Krill is a generic name for crustaceans of the order Euphausiids, most of which are known to be Thysanoessa raschii and Meganyctiphanes norvegica in eastern Canada. Krill is an important food resource for many marine mammals, in particular the blue whale.The maps show the points of high krill concentration per month from April to November. Each point gives the number of years of high aggregation probability (6 to 10 years). The data were produced from a mathematical model developed in Plourde et al. 2016. The model has allowed to calculate the probability of meeting a strong aggregation of krill over a period of 10 years. High krill aggregations are defined as the 95th percentile of predicted biomass in 10 x 10 km cells covering the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence.Additional Information:Plourde, S., Lehoux, C., McQuinn, I.H., and Lesage, V. (2016). Describing krill distribution in the western North Atlantic using statistical habitat models. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2016/111. v + 34 p.McQuinn, I.H., Gosselin, J.-F., Bourassa, M.-N., Mosnier, A., St-Pierre, J.-F., Plourde, S., Lesage, V., Raymond, A. 2016. The spatial association of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) with krill patches (Thysanoessa spp. and Meganyctiphanes norvegica) in the estuary and northwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2016/104. iv + 19 p. The data are incomplete upstream of Pointe-des-Monts because of the lack of water height anomalies in the area (variable being used to predict aggregations of krill). A less number of years with a high aggregation of krill is thus represented but that should not be interpreted as a less favorable zone compared to areas East of Pointe-des-Monts.

The St. Lawrence Estuary is known as a summer foraging area for several species of marine mammals, including several species of rorquals. Among these is the blue whale, which feeds almost exclusively on euphausiids. Therefore, the abundance, distribution and local density of krill should logically be a strong explanatory variable for the distribution of blue whales. However little is known about the spatial association of blue whales with the aggregation dynamics of krill in eastern Canada. Six years of acoustic surveys, conducted in August from 2009 to 2014, were undertaken to study the medium- and small-scale distribution of krill within the northwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence and estuary. The data shows a mosaic of the maximum annual density of arctic krill (T. raschii) made from these surveys.McQuinn, I.H., Gosselin, J.-F., Bourassa, M.-N., Mosnier, A., St-Pierre, J.-F., Plourde, S., Lesage, V., Raymond, A. 2016. The spatial association of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) with krill patches (Thysanoessa spp. and Meganyctiphanes norvegica) in the estuary and northwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2016/104. iv + 19 p.

The objective of the study was to describe the spatial distribution of krill in eastern Canadian waters using a statistical modelling approach in support of the identification of important habitat for the western North Atlantic (WNA) blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) were used to predict ‘Significant Aggregations of Krill’ (SAK), i.e., areas where dense krill aggregations would have a greater probability of occurring. SAK cover less than 2% of the entire spatial domain and their location varied among krill categories and seasons. These SAK are interpreted as areas where environmental conditions promote krill aggregation on a regular basis and therefore are potentially important for WNA blue whale foraging in eastern Canadian waters.Plourde, S., Lehoux, C., McQuinn, I.H., and Lesage, V. 2016. Describing krill distribution in the western North Atlantic using statistical habitat models. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2016/111. v + 34 p.

Zooplankton samples were collected at Ocean Station "P" (50.0000, -145.0000) from 1956 to 1980, and were analyzed to various levels of taxonomic resolution over the years. Although summaries of these data have been previously published ((LeBrasseur 1965) and (Fulton 1978, 1983)) the detailed species data have never been published. This detailed dataset contains total zooplankton wet weights/m3 for the whole period of 1956 to 1980, as well as densities (numbers/m3) for five major taxa (copepods, chaetognaths, euphausiids, amphipods, and Aglantha) from 1964 to 1967, species identifications, counts and lengths for many samples collected between 1968 to 1980. The attached supporting document (Ocean Station "Papa" detailed zooplankton data: 1956 – 1980) contains information on the methods used to collect and process the data along with descriptions of a number of fairly minor points about the data that were not resolved. It also describes, in detail, the format of the original data files, the corrections/changes that were made to these files in creating this version, and how these errors affect what was published in Fulton (1983).The purpose of this record is to make the detailed data available to the scientific community in an electronic format and to provide a convenient reference for citing the detailed data. Waddell, Brenda J., and Skip McKinnell. 1995. Ocean Station "Papa" detailed zooplankton data:1956 - 1980. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2056: 21 p.

Mean zooplankton biomass (g/m³) at the 46 stations grouped into Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP) transects under Quebec region responsibility.Mean zooplankton wet weights of the last ten years are displayed as 4 layers in june (2013-2022, 2020 not sampled) and 4 layers in november (2013-2022). The 4 layers stand for total zooplankton, mesozooplankton, macrozooplankton and euphausiids. The attached files contain the biomass data: a .png file for each station, showing time series of biomass for the total zooplankton and the euphausiids, and a .csv file containing the data themselves (columns : Station,Date(UTC), Latitude, Longitude, Sounding(m), Depth_max/Profondeur_max(m), Depth_min/Profondeur_min(m), Mesozooplankton/Mésozooplancton(g/m³), Macrozooplankton/Macrozooplancton(g/m³), Zooplankton/Zooplancton(g/m³), Euphausiids/Euphausides(g/m³)).PurposeThe Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP) was implemented in 1998 with the aim of increasing the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) capacity to detect, track and predict changes in the state and productivity of the marine environment.The AZMP collects data from a network of stations composed of high-frequency monitoring sites and cross-shelf sections in each following DFO region: Québec, Gulf, Maritimes and Newfoundland. The sampling design provides basic information on the natural variability in physical, chemical, and biological properties of the Northwest Atlantic continental shelf. Cross-shelf sections sampling provides detailed geographic information but is limited in a seasonal coverage while critically placed high-frequency monitoring sites complement the geography-based sampling by providing more detailed information on temporal changes in ecosystem properties.In Quebec region, two surveys (46 stations grouped into transects) are conducted every year, one in June and the other in autumn in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Historically, 3 fixed stations were sampled more frequently. One of these is the Rimouski station that still takes part of the program and is sampled about weekly throughout the summer and occasionally in the winter period.Annual reports (physical, biological and a Zonal Scientific Advice) are available from the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS), (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/index-eng.htm).Devine, L., Scarratt, M., Plourde, S., Galbraith, P.S., Michaud, S., and Lehoux, C. 2017. Chemical and Biological Oceanographic Conditions in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2015. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2017/034. v + 48 pp.Supplemental InformationZooplankton is sampled by bottom-surface vertical net tow with a conic 202 µm net and preserved in a 4% solution of buffered formaldehyde according to AZMP sampling protocol:Mitchell, M. R., Harrison, G., Pauley, K., Gagné, A., Maillet, G., and Strain, P. 2002. Atlantic Zonal Monitoring Program sampling protocol. Can. Tech. Rep. Hydrogr. Ocean Sci. 223: iv + 23 pp.

A research survey of scallops (mainly sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus, but also Icelandic Scallop Chlamys islandica) using a dredge was carried out by DFO (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) every 1 or 2 years since 1992 in the Magdalen Islands (fishing area 20). The main objective of this research survey was to assess Sea Scallop stocks. Another objective was to document taxa associated with scallop habitat according to a fixed random sampling plan. Occurrences for the year 2021 and 2022 are presented by species (or taxon) by station. Starting in 2021, catches were weighed, and specimens photographed, with information available upon request. The taxonomic and geographical validity of the data was checked and the World Register of Marine Species served as the taxonomic authority for naming all taxa recorded during the survey. Epibenthic invertebrates (mainly molluscs, echinoderms and crustaceans) as well as demersal fish were identified from the dredge catches. The historical dataset is available at the following link : https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/71732ad5-5c70-4dbf-916d-a94e1380c53bThe study area is located south of the Magdalen Islands and the sampling of scallop beds is carried out at depths of generally around 25 to 35 m. A random selection of sampling stations is carried out from a fixed station grid. Sampling is done along transects at these randomly drawn stations in the study area. Sampling is done with a lined Digby scallop dredge (20 mm mesh) over approximately 500 m along the seabed. The four baskets of the dredge are examined for all scallops, and starting in 2022, also for all fishes. One basket (first on the starboard side) is sorted and examined for associated species. Most specimens are counted by taxa. Those that are too small and numerous, or colonial, are noted for presence or relative abundance. Special cases are occasionally conserved for taxonomic analysis, for example, ascidians (to monitor for invasive species) and sponges (to document new species). The availability of photos and some conserved specimens enables future review. Changes are anticipated in the identifications, notably for Bryozoan, Hydrozoa, and Porifera, that are currently the focus of research efforts.

The Okanagan Lake kokanee shore spawner data set is comprised of multiple combined data sets. The historical data sets for the years 1974, 77, 78, 79 and 80 and more recent data sets collected from 2001 to 2016, and 2018. The historical data was derived from information collected in the field and hand drawn onto air photographs. Ministry staff circled Okanagan Lake in a boat one time each year and recorded fish numbers and spawner locations onto air photographs that were digitized in 2006 to make up the historical data set. This data set may not capture the peak reach count for these years. The data collected from 2001 to 2018 was derived from boat counts undertaken along the shoreline of Okanagan, Wood and Kalamalka Lakes. A GPS was used to record shore spawner locations and numbers. Multiple counts were undertaken over the entire spawning cycle and covered the peak spawning period for each year of data provided. The data collected for Christina Lake began in 2003 and ended in 2006. Christina Lake kokanee spawn at night in late December and early January. Kokanee spawning redd locations are available for the 2003/2004 count. Kokanee enumerations were undertaken at night for the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 seasons and spawning redds were counted at the end of spawning cycle. For these two years there is both spawning and redd count data available.

Zooplankton and ichthyoplankton data are archived in the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS) Zooplankton Database. The data available spans from 1980 to 2018 and is an extraction of vertical net hauls as biomass by major taxa collected during surveys conducted in the oceanic and coastal waters of the Northeast Pacific Ocean. The majority of vertical net hauls in this data set were collected from 10 metres above the sea floor or an approximate maximum depth of 250 metres. For further data requests, please use the contact information provided.

Polygons denoting concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations and the area occupied by successive catch weight thresholds was used to identify aggregations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures.These polygons identify sponge grounds from the broader distribution of sponges in the region as sampled by Campelen gear in the Eastern Arctic biogeographic zone. A 40 kg minimum threshold for the sponge catch was identified as the weight that separated the sponge ground habitat from the broader distribution of sponges with these research vessel tow data and gear type.

Polygons denoting concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations and the area occupied by successive catch weight thresholds was used to identify aggregations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures.These polygons identify sponge grounds from the broader distribution of sponges in the region as sampled by Cosmos gear in the Eastern Arctic biogeographic zone. A 40 kg minimum threshold for the sponge catch was identified as the weight that separated the sponge ground habitat from the broader distribution of sponges with these research vessel tow data and gear type.