In 2022, the federal government launched the second phase of the Oceans Protection Plan, a vast interdepartmental program designed to enhance marine safety in Canada by improving our ability to prevent and respond to marine incidents. For the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), this means filling gaps in our knowledge of marine and coastal bird species. In order to identify these gaps for the province of Quebec, we carried out a prioritization exercise in 2022 and concluded that major efforts needed to be made in the Nunavik marine region, since data were lacking in several sectors and for several species. Understanding the vulnerability of wildlife species over time and space will help us, among other things, to assess risks and act quickly and appropriately in the event of incidents affecting the marine environment, such as an oil spill or shipwreck. Another important objective of the Oceans Protection Plan is to implement sustainable partnerships with the Inuit in order to share our respective knowledge of migratory birds, develop joint projects and support Inuit-led marine bird projects.It is in this context that ground surveys of marine bird nests on the islands of Nunavik are being carried out by the CWS, in collaboration with Nunavimmiut. The main objective of these surveys is to update available data on the abundance and distribution of nesting seabirds in this area, particularly Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima). On each island visited, a team follows transects distributed from one end to the other and across the entire width of the island, in order to obtain complete and systematic coverage of the island and to count all the nests present. The spacing between transects can vary according to the size of the island, its topography and the density of nests present. This database provides access to the survey results and shows, for each island surveyed, the number of nests of each species present. In the case of the Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle), since nests are very difficult to find, it is rather the number of adults present around the island that is reported. Finally, in some cases, notably for gulls (Larus spp.), if no nests were found, but adults were observed on or around the island, then a number of adult individuals was reported.

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.

Records of marine mammal sightings (N = 5,324) collected by ASOs and submitted to Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) between 1979-2024, across three DFO regions: the Arctic, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Maritimes. Methods for initial data compilation are provided in the associated technical report "Marine mammal records collected by the at-sea observer (ASO) program in Arctic, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Maritimes regions: a summary of challenges and opportunities for future research." Cite this data as: Feyrer, L.J., Colbourne, N., Lawson, J.W., Moors-Murphy, H.B., Ferguson, S. Dataset update to Marine mammal records collected by the At-Sea Observer program in Arctic, Newfoundland and Labrador and Maritimes regions. Published: February 2025. Ocean Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S.

As part of the Musquash Marine Protected Area (MPA) Monitoring Plan, this project was implemented to establish a baseline for infaunal biodiversity for this area. Data collection began in 2010 and contributed monitoring information for productivity, biodiversity, and habitat indicators within the Musquash Harbour. A 1500 cubic centimetre ponar benthic grab was deployed at 30 random stations distributed over three strata (channel, intertidal and subtidal). Samples were to be collected up to three times per year to account for seasonality and annual variation. Once collected the benthic samples were analyzed for changes in grain size, carbon content (Loss on ignition), species abundance/diversity and biomass.Cite this data as: Cooper, J.A., and Blanchard, M. Musquash Benthic Infauna. Published in September 2023. Coastal Ecosystem Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, NB.For additional information please see:Cooper, A., Abbott, M., Allard, K., Chang,, B., Courtenay, S., Doherty, P., Greenlaw, M., Ipsen, E., Koropatnick, T., Law, B., Losier, R., Martin, J., Methven, D., and Page, F. 2014. Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area (MPA): Data Assessment. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2014/001. v + 57 p.Cooper, J.A., Jones, O. and Blanchard, M. 2023. Review of Baseline Monitoring within the Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2023/028. viii + 56 p.Oceans and Coastal Management Division (OCMD). 2015. Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area Ecosystem Monitoring Plan (2014-2019). Can. Manuscr. Rep. Fish Aquat. Sci. 3077: v+17 pp.DFO. 2022. 2021 Review of Musquash Marine Protected Area Monitoring. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2022/016.

The Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR) is a contribution program that focuses on providing funding for recovery and threat mitigation activities in nine priority places and to address two marine threats to aquatic species at risk. The Priority Places and Marine Threats layer supports CNFASAR by delineating the location of the places and threats.The Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR) supports applicants in the design and delivery of stewardship projects. These projects support the recovery and protection of aquatic species at risk. DFO has identified 2 priority marine threats and 9 priority places as the focus for projects funded by CNFASAR, these areas are included in this dataset.

The layer presents the information on the distribution of eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in James Bay, Chaleur Bay, Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence according to a literature review of documents produced between 1987 and 2009. Additional InformationEelgrass's inventory was produced according to a literature review of the following documents:Calderón, I. 1996. Caractérisation de la végétation et de la faune ichtyenne de la baie de Sept-Îles. Document réalisé par la Corporation de protection de l'environnement de Sept-Îles pour Pêches et Océans Canada. 26p. + 5 annexes.Comité côtier Les Escoumins à la Rivière Betsiamites. 2004. Inventaire de localisation des bancs de zostère marine dans la zone côtière Les Escoumins à la rivière Betsiamites. 9 p.Comité ZIP Côte-Nord du Golfe. 2001. Inventaire du potentiel côtier et marin de la Basse-Côte-Nord. Version préliminaire de rapport sous forme de CD-ROM, Sept-Îles, mars 2001.Comité ZIP de la rive nord de l’estuaire. 2008. Guide d’intervention en matière de protection et de mise en valeur des habitats littoraux d’intérêt de la rive nord de l’estuaire maritime (fiches 14 à 20). 8 p. + 7 fiches + annexe.Conseil Régional de l’Environnement Gaspésie et des Îles-de-la-Madeleine (2004). Inventaire et étude des bancs de zostère marine sur le territoire couvert par les comités de gestion intégrée de la zone côtière de l’Est du Québec. CONSORTIUM GAUTHIER & GUILLEMETTE - G.R.E.B.E. 1992. Description et cartographie des habitats côtiers de la Baie de Hannah jusqu'à la rivière au Castor. Rapport présenté à Hydro-Québec, Complexe Nottaway-Broadback-Rupert (NBR), Vol. 2, Annexe cartographique.Giguère, M., C. Duluc, S. Brulotte, F. Hazel, S. Pereira et M. Gaudet. 2006. Inventaire d’une population d'huître américaine (Crassostrea virginica) dans le Bassin aux Huîtres aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine en 2005. Rapport manuscrit. vi + 21 p.Grant, C. et L. Provencher, 2007. Caractérisation de l’habitat et de la faune des herbiers de Zostera marina (L.) de la péninsule de Manicouagan (Québec). Rapp. tech. can. sci. halieut. aquat. 2772 : viii + 65 p. Groupe Environnement Littoral. 1992. Complexe NBR. La zostère marine. Rapport présenté à la vice-présidence Environnement d'Hydro-Québec. 9 p. + 2 cartes.Harvey, C. et D. Brouard. 1992. Étude exploratoire du barachois de Chandler: aspects biophysiques et contamination. Rapport présenté à Environnement Canada, Direction de la protection de l'environnement région du Québec. 39 p. et annexes.Hazel, François, 2002. Données de terrain prises par F. Hazel, Septembre 2002.Ellefsen, H.-F. 2009. Communication personnelle de Hans-Frédéric Ellefsen (MPO).Jacquaz et coll. 1990. Étude biophysique de l'habitat du poisson de quatre barachois de la baie des Chaleurs.Kedney, G. et P. Kaltenback. 1996. Acquisition de connaissances et mise en valeur des habitats du banc de Portneuf. Document réalisé par la firme Pro Faune pour le Comité touristique de Rivière-Portneuf. 50 pages et 5 annexes.Lalumière, R. 1987. Répartition de la zostère marine (Zostera marina) sur la côte est de la baie James; été 1987. Rapport produit par Gilles Shooner et Associés inc. pour la Société d’énergie de la Baie James. 30 p. et annexes.Lalumière, R., L. Belzile et C. Lemieux. 1992. Étude de la zostère marine le long de la côte nord-est de la baie James (été 1991). Rapport présenté au Service écologie de la SEBJ. 31 p. + carte.Leblanc, J. 2002. Communication personnelle de Judith Leblanc (MPO).Lemieux, C. 1995. Acquisition de connaissances des habitats côtiers dans la région de Rimouski (1995). Rapport du Groupe-Conseil GENIVAR présenté au Ministère des Pêches et des Océans du Canada, Division de la Gestion de l’Habitat du Poisson, 52 pages + 2 annexes.Lemieux, C. et R. Lalumière. 1995. Acquisition de connaissances des habitats côtiers du barachois de Saint-Omer. Rap. du Groupe conseil Genivar inc. pour la DGHP, MPO, 44 pages + 3 ann.Martel, Marie-Claude, Lizon Provencher, Cindy Grant, Hans-Frédéric Ellefsen et Selma Pereira, 2009. Distribution and description of eelgrassbeds in Québec. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat, Research Document 2009/050. 45p. Morin, D. 2009. Communication personnelle de Danièle Morin (MRNF).Naturam Environnement. 1999. Caractérisation biophysique, socio-économique et détermination des enjeux dans un secteur potentiel pour l’identification d’une zone de protection marine pilote: portion ouest de la MRC Manicouagan. Baie-Comeau. 311 p. Pelletier, Claudel. 2003. Communication personnelle de Claudel Pelletier, FAPAQ, lettre en date du 24 février 2003.Pereira, S. 2009. Communication personnelle de Selma Pereira (MPO).Vaillancourt, M.-A. et C. Lafontaine. 1999. Caractérisation de la Baie Mitis. Jardins de Métis et Pêches et Océans Canada. Grand-Métis. 185 p.

This cartographic dataset represents a geomorphological update of the boundaries of the five inland water bodies that form the Magdalen Islands Marine Refuge. It was produced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) as part of its marine refuge characterization work.The data used comes from the August 15, 2022 version of the Quebec maritime Geospatial Database of Coastal Ecosystems (GDB), developed from various sources including satellite and airborne images from 2019 (Jobin et al. 2021; Provencher-Nolet et al. 2024). The boundaries of the inland water bodies were defined according to the upper high tide line, which represents the maximum extent of the water during the highest tides.The final product is a polygonal shapefile representing the five inland water bodies of the marine refuge as well as the terrestrial areas of the archipelago. The data are projected in NAD83 / MTM zone 4.For more information on the method used to generate this layer from the GDB, see Grégoire et al. (2026). The method used to create the source geospatial data is described in Jobin et al. (2021) and Provencher-Nolet et al. (2024).

In 2022, the federal government launched the second phase of the Oceans Protection Plan, a vast interdepartmental program designed to enhance marine safety in Canada by improving our ability to prevent and respond to marine incidents. For the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), this means filling gaps in our knowledge of marine and coastal bird species. In order to identify these gaps for the province of Quebec, we carried out a prioritization exercise in 2022. We concluded that major efforts needed to be made in the Nunavik marine region, since data were lacking in several sectors and for several species. Understanding the vulnerability of wildlife species over time and space will help us, among other things, to assess risks and act quickly and appropriately in the event of incidents affecting the marine environment, such as an oil spill or shipwreck. Another important objective of the Oceans Protection Plan is to implement sustainable partnerships with the Inuit in order to share our respective knowledge of migratory birds, develop joint projects and support Inuit-led marine bird projects.It is in this context that aerial inventories aimed at identifying avian diversity, counting seabirds and coastal birds and better understanding their distribution at different times of the year have been taking place in Nunavik since 2023. These inventories are particularly aimed at sites of large gatherings, such as molting and staging areas, where birds are more vulnerable. During flights, the crew scans the sea, bays, river mouths and coasts for single birds or groups of birds. When birds are spotted, the number of individuals is estimated and a formal identification is made to the most precise taxonomic level possible, usually species or genus. In some cases, particularly for species that are more difficult to identify or in the case of very large groups, high-resolution photographs are taken to confirm identifications and estimates of the number of individuals a posteriori. Where possible, individuals are identified by age and sex. For the purposes of these inventories, flight-capable birds are considered adults unless immature plumage is easily identifiable from a moving aircraft. Thus, most ducks, as well as shorebirds, are considered adults as soon as they are able to fly. Occasionally, the aircraft lands on the ground for short periods to allow the team to refine the identification of the species, genus and age of the birds. These observations are then included in the database. Observations made over land, during various trips, are also recorded opportunistically.Source to quote : Canadian Wildlife Service - Quebec Region. Aerial surveys of marine and coastal birds in Nunavik. Data collected as part of the Oceans Protection Plan. Version October 2025.

PURPOSE:From August 1st to September 11th, 2014, Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted a baseline survey of marine fishes and their habitats in the southern Canadian Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf as part of the Beaufort Regional Environmental Assessment (BREA) called the Beaufort Sea Marine Fishes Project (BSMFP). Sampling was conducted from the F/V Frosti at 54 stations along 14 transects. Standardized sampling was conducted at pre-determined depth stations (20-1500 m) using benthic trawling nets. The BSMFP is the first research project to use large research trawls to assess the biodiversity and abundance of offshore marine fishes in this area. In total, 42 species of fish were caught. This report contains information on fishing net deployments, catch per unit effort (CPUE), and basic biological data for all fishes caught.DESCRIPTION:Basic biological data for all fish caught during the 2014 BSMFP expedition. Includes identification, weight, length (total, fork, and, standard), liver weight, gonad weight, sex and maturity level. PARAMETERS COLLECTED:familyspeciesweighttotal lengthfork lengthstandard lengthliver weightgonad weightsexmaturitySAMPLING METHODS:Various trawl types.

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.