PURPOSE:To track juvenile Atlantic salmon densities.DESCRIPTION:Indices of freshwater production are derived annually from electrofishing surveys in the Miramichi River of New Brunswick. Juvenile salmon abundances at sites, in terms of number of fish per habitat area sampled by age or size group (densities), are obtained using successive removal sampling or catch per unit effort sampling calibrated to densities. Sampling intensities vary among years and among rivers. PARAMETERS COLLECTED:Species counts (ecological); point (spatial).USE LIMITATION:To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

PURPOSE:To track juvenile Atlantic salmon densities.DESCRIPTION:Indices of freshwater production are derived annually from electrofishing surveys in the rivers of Nova Scotia flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Fixed site sampling for juvenile salmon has been conducted most consistently since the mid-1980s for these rivers. Juvenile salmon abundances at sites, in terms of number of fish per habitat area sampled by age or size group (densities), are obtained using successive removal sampling or catch per unit effort sampling calibrated to densities. Sampling intensities vary among years and among rivers.PARAMETERS COLLECTED:distribution (ecological); species counts (ecological); point (spatial)USE LIMITATION:To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

PURPOSE:To monitor juvenile Atlantic salmon densities over time.DESCRIPTION:Indices of freshwater production for Atlantic salmon are derived annually from electrofishing surveys in the Restigouche River system of New Brunswick. Fixed-site sampling has been conducted consistently in the Restigouche system since the early 1970s. Juvenile Atlantic salmon abundances at sites, divided by age or size group and reported in terms of number of fish per habitat area sampled (density), are obtained using successive removal sampling or catch per unit effort sampling (which is calibrated using successive removal sampling data). Sampling intensities vary among years and among tributaries.This dataset comprises raw data on all fish captured and effort invested in the course of monitoring juvenile Atlantic salmon in the Restigouche watershed, New Brunswick, from 1972 to 2020. Sampling was focused on habitat suitable for Atlantic salmon, and capture of any other species was incidental. PARAMETERS COLLECTED:Distribution (ecological); species counts (ecological); fish lengths (biological); fish weights (biological); point (spatial).USE LIMITATION:To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

PURPOSE:To monitor juvenile Atlantic salmon densities over time.DESCRIPTION:Indices of freshwater production are derived annually from electrofishing surveys in Southeast New Brunswick. Juvenile Atlantic salmon abundances at sites, divided by age or size group and reported in terms of number of fish per habitat area sampled (density), are obtained using successive removal sampling or catch per unit effort sampling (which is calibrated using successive removal sampling data). Sampling intensities vary among years and among rivers.This dataset comprises raw data on all fish captured and effort invested in the course of monitoring juvenile Atlantic salmon in Southeast, New Brunswick, from 1974 to 2024. Sampling was focused on habitat suitable for Atlantic salmon, and capture of any other species was incidental. PARAMETERS COLLECTED:Distribution (ecological); species counts (ecological); fish lengths (biological); fish weights (biological); point (spatial).USE LIMITATION:To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

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.

In 2018 and 2019 Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted a project to relocate American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) from Port Dalhousie Harbour to mitigate potential impacts of in-water construction prior to and during an essential harbour revitalization project. American Eel are designated as Endangered under the Province of Ontario’s Endangered Species Act and were confirmed to be present in the area during initial sampling efforts of this project. While a combination of passive eel traps and boat electrofishing were used to capture eels, this dataset includes passive capture data only. A total of four eels were captured using eel traps and all individuals were relocated to Hamilton Harbour. Only two of the four eels captured were large enough to be tagged with acoustic transmitters, both of which eventually returned to Port Dalhousie from Hamilton Harbour. All other fish species captured in the traps were identified, counted and released at Port Dalhousie.

These data sets provide information pertaining to abundant taxa including bottom-dwelling shrimp and fish along trawling and trapping transects in Simoom Sound at November, 2000, and February, 2001. Data sets were compiled and formatted by Meagan Mak.Abstract from report:This study is a component of a larger project designed to compare the effects of shrimp trawling and trapping gear on shrimp, fish and the benthic habitat of Simoom Sound located in Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada. Otter-trawling, beam-trawling, and trapping took place in three distinct experiment blocks of the central seabed of the Sound. In turn, each block consisted of replicate transects, where a towed submersible video-camera surveyed shrimp and fish before and after trawling. Video surveys were deployed only before trapping. From the video surveys, we determined the abundance of common shrimp taxa and fish.

Bivalve aquaculture has direct and indirect effects on plankton communities, which are highly sensitive to short-term (seasonal, interannual) and long-term climate changes, although how these dynamics alter aquaculture ecosystem interactions is poorly understood. Here, we investigate seasonal patterns in plankton abundance and community structure spanning several size fractions from 0.2 µm up to 5 mm, in a deep aquaculture embayment in northeast Newfoundland, Canada. Using flow cytometry and FlowCam imaging, we observed a clear seasonal relationship between fraction sizes driven by water column stratification (freshwater input, nutrient availability, light availability, water temperature). Plankton abundance decreased proportionally with increasing size fraction, aligning with size spectra theory. Within the bay, greater mesozooplankton abundance, and a greater relative abundance of copepods, was observed closest to the aquaculture lease. No significant spatial effect was observed for phytoplankton composition. While the months of August to October showed statistically similar plankton composition and size spectra slopes (i.e., food chain efficiency) and could be used for interannual variability comparisons of plankton composition, sampling for longer periods could capture long-term phenological shifts in plankton abundance and composition related to various processes, including climate change. Conclusions provide guidance on optimal sampling to monitor and assess aquaculture pathways of effects.Cite this data as: Sharpe H, Lacoursière-Roussel A, Gallardi D (2024). Ecological insight of seasonal plankton succession to monitor shellfish aquaculture ecosystem interactions. Version 3.2. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Sampling event dataset. https://doi.org/10.25607/2ujdvh

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

Fishing event (e.g., day, time, location, catch effort), and associated biological data from the Standardized Inlet Survey component of the annual Sablefish Research and Assessment Survey on the British Columbia coast.IntroductionDFO and the Canadian Sablefish Association undertake a collaborative fishery-independent annual research survey under a joint agreement. The survey employs longline trap gear to obtain catch rate data, gather biological samples, capture oceanographic measurements, and collect tag release and recapture data.Data summaries are provided here for standardized sets conducted at fixed stations within mainland inlets. The design of the sablefish survey has developed over time by incorporating and discontinuing components, including individual experimental studies (not available on OpenData). This Standardized Inlet Survey component differs in methodology from the other two survey components: (1) Offshore stratified random survey (2003 – present; available on OpenData using link below), and(2) Standardized trap survey – offshore indexing and offshore tagging (1990 – 2010; not yet available on OpenData). For the Standardized Inlet Survey, sets are allocated to five specific polygons in each of the following four inlet areas: Portland Inlet, Gil Island, Finlayson Channel, and Dean/Burke Channel. All four inlets were surveyed consistently between 2003 and 2019. No inlets were surveyed in 2020, and a single inlet was surveyed each year since 2021. Survey procedures are standardized and documented in Canadian Technical Reports of Fisheries and Aquatic sciences.Data tables provided for the Standardized Inlet Survey include (i) Effort, (ii) Catch, and (iii) Biological Information.Inlet EffortThis table contains information about annual survey trips and fishing events (sets). Trip-level information includes the year the survey took place, a unique trip identifier, the vessel that conducted the survey and the trip start and end dates (the dates the vessel was away from the dock conducting the survey). Set-level information includes the inlet name, date, time, location and depth that fishing took place, soak time, and number of traps deployed. All successful fishing events are included, where successful sets are those that met survey design specifications.Inlet CatchThis table contains the catch information from successful fishing events. Catch is identified to species or to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Catch is recorded as fish counts and / or weight. The unique trip identifier and set number are included so that catches can be related to the fishing event information (including capture location) for each set.Inlet Biological InformationThis table contains the biological data for sampled catches. Data may include any or all of length, weight, sex, maturity and age. Most of the sampled catch is Sablefish; however, some biological information has been collected for other species. Age structures are collected and are archived until required for analyses; therefore, all existing structures have not been aged. Tissue samples (usually a fin clip) may be collected for genetic (DNA) analysis for specific species. Tissue samples may be archived until required for analysis; for more information please see the data contacts. The unique trip identifier and set number are included so that samples can be related to the fishing event and catch information.