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.

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.

PURPOSE:The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) conducted a baseline survey of biological communities and habitat parameters in the offshore Canadian Beaufort Sea between 2012 and 2014, as part of the federally administered Beaufort Regional Environmental Assessment. The BREA-Marine Fishes Project (BREA-MFP) was the first comprehensive baseline study of offshore marine fish diversity and associated habitats in the Canadian Beaufort Sea. Knowledge gained during the BREA-MFP supports regulatory processes pertaining to offshore development and Oceans Management in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, and provides baseline context for studies of the effects of climate change and variability. The Canadian Beaufort Sea – Marine Ecosystem Assessment (CBS-MEA, 2017-2019 and 2021-2024) is building on system baselines and ecological knowledge derived from the BREA-MFP to develop a comprehensive research and monitoring approach for the offshore Canadian Beaufort Sea. This approach will enable us to better understand the relationship between oceanographic drivers and ecosystem responses. The CBS-MEA focuses on integrating oceanography, food web linkages, physical-biological couplings and spatial and inter-annual variabilities, while also expanding baseline coverage of species diversity, abundances, and habitat associations to areas of the Beaufort Sea and Canadian Archipelago that are previously unstudied in this context.DESCRIPTION:Between 2017 and 2019, and between 2021 and 2024, Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted a baseline survey of marine fishes and their habitats on the Canadian Beaufort Shelf and slope in August and early September each year. Sampling was conducted from the F/V Frosti at over 150 stations along ten multi-year transects, and over 50 non-transect stations. Standardized sampling was conducted at pre-determined depth stations (20-40, 75, 200, 350, 500, 750, and 1000 m) using a variety of sampling equipment including benthic fishing trawls, plankton nets, sediment cores, and CTD and water sample profiles. Presented here is the information on the sampling locations, and the sampling gear deployed at each station.

Marine Protected Areas require comprehensive monitoring to ensure objectives are achieved; however, monitoring natural ecosystems at scale is challenged by the biodiversity it aims to measure. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding holds promise to address this monitoring challenge. We conducted paired sampling at 54 sites for fish and invertebrate assemblages in the Northwest Atlantic using groundfish trawls and eDNA metabarcoding of benthic seawater using four genetic markers (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and CO1). Compared to trawling, eDNA detected similar patterns of species turnover, larger estimates of gamma diversity, and smaller estimates of alpha diversity. A total of 63.6% (42/66) of fish species captured by trawling were detected by eDNA, along with an additional 26 species. Of the 24 missed detections by eDNA, 12 were inevitable as they lacked reference sequences. Excluding taxa assigned to higher than species level and those without a species name, 23.6% (17/72) of invertebrate species captured by trawling were detected by CO1, which detected an additional 98 species. We demonstrate that eDNA is capable of detecting patterns of community assemblage and species turnover in an offshore environment, emphasizing its strong potential for a non-invasive, comprehensive, and scalable tool for biodiversity monitoring supporting marine conservation programmes.Cite this data as: Jeffery, N., Rubidge, E., Abbott, C., Westfall, K., Stanley, R. (2024): Data of: eDNA metabarcoding enriches traditional trawl survey data for monitoring biodiversity in the marine environment.Published: August 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/43a91ba7-8025-4330-88db-db14022d729d

We evaluated an autonomous environmental DNA sampler produced by Dartmouth Ocean Technologies Inc (Dartmouth, Canada) compared to time-at-sample filtration in the laboratory to determine the performance of moored samplers for monitoring in the marine world. We deployed three autonomous samplers from DOT in the Bedford Basin (Canada) over a nine-week period in summer/fall 2023. The samplers filtered seawater in situ at programmed interviews over this time period, and we collected contemporaneous samples with a standard vacuum pump during each sampling period. Both eDNA sample types captured similar fish diversity, including typical diversity for the Northwest Atlantic. The invertebrate community detected using the COI marker was different between each sample type, likely due to differences in filter pore size. We found biofouling on the moored samplers was minimal over the study period, even in a high-traffic area such as the Bedford Basin, likely due to the relatively short experimental period, and copper screening covering in the inlet and outlet valves of the instruments. Overall, our results show promise to deploy autonomous eDNA samplers in marine conservation areas to contribute to monitoring in the temperate ocean, but further testing over longer periods of time is needed to determine if DNA remains well-preserved in the autonomous samplers at ambient ocean temperatures.Cite this data as: Jeffery, N.W., Van Wyngaarden, M., and Stanley, R.R.E. Evaluating an Autonomous eDNA Sampler for Marine Environmental Monitoring: Short- and Long-Term Applications. Published: December 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS.

The Coastal Environmental Baseline Program is a multi-year Fisheries and Oceans Canada initiative designed to work with Indigenous and local communities and other key parties to collect coastal environmental data at a series of sites across Canada, to build a better understanding of existing marine ecological conditions. The program began data collection in 2019, and with the onset of Phase 2 in 2023, the Maritimes region study area was expanded and renamed ‘Northwest Fundy Shores’. A physical oceanography program was designed to align with the oceanographic interests and data needs of local interest holders. Starting in 2023, oceanographic parameters including water temperature, salinity, depth and turbidity have been monitored at a series of locations in Passamaquoddy Bay, the St. Croix River, and along the Bay of Fundy coast, including the Musquash estuary Marine Protected Area (MPA). This dataset includes seasonal CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth) and turbidity data starting in spring 2023. Instruments are maintained through the winter months at a limited number of sites. Data collection methods are primarily moored instruments on the bottom in water depths of 5-90 meters, and a few buoyant surface floats. Overall, this dataset captures seasonal dynamics in near-shore marine environments in Passamaquoddy Bay, the St Croix River, the Bay of Fundy and the Musquash MPA. Cite this data as: Coastal Environmental Baseline Program (Maritimes Region), Northwest Fundy Shores conductivity, temperature and depth data. Published in May 2025. Coastal Environmental Baseline Program. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. 14-02-2025

The Planning for an Environmental Response (PIER) initiative falls under the umbrella of the Government of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan (OPP), whose goal is preserving marine ecosystems vulnerable to increased transportation and the development of the marine industry. The PIERs’ main mandate is to acquire and update biological sensitivity data under its jurisdiction for preparation and response purposes in the event of an oil spill.This dataset contains all observations of marine organisms noted during the analysis of 2959 underwater images sampled over a large extent of the coastal zone (≤10 m) of the Estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Quebec region). The dataset includes 21 490 occurrences of 150 taxa and informal categories including macroalgae, invertebrates and fish. Underwater images were collected between 2017 and 2021 according to a directed sampling protocol whose primary goal was to map large seaweed and eelgrass beds. Images were normally recorded as videos using a GoPro Hero camera installed on a pole and placed near the seabed from a small boat. The collected data served primarily as ground-truth data to validate coasting zone mapping based on aerial photographs within the framework of the PIER's initiative.The two files provided (DarwinCore format) are complementary and are linked by the "eventID" key. The "event_information" file includes generic event information, including date and location. The "taxon_occurrence" file includes the original identifiers of the observed organisms (verbatimIdentification field), identification remarks and their taxonomy.Taxonomic names were verified on the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) to match recognized standards. The WoRMS match has been put in the scientificNameID field in the occurrence file. Data quality control was performed using the R packages obistools and worrms. All sampling locations were plotted on a map to perform a visual check confirming that the latitude and longitude coordinates were within the described sampling area.A visual dictionary was developed as an identification aid and accompanies this dataset (unilingual french only, the English version will be published soon). More data, including a visibility index, estimated macroalgae and eelgrass cover, substrate type and dominant macroalgae and animals were recorded but not included in this dataset. These data may be made available upon request.CreditsProvencher-Nolet, L., Paquette, L., Pitre, L.D., Grégoire, B. and Desjardins, C. 2024. Cartographie des macrophytes estuariens et marins du Québec. Rapp. Tech. Can. Sci. halieut. Aquat. 3617 : v + 99 p.Grégoire, B., Pitre, L.D., Provencher-Nolet, L., Paquette, L. and Desjardins, C. 2024. Distribution d’organismes marins de la zone côtière peu profonde du Québec recensés par imagerie sous-marine de 2017 à 2021. Rapp. tech. can. sci. halieut. aquat. 3616 : v + 78 p.

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.

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

PURPOSE:The research survey provides a fisheries-independent source of information about all marine living organisms that are captured by the fishing trawl used to obtain samples in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.DESCRIPTION:Tow, catch, length frequency, and biological information for fish caught during the annual September research vessel trawl surveys in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (NAFO Division 4T). Abundance indices and spatial distribution patterns of commercial and non-commercial groundfish.The catch data that appear in this dataset SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR ECOLOGICAL ANALYSES INVOLVING CATCH RATES. Important factors such as vessel, fishing gear and diurnal periods must be accounted for to use these data in analyses. Please contact the data custodians if you are interested in using this data for any kind of ecological analyses involving catch rates. PARAMETERS COLLECTED:Abundance estimates (ecological); distribution (ecological); species counts (ecological); gear (fishing); vessel information (fishing); point (spatial)NOTES ON QUALITY CONTROL:Scientific names listed in the survey species list have been mapped to recognized standards - marine taxa have been mapped to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) using their online taxon match tool. All sampling locations were plotted on a map to perform a visual check confirming that the latitude and longitude coordinates were within the described sampling area.In 2003, because of a fire aboard the Alfred Needler, the Wilfred Templeman was used for the survey. However, no comparative fishing experiments have been conducted between the Alfred Needler and the Wilfred Templeman. We are therefore unable to integrate the indices derived for 2003 to the remainder of the survey time-series.SAMPLING METHODS:Sampling Method: Consult the "Protocols for research vessel cruises within the Gulf Region (dermersal fish) (1970-1980)" report, link provided in the citations list.USE LIMITATION:To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.