently corrected by taking into account the negative controls, where the number of observations in the latter was removed from the linked samples. Singleton MOTUs have also been removed. Finally, the taxonomic assignments were carried out on the MOTUs using the IDTAXA classifier (present in the DECIPHIER R package) using a training set trained on the COI reference bank for Golf St-Laurent (GSL-rl v1.0, https://github.com/GenomicsMLI-DFO/MLI_GSL-rl) and a threshold of 40. Detections with an “Unreliable due to gaps” category were reported at the genus level only.The file provided includes generic activity information, including site, station name, date, marker type, assignment types used for taxa identification, and a list of taxa or species. The list of taxa has been verified by a biodiversity expert from the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute.This project was funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Coastal Environmental Baseline Data Program under the Oceans Protection Plan. This initiative aims to acquire baseline environmental data that contributes to the characterization of significant coastal areas and supports evidence-based assessments and management decisions to preserve marine ecosystems.Data are also available on SLGO platform : https://doi.org/10.26071/ogsl-cd4c205b-f63b