A research survey on American lobster (Homarus americanus) has been conducted annually in the Magdalen Islands since 1995 to assess the abundance and structure of lobster populations in this area. Starting in 2007, the main objective was modified to include the diversity and abundance of benthic species associated with lobster habitat. Only benthic species data associated with lobster habitat are presented in this dataset.Surveys were generally conducted during the first two weeks of September from 2007 to 2020 on the entire south side of the Magdalen Islands, from Grosse-Île to Havre-Aubert. The sampling plan consists of 70 trawl tows on 50 fixed stations, between 4 and 35 meters in depth. Some stations had double tows. Specimens were collected using a Nephrops-type door trawl with a total width of 3.04 meters consisting of four Vexar™ lined baskets of 19 millimeter mesh size in order to harvest small individuals. Start and end positions were recorded to calculate the distance traveled at each tow using the geosphere library in R. The year 2011 is not included in the dataset, as biodiversity data were not recorded. Since 2017, the average tow distance has been reduced from 1000 meters to 500 meters. The opening of the trawl is also noted every minute throughout the duration of the tow so that the area sampled can be calculated. The area covered in each tow was the product of the trawl opening and the distance traveled.The two files provided (DarwinCore format) are complementary and are linked by the "eventID" key. The "Event_data" file includes generic activity information, including date and location. The "Occurrence" file includes the taxonomy of the observed species, identified to the species or lowest possible taxonomic level. For abundance and biomass estimates, contact Benoît Bruneau (Benoit.Bruneau@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).For quality controls, all taxonomic names were checked against the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) to match recognized standards. The WoRMS match was placed in the "ScientificnameID" field of the occurrence file. Special cases were noted in the "identificationRemarks" field and selected specimens were confirmed with field photos mentioned in "associatedMedia". Data quality checks were performed using the R obistools and WORMS libraries. All sampling locations were spatially validated.

This dataset reports on lobster abundance and individual biological characteristics (size, sex, shell hardness, egg status), along with seabed substrate information, collected at various coastal sites in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Surveys were conducted over a 40-year period between 1982 and 2021. Survey areas and SCUBA dive sites were located around Grand Manan Island, Deer Island, Campobello Island, and along the Bay of Fundy’s New Brunswick shore stretching from Passamaquoddy Bay, east to Maces Bay. One survey area was located on the Bay of Fundy’s southern shore (Nova Scotia) in the Annapolis Basin (Lawton et al. 1995). The data represent a compilation of SCUBA diving surveys (1003 belt transects) conducted directly by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) scientific SCUBA divers (1982-2019), or by contracted commercial divers funded in association with outside collaborating organizations; Department of Fisheries and Agriculture (DFA; 1990 – 1993), the Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association (GMFA; 2013-2015), and the University of New Brunswick (UNB; 2019-2021).Cite this data as: Lawton P, Dinning K, Rochette R, Teed L. American lobster (Homarus americanus) abundance and biological characteristics collected from SCUBA dive surveys in the Bay of Fundy from 1982-2021. Published August 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B.For additional information please see:Campbell, A. 1990. Aggregations of berried lobsters (Homarus americanus) in shallow waters off Grand Manan, eastern Canada. DFO Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 47: 520-523.Denton, C.M. 2020. Maritimes Region Inshore Lobster Trawl Survey Technical Description. DFO Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3376: v + 52 p.Lawton, P. 1993. Salmon aquaculture and the traditional invertebrate fisheries of the Fundy Isles region: habitat mapping and impact definition: Cooperation Agreement on Fisheries and Aquaculture Development. Submitted by Peter Lawton to the New Brunswick Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 84 p. Unpublished monograph. Available from Fisheries and Oceans Canada Library, Dartmouth, NS (Monographs: SH 380.2 .C2 .L39 1992).https://science-catalogue.canada.ca/record=3943769~S6Lawton, P., Robichaud, D.A., and Moisan, M. 1995. Characteristics of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, lobster fishery in relation to proposed marine aquaculture development. DFO Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2035: iii + 26 p.Lawton, P., Robichaud, D.A., Rangeley, R.W., and Strong, M.B. 2001. American Lobster, Homarus americanus, population characteristics in the lower Bay of Fundy (Lobster Fishing Areas 36 and 38) based on fishery independent sampling. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2001/093.Wentworth, C.K. 1922. A Scale of Grade and Class Terms for Clastic Sediments. The Journal of Geology 30(5): 377-392.Dinning, K.M., Lawton, P., and Rochette, R. 2025. Increased use of mud bottom by juvenile American lobsters (Homarus americanus) in Maces Bay and Seal Cove, Bay of Fundy, after three decades of population increases and predator declines. Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences 82; https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2023-0312

In 2015, a spawning ground acoustic survey that follows the design of the fishery-independent acoustic survey was initiated. This survey is the result of a partnership between DFO and fishery associations. The survey design uses random parallel transects within predefined strata. Surveys are conducted by fishermen in the fall fishing season according to protocols developed by DFO. The survey is conducted at night, during the weekend fishery closures except in Herring fishing area 16C and 16E in 2015 to 2017, where this region didn’t have weekend closures. The spawning ground acoustic survey is meant to provide a nightly estimate of spawning biomass among regions. It is analyzed in the same manner as the fishery-independent acoustic survey. The catches from the experimental nets are used to calibrate the spawning group specific target strength in order to obtain the nightly estimates of spawning biomass.

A research survey on American lobster (Homarus americanus) and rock crab (Cancer irroratus) has been carried out annually on the Magdalen Islands since 1995 to assess the abundance and structure of populations in this area. The survey is carried out during the first two weeks of September and covers the southern part of the Magdalen Islands, from "Baie de Plaisance" to "Grande-Entrée", extending slightly eastwards between "Havre-aux-Maisons" and "Grande-Entrée". The survey lasts 8 to 15 days, depending of the weather conditions, and covers a maximum of 48 stations. Approximately half of the stations are surveyed in duplicate (two tows per station). The tows always cover 500 meters, with a slightly variable trawl opening (as explained above), averaging around 10 meters.The gear used is a Nephrops trawl, a benthic trawl originally developed for langoustine fishing in Brittany, but slightly modified to target lobster. The trawl is deployed from the CCGS Leim and the harvested organisms are hauled aboard and sorted. Cephalothorax length, sex and shell stage are recorded for all lobsters. This is supplemented by information on reproductive conditions for certain size classes, and dissections of 25 males and 25 females per mission. Rock crabs are also included in the survey and are counted with additional measurements of shell width, sex and shell condition that are recorded on predetermined stations. For other stations individuals data are collected depending on the time available between trawl hauls.The publication contains 4 files; the "Information_stations" file which contains the data of the stations, the "Data_homard_lobster_survey" file which contains the measurements of each lobster, the "Nombre_crabe_crab_number" file which contains the count of rock crabs, the "Mesure_crabe_crab_measurement" file contains the characteristics measured for each crab. Each of the files can be linked by the "date", "st", "tr" columns. The “bat” column notes the boat code, because the gear is not deployed in the same way on each boat.*This record consist of raw data and quality has not been verifiedAssociated species are identified and semi-quantitatively counted directly on the sorting table, and the results are presented in the following publication: https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/99cb7034-f3d5-4da4-a5bc-e81315cfb8eb

An annual trawl survey is conducted in Southwestern Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy to assess the lobster stocks in the area. The survey is conducted with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center Ecosystem Survey Trawl (NEST), a small mesh trawl with a cod end liner, which ensures the capture of various sizes of lobster. The dimensions and location of the trawl are monitored and recorded throughout the tow using an electronic trawl mensuration system. In addition, water temperature and depth are also monitored. The target tow length is 1 kilometer which is tracked using an Olex marine charting system. Vessel crew, DFO science staff and a contracted at sea observer work together to perform required tasks and collect all relevant data. Catch from each tow is separated by species, weighed and counted. Length frequency data is collected on select groundfish and crab species and detailed morphometric data is collected on each lobster.PARAMETERS COLLECTED:Set information and profile - includes set date, time depth and locationCatch summary - weight and number caught of each speciesLength Freqeuncies - completed for up to 100 fish for selected speciesLobster Morphological Data - detailed data collected on each lobsterBottom TemperatureTrawl MetricsNOTES ON QUALITY CONTROL:Data is visually verified and double keypunched. On loading to Oracle, data is run through rigorous automated checks to verify data accuracy and integrity.SAMPLING METHODS:The target tow length is 1 kilometer which is tracked using an Olex marine charting system. Vessel crew, DFO science staff and a contracted at sea observer work together to perform required tasks and collect all relevant data. Catch from each tow is separated by species, weighed and counted. Length frequency data is collected on select groundfish and crab species, detailed morphometric data is collected on each lobster. Bottom temperature and trawl metrics are collected for each tow.CITATION LIST:Denton, Cheryl M.. 2020. Maritimes Region Inshore Lobster Trawl Survey Technical Description. Canadian technical reports of fisheries and aquatic sciences (DFO) 3376.

Ichthyoplankton surveys were conducted in the Strait of Georgia (British Columbia) during 1979-1981 to ascertain the onset of fish spawning, and to explore distributional pattern and estimate total biomass of fish species.Oblique tows were made using 0.25m2 Bongos equipped with 351 micron Nitex nets of modified SCOR design. All sampling gear was black to minimize potential avoidance and resulting catch bias. The tow procedure generally followed that established by CALCOFI.This dataset contains a compilation of corrected catches of juvenile fishes, fish eggs and fish larvae by station.

Catch, effort, location (latitude, longitude), relative abundance indices, and associated biological data from groundfish multi-species bottom trawl surveys in Strait of Georgia.IntroductionThe Strait of Georgia (SOG) synoptic bottom trawl survey was conducted in 2012 and 2015. This survey is one of a set of long-term and coordinated surveys that together cover the continental shelf and upper slope of most of the British Columbia coast. The other surveys are the Queen Charlotte Sound (QCS) survey, the Hecate Strait (HS) survey, the West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) survey and the West Coast Haida Gwaii (WCHG) survey. The survey was not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives of these surveys are to provide fishery independent abundance indices of all demersal fish species available to bottom trawling and to collect biological samples of selected species. The surveys follow a random depth-stratified design and the sampling units are 2 km by 2 km blocks. The synoptic bottom trawl surveys are conducted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in collaboration with the Canadian Groundfish Research and Conservation Society (CGRCS), a non-profit society composed of participants in the British Columbia commercial groundfish trawl fishery. The Queen Charlotte Sound and West Coast Haida Gwaii surveys are conducted under collaborative agreements, with the CGRCS providing chartered commercial fishing vessels and field technicians, while DFO provides in-kind contributions for running the surveys including personnel and equipment. The Hecate Strait, West Coast Vancouver Island, and Strait of Georgia surveys are conducted by DFO and have typically taken place on a Canadian Coast Guard research vessel. Until 2016 this vessel was the CCGS W.E. Ricker. From 2021 onwards, this vessel was the CCGS Sir John Franklin. In years when a coast guard vessel has not been available, the Hecate Strait, West Coast Vancouver Island, and Strait of Georgia surveys have taken place on chartered industry vessels. Data from these surveys are also presented in the groundfish data synopsis report (Anderson et al. 2019).EffortThis table contains information about the survey trips and fishing events (trawl tows/sets) that are part of this survey series. 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 date, time, location, and depth that fishing took place, as well as information that can be used to calculate fishing effort (duration) and swept area. All successful fishing events are included, regardless of what was caught.CatchThis table contains the catch information from successful fishing events. Catches are identified to species or to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Most catches are weighed, but some are too small (“trace” amounts) or too large (e.g. very large Big Skate). The unique trip identifier and set number are included so that catches can be related to the fishing event information (including capture location).BiologyThis table contains the available biological data for catches which were sampled. Data may include any or all of length, sex, weight, age. Different length types are measured depending on the species. Age structures are collected when possible for species where validated aging methods exist and are archived until required for an assessment; therefore, all existing structures have not been aged at this time. The unique trip identifier and set number are included so that samples can be related to the fishing event and catch information.BiomassThis table contains relative biomass indices of species that have been captured in every survey of the time series. The coefficient of variation and bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals are provided for each index. The groundfish data synopsis report (Anderson et al. 2019) provides an explanation of how the relative biomass indices are derived.

The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section (DFO Science) reviewed the presence of Lobster in the Population Ecology Division (DFO Science) Ecosystem Survey trawls to describe the likelihood of presence. The survey consists of a stratified random design using a bottom trawl. Lobsters are found in few trawls in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan regions, however Lobsters are landed in nearshore areas. Therefore, lobsters are described as being likely present throughout the ARP. This layer was created for consideration in oil spill response planning.A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section.Cite this data as: Lazin, G., Hamer, A.,Corrigan, S., Bower, B., and Harvey, C. Data of: Likelihood of presence of American Lobster in Area Response Planning pilot areas. Published: June 2018. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/47bf4555-ce3c-492f-a367-a6eab1862970

The lobster recruitment project is run by the Fishermen and Scientist Research Society (FSRS) through DFO funding. Fishermen participating in the lobster recruitment project collect information about lobster in their fishing area by fishing 2-5 scientific project traps (SPTs) (fished in fixed locations) within the regular commercial season. The SPTs used in all fishing areas are smaller than commercial traps and designed to primarily catch juvenile lobsters below the legal-size limit.These traps are additional to the vessel's legal number of commercial traps. The lobster recruitment project has more than 120 fishers participating from all LFAs along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia from LFA 27 in Cape Breton to LFA 35 in the Bay of Fundy (excluding LFA 28, who have not participated to-date).The number of fishermen per LFA and number of SPTs per fisherman are decided on by the LFA Advisory Committees. This decision considers how much additional effort they were comfortable having in the LFA (i.e. number of SPTs) and from how many traps each fisher could be reasonably expected to collect data. It is also important to have fishers dispersed enough to maximize study footprint. DFO Science consults on project design. SAMPLING METHODS: The fishers record the number, sex and length of lobsters captured in each SPT, as well as presence of eggs, tags or v-notch. Bottom temperatures are monitored by placing a temperature recorder in one of their SPTs for the entire lobster season.Cite this data as: Tibbets-Scott, S., Zisserson, B. Data of: Fishermen and Scientist Research Society (FSRS) Lobster Recruitment Trap Project. Published: November 2020. Population Ecology Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/a88f9b4d-b59a-44f6-ae7e-d36550266940

A building is a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place. Small buildings have only their location recorded. A 'building to scale' is a structure that has one dimension larger than 50 metres for the 1: 20,000 scale and larger than 30 metres for the 1: 10,000 scale. Their extents are recorded. This product requires the use of geographic information system (GIS) software.