Layer that includes the known information on harbor seal breeding and feeding areas in the Saguenay Fjord, the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence according to a literature review of documents produced between 1968 and 2001.Additional InformationHarbor seal breeding and feeding areas were produced according to a literature review of the following documents: Andersen, A. et M. Gagnon. 1980. Les ressources halieutiques de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent. Rapp. can. ind. sci. halieut. aquat., 119: iv + 56 p.Communications personnelles par Fournier, C. 1999.Communications personnelles par Gosselin, J-F-. 1996.Communications personnelles par Gosselin. J.-F. 2001.Communications personnelles par Lavigueur, L. 1996.Dignard, N., R. Lalumière, A. Reed et M. Julien. 1991. Les habitats côtiers du nord-est de la Baie James. Publication hors-série no. 70. Environnement Canada, Service canadien de la faune. 30 p. + carte.Enquête auprès des pêcheurs et agents du MEF et du MPO. 1995.Mansfield, A. W. 1968. Seals and walruses. In: Beals, C.S., ed. Science, History and Hudson Bay. Vol. 1. Ottawa: Queen’s Printer. 501 p.

Most of the data were collected during aerial surveys carried out at low tides during June and August 1994-1997, 2000 and 2001. June and August are respectively pupping and moulting seasons, when the haulout sites are intensively used by seals. Features in this layer show the Harbour seal distribution and the mean abundance for all aerial surveys (tables 3 and 5, figures 3 and 5 from Robillard et al. 2005). In the estuary, areas of high abundance have more than 30 individuals, areas of medium abundance have between 10 and 30 individuals and areas of low abundance have fewer than 10 individuals. In the Gulf, areas of high abundance have more than 50 individuals and areas of medium to low abundance have fewer than 50 individuals. Unpublished data obtained from Parks Canada and Sepaq were also used to identify important haulout areas in the Saguenay Fjord sector and in Pointe-aux-Vaches tidal flat sectors, which have been categorized in this dataset as high abundance areas.Data are valid only during summer (except for the Pointe-aux-Vaches flats identified as mainly frequented in autumn by Parc Canada), because spring and fall distributions of the Harbour seal are unknown. Data shown in the Estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence are a picture of the situation in 2005 because it is the most recent mapping available for this specie. The distribution of the Harbour seal is non-uniform among the different concentration areas but is similar between June and August. However, Harbour seals tend to decrease their presence along the south shore and the Lower Estuary in August to the benefit of the Saguenay River colonies. Abundance classes are arbitrary but fit with the published results of haulout site utilization from Robillard et al. (2005).Data sources :Parks Canada. 2021. Personal communication. Harbor seal monitoring data on the Pointe-aux-Vaches tidal flat. Parks Canada and SÉPAQ, 2020. Données du suivi du phoque commun dans le fjord du Saguenay. Unpublished data.Robillard, A., V. Lesage, and M.O. Hammill. 2005. Distribution and abundance of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina concolor) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, 1994–2001. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2613: 152 pp.

To estimate Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) pup production, photographic aerial surveys were conducted of the major Grey Seal breeding colonies in Canadian waters. The last survey was completed in January 2021. A total of 72,209 pups were counted on digital imagery from Sable Island, the largest breeding colony. Reconnaissance flights found no new colonies along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Pup developmental stage surveys were undertaken on the ground or from helicopter at the seven largest breeding colonies to describe the birth distribution and correct the pup count for the estimate of pups born after the aerial photographic survey. The estimated number of pups born on Sable Island was 76,600 (SE = 2,900) and for Coastal Nova Scotia was 4,700 (SE = 550). For Sable Island, this is the first estimate of pup production since the 1960s that has not been a significant increase. Sable Island accounts for 77.5% of total pup production in Canada, and the change in trend in pup production on Sable Island is reflected in the trend in total pup production. Pup production in the Gulf of St. Lawrence continues to fluctuate with little evidence of trend over the past several decades, while at the more recently-established breeding colonies in southwest Nova Scotia, pup production continues to increase.In February 2026, the time series of grey seal pup production estimates for Maritimes Region was made open source. The open data was set up with no abbreviations or codes and restricted to just Maritimes Region. Notably there are counts in the dataset provided not linked to specific breeding colonies, for the miscellaneous locations the latitude and longitude are for roughly center of the colonies or region.Cite this data as: den Heyer., C. Data of Grey Seal Pup Production in Canadian Water. Published: April 2026. Ocean Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/ea8962b2-0d75-4500-a3de-d631a1e5308f

Location of Harbour Seal haulout locations in coastal BC waters. 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.

The initial objective of this dataset was to study the seasonal movement patterns of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Sable Island. This study was part of a larger program that studied the foraging behavior of the species.Ten harbour seals were captured using gillnets from 1994 to 1998 at three sites in the St. Lawrence Estuary (Bic, n=1 individual; île Blanche, n=1; Métis-sur-Mer, n=5) and one site on Sable Island (n=3 individuals). The individuals were equipped with a satellite-linked time-depth recorder (Type3.10, Wildlife Computers) equipped with an Argos tag and placed on the back of the neck. For most individuals, satellite tracking began in September and continued until the following spring. Seasonal dive patterns for these same individuals are available in the following publication: Seasonal dive patterns of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) from the St. Lawrence Estuary and Sable Island, 1994 – 1998 https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/b4812613-4cdd-4fdc-b8bc-5e08ffc87eb6The dataset consists of series of geographic locations of ten harbor seals with associated dates and times and movement speeds calculated from successive locations.The location data were only filtered based on the validity class provided by Argos. Class Z locations were excluded.

Likelihood of Presence of Harbour Seal in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan. The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section (DFO Science) reviewed science sources and local knowledge sources to estimate where Harbour seals are seasonally present and delineate these areas. As of March 2017, this dataset delineates the presence of Harbour seals in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury areas of Nova Scotia designated within the Area Response Planning (ARP), identified under the World Class Tanker Safety System (WCTSS) initiative, based on the Transport Canada Response Organizations Standards.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 Harbour Seal 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/5bbc1575-4267-44fa-ae35-ee08cc2af8fb

Layer that includes the known information on potential haul-out sites for the harbour seal and gray seal in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence according to a literature review of documents produced between 1978 and 2000.Additional InformationPotential haul-out sites for the harbor seal and gray seal were produced according to a literature review of the following documents:Andersen, A. et M. Gagnon. 1980. Les ressources halieutiques de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent. Rapp. can. ind. sci. halieut. aquat., 119: iv + 56 p.Argus Groupe-Conseil inc. 1992. Synthèse et analyse des connaissances relatives aux ressources naturelles du Saguenay et de l'estuaire maritime du Saint-Laurent. Parc marin du Saguenay. Service canadien des parcs, région du Québec.Biorex. 1995. Cartographie des ressources halieutiques et de leurs habitats dans l'estuaire moyen du Saint-Laurent. Rapport au ministère des Pêches et des Océans, Région du Québec, Division de la gestion de l'habitat du poisson. 36 p. + annexes. Biorex. 1996. Base de données géoréférencées sur les ressources halieutiques et leurs habitats : estuaire maritime du Saint-Laurent et fjord du Saguenay. Rapport au ministère des Pêches et des Océans, Région du Québec, Division de la gestion de l'habitat du poisson. Volume 1 : 38 p. + annexes et Volume 2 : 34 p. + annexes.Chevrier, V. 1994. Cartographie des habitats du poisson aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Rapport technique no. 1. Réalisé en collaboration avec le M.P.O., Attention Frag'Îles et la M.R.C. des Îles-de-la-Madeleine. 24 p. + 1 ann. + 36 cartes.Comité de la zone d'intervention prioritaire (ZIP) de la Côte-Nord du golfe. 1999. Inventaire des habitats côtiers et marins sensibles de la Basse-Cote-Nord : Rapport final, présenté à Pêches et Océans Canada par le Comité ZIP Côte-Nord du Golfe. 126 p.Comité de protection de la santé et de l'environnement de Gaspé inc. (C.P.S.E.G.). 1996.Communication personnelle par Carol Fournier, MPO. 1999. Communications personnelles par Gosselin, J-F-. 1996. Desaulniers, J. 1989. Étude des populations de pinnipèdes de l'Archipel-de-Mingan et relation entre l'activité de chasse au phoque et la sécurité publique 1987 à 1989. Parcs Canada. Région du Québec. Service de la conservation des ressources naturelles.Enquêtes auprès des pêcheurs. 1995.Lavigne, P.-J. 1978. La chasse estivale du phoque dans le Saint-Laurent. Rapport non publié. 65 p. Pêches et Océans Canada, Région du Québec.Lesage, Véronique. 2000. Communication personnel.Lesage, V., M. O. Hammill, and K.M. Kovacs. 1995. Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) and Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) abundance in the St. Lawrence estuary. Can. Manuscr. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2307: iii + 19 p.Naturam Environnement inc. 1996. Caractérisation physique et biologique de l'habitat du poisson du secteur de Pointe-aux-Outardes. Realisé pour le compte de la Corporation du Parc régional de Pointe-aux-Outardes. 196 p.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada (Northern Contaminants program) have been working with Nunavut community Hunters and Trappers Organizations and theNunavut Wildlife Management Board consistently since 1980 to collect samples from harvested ringed seals. The majority of seals were measured in the field by Inuit hunters who recorded date of kill, sex and blubber depth at sternum (0.5 cm). The data from the harvested animals are used to evaluate stressors and overall seal health, in the Canadian Arctic.

Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) are found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. They are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as those of the Baltic and North Seas. In Canada, they may be found off the coastal waters of British Columbia, Nunavut, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.Population trends and abundance of harbour seals in British Columbia are assessed based on aerial surveys conducted during 1966-2019. Based on counts conducted in Index Areas distributed throughout the province, the trend observed in the Strait of Georgia appears to be generally indicative of harbour seal populations throughout British Columbia. Total abundance of harbour seals on the B.C. coast in 2008 was estimated to be on the order of about 105,000 (95% confidence interval of 90,900 to 118,900) seals. Total abundance was re-estimated in 2022 (estimate and CI pending completion of CSAS process). Historic reconstructions indicate the population was depleted by a period of commercial harvesting during 1879-1914, and subsequently maintained below natural levels by predator control programs until the early 1960s. Already depleted, the population could not sustain a second period of intense commercial harvesting during 1962-1968 and was further depleted, but now appears to have fully recovered.

This layer represents the Harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) distribution. During the summer, the Harp seal is in Arctic and it migrates south of its distribution range during the fall. It migrates back to the Arctic after the moulting period which occurs in April and May.Reference:DFO. 2020. 2019 Status of Northwest Atlantic Harp Seals, Pagophilus groenlandicus. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2020/020.