Pelagic Marine Ecounits are intended to describe the sea surface and water column. Two variables were selected to derive pelagic ecounits:1. Salinity and 2. Stratification. The British Columbia Marine Ecological Classification (BCMEC) is a hierarchical classification that delineates Provincial marine areas into Ecozones, Ecoprovinces, Ecoregions and Ecosections. The classification was developed from previous Federal and Provincial marine ecological classifications which were based on 1:2,000,000 scale information. The BCMEC has been developed for marine and coastal planning, resource management and a Provincial marine protected areas strategy. A new, smaller level of classification termed ecounits developed using 1:250,000 scale depth, current, exposure, subsurface relief and substrate was created to verify the larger ecosections, and to delineate their boundaries. 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.

This data record contains a digitized map reproduced from the original Passamaquoddy Marine Resource Pilot Study - 1982 Fisheries. The original map was produced by the Maritime Resource Management Service, using its GEO-BASED SYSTEM: an automated geographic information system used to create data bases and to manipulate and plot information for numerous natural resource applications. The original map is a product of the GEO-BASED SYSTEM and a conventional phot mechanical process. The fisheries information was extracted from a marine data base gathered by A.C.R.I.C. on behalf of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Parks Canada adn the New Brunswick Department of Fisheries, encompassing the Passamaquoddy region of the Bay of Fundy.Cite this data as: Maritime Resource Management Service 1982. Passamaquoddy Fisheries Marine Pilot Study -1982. Atlantic Coastal Resource Information Centre, Amherst, NS. Published: June 2026. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS.

CMIST is a peer-reviewed screening-level risk assessment tool for marine invasive species (Drolet et al. 2016). It is a short questionnaire that follows the invasion process from arrival to impact and is designed so an informed assessor can evaluate one species in an assessment area in approximately one day using easily accessible information from internet databases, primary literature, and grey literature. Species can be those with an invasion history in an area or those that are candidates for future invasions.CMIST is score-based and incorporates both likelihood and impact of invasion as well as uncertainty. Questions are general to make CMIST broadly applicable to different taxa, different assessment areas, and different project goals. To date, CMIST has been tested with molluscs, tunicates, crustaceans, and polychaetes introduced or at risk of introduction to three Canadian marine ecoregions (DFO 2009). CMIST has also been successfully applied to non-indigenous freshwater fish in British Columbia with adapted guidelines (T. Therriault, pers. comm.). Upon completion, CMIST produces a risk score adjusted for the assessor’s uncertainty which, combined with information collected during the assessment, can be used to assist in management decisions. For example, in 2015, CMIST assessments were used to identify high risk invaders in three Canadian marine ecoregions (DFO 2016).

In 2016-17, DFO Maritimes Region undertook a Marine Protected Area (MPA) network analysis for the Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy Bioregion. The analysis considered available bioregional-scale ecological and human use data in an effort to identify a draft MPA network design that would protect biodiversity while minimizing any potential impacts on commercial fishing and other industries. The data layers used for the offshore component of the MPA network analysis are provided here. These layers are not presented in their original forms and were modified (e.g. clipped, reclassified, etc.) specifically for use in the MPA network analysis. They should not be used for any other purpose. Please see Serdynska et al. 2021 for details on how each layer was created.Serdynska, A.R., Pardy, G.S., and King, M.C. 2021. Offshore Ecological and Human Use Information considered in Marine Protected Area Network Design in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3382: xi + 100 p. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2021/mpo-dfo/Fs97-6-3382-eng.pdfCite this data as: Serdynska, A.R., Pardy, G.S., and King, M.C. Data of: Offshore Ecological and Human Use Information considered in Marine Protected Area Network Design in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion. Published: January 2022. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/2d9cce9a-d634-4b49-879f-87c40c52acf2

Basic biological data for all fish caught during the 2012 BSMFP expedition. Includes identification, weight, length (total, fork, and, standard), liver weight, gonad weight, sex and maturity level.

Marine classification schemes based on abiotic surrogates often inform regional marine conservation planning in lieu of detailed biological data. However, theses chemes may poorly represent ecologically relevant biological patterns required for effective design and management strategies. We used a community-level modeling approach to characterize and delineate representative mesoscale (tens to thousands of kilometers) assemblages of demersal fish and benthic invertebrates in the North-west Atlantic. Hierarchical clustering of species occurrence data from four regional annual multispecies trawl surveys revealed three to six groupings (predominant assemblage types) in each survey region, broadly associated with geomorphic and oceanographic features. Indicator analyses identified 3–34 emblematic taxa of each assemblage type. Random forest classifications accurately predicted assemblage dis-tributions from environmental covariates (AUC > 0.95) and identified thermal limits (annual minimum and maximum bottom temperatures) as important pre-dictors of distribution in each region. Using forecasted oceanographic conditions for the year 2075 and a regional classification model, we projected assemblage dis-tributions in the southernmost bioregion (Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy) under ahigh emissions climate scenario (RCP 8.5). Range expansions to the north eastare projected for assemblages associated with warmer and shallower waters of the Western Scotian Shelf over the 21st century as thermal habitat on the rela-tively cooler Eastern Scotian Shelf becomes more favorable. Community-level modeling provides a biotic-informed approach for identifying broadscale ecolog-ical structure required for the design and management of ecologically coherent, representative, well-connected networks of Marine Protected Areas. When com-bined with oceanographic forecasts, this modeling approach provides a spatial tool for assessing sensitivity and resilience to climate change, which can improve conservation planning, monitoring, and adaptive management.Cite this data as: O'Brien, J.M., Stanley, R.R.E., Jeffery, N.W., Heaslip, S.W., DiBacco, C., and Wang, Z. Demersal fish and benthic invertebrate assemblages in the Northwest Atlantic.Published: December 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS.https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/14d55ea5-b17d-478c-b9ee-6a7c04439d2b

This dataset provides marine bacteriological water quality data for bivalve shellfish harvest areas in New Brunswick, Canada. Shellfish harvest area water temperature and salinity data are also provided as adjuncts to the interpretation of fecal coliform density data. The latter is the indicator of fecal matter contamination monitored annually by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) within the framework of the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP). The geospatial positions of the sampling sites are also provided. These data are collected by ECCC for the purpose of making recommendations on the classification of shellfish harvest area waters. ECCC recommendations are reviewed and adopted by Regional Interdepartmental Shellfish Committees prior to regulatory implementation by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).This dataset is 'Deprecated'. Please use updated source here.https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/6417332a-7f37-49bd-8be9-ce0402deed2a

Benthic Marine Ecounits in coastal and offshore British Columbia. Benthic ecounits are intended to describe the sea bed and nearshore. Seven variables were selected to derive benthic ecounits: 1. Depth; 2. Slope; 3. Relief; 4. Temperature; 5. Exposure; 6. Current and 7. Substrate. 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.

Data layers show commercial fishery footprints for directed fisheries using bottom and pelagic longlines for groundfish and large pelagics respectively, and traps for hagfish, LFA 41 and Grey Zone lobster, snow crab, and other crab on the Scotian Shelf, the Bay of Fundy, and Georges Bank in NAFO Divisions 4VWX and Canadian portions of 5Y and 5Z. Bottom longline and trap fishery maps aggregate commercial logbook effort (bottom longline soak time and logbook entries) per 2-minute grid cell using 2002–2017 data. Pelagic longline maps aggregate speed-filtered vessel monitoring system (VMS) track lines as vessel minutes per km2 on a base-10 log scale using 2003–2018 data. The following data layers are included in the mapping service for use in marine spatial planning and ecological risk assessment: 1) multi-year and quarterly composite data layers for bottom longline and trap gear, and 2) multi-year and monthly composite data layers for pelagic longline gear. Additional details are available online: S. Butler, D. Ibarra and S. Coffen-Smout, 2019. Maritimes Region Longline and Trap Fisheries Footprint Mapping for Marine Spatial Planning and Risk Assessment. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3293: v + 30 p. http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2019/mpo-dfo/Fs97-6-3293-eng.pdf

The Coastal Biodiversity Trawl Survey for the Passamaquoddy Bay was conducted annually between July to October from 2009 to 2019. This survey was intended to monitor long-term change in local species presence, habitat utilization, and health. The sampling activities support coastal research in fisheries, aquaculture, marine protected areas, and ecosystem change. Data collected prior to 2013 are generally not recommended for comparative analysis due to changes in vessel, sampling effort, and protocols.For additional information please see:- Cooper, J.A. and Blanchard, M.J. 2016. Coastal Biodiversity Trawl of the Passamaquoddy BayArea: 2009 to 2014. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3176: xi+52 p.