Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Maritime Science Branch has collected grain size data from sediment and water column samples using bottle samples, sediment cores, and sediment grabs as part of numerous research projects not only in the Atlantic provinces, but also worldwide. The data collected by DFO focuses on the fine grained (<1mm) particles as these are both a source of food and means of contaminant transport. Grain size data are used to study the fate and distribution of complimentary chemistries like heavy metals, pesticides, hydrocarbons, aquaculture waste as well as a variety of physical processes such as the resuspension and transport of sediment.

This data record contains a digitized map reproduced from the original Passamaquoddy Marine Resource Pilot Study - 1982 Fisheries. The original map was produced by the Maritime Resource Management Service, using its GEO-BASED SYSTEM: an automated geographic information system used to create data bases and to manipulate and plot information for numerous natural resource applications. The original map is a product of the GEO-BASED SYSTEM and a conventional phot mechanical process. The fisheries information was extracted from a marine data base gathered by A.C.R.I.C. on behalf of the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Parks Canada adn the New Brunswick Department of Fisheries, encompassing the Passamaquoddy region of the Bay of Fundy.Cite this data as: Maritime Resource Management Service 1982. Passamaquoddy Fisheries Marine Pilot Study -1982. Atlantic Coastal Resource Information Centre, Amherst, NS. Published: June 2026. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS.

The locations of coastal British Columbia marine navigation aids. The Coastal BC datasets are circa 2004 and legacy in nature. Caution should be exercised when using this data, as it may not be accurate or complete. There are currently no plans to update.

The locations of coastal British Columbia marine navigation hazards. The Coastal BC datasets are circa 2004 and legacy in nature. Caution should be exercised when using this data, as it may not be accurate or complete. There are currently no plans to update.

The hydrographic 1991 to 2020 climatology for the Maritimes region Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program core transects, Cabot Strait, Louisbourg, Halifax, Browns Bank, and Northeast Channel, are calculated to support annual reporting on seasonal variability. Details on data coverage for these transects and ancillary transects occupied since the inception of the program are provided. Comparisons with the previous climatology period, years 1981 to 2010, are summarized when possible.Cite this data as: Layton, C. Data of:Maritimes Region Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program 1991 to 2020 Hydrographic Transect Climatology.Published: August 2025. Ocean Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S.https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/5f9c5d65-3ce1-4bdd-8b43-34086620d1e3

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 six pilot sites across Canada (Port of Vancouver, Port of Prince Rupert, Lower St. Lawrence Estuary, Port of Saint John, Placentia Bay, and Iqaluit). The goal of the Program is to gather local information in these areas in effort to build a better understanding of marine ecological conditions. The Maritimes region has developed a physical oceanography program to align with the oceanographic interests and data needs of local communities and stakeholders, with the goal of sharing this information via open data. Starting in 2019, oceanographic parameters including temperature, salinity, depth, turbidity and currents have been continuously monitored at a series of locations covering a broad range of environments in the Port of Saint John and approaches vicinity, including the lower Saint John and Kennebecasis rivers, coastal fringe marshes and embayments, as well as the Musquash estuary Marine Protected Area (MPA). This dataset includes CTD data starting in 2019 and turbidity data from August 2020. Data collection methods range from bottom-mounted instruments in water depths of 10-50 meters, buoyant surface moorings, and hard-mounted instruments in intertidal zones. Intertidal data is interrupted during some low tide events, where the water level drops below the sensor, resulting in loss of functionality for periods up to 1-2 hours. Overall this dataset captures a dynamic balance between salt and fresh water on the highly tidal lower Saint John river, coastal seasonal dynamics in near-shore marine environments in the Musquash MPA, and the constant fluctuations of intertidal creeks and marshes.Update 2 - April 2025: included 2023-24 dataUpdate 1 - Nov 2023: included 2022 data; removed daylight savings errors from 2019, 2020 and 2021; updated position for Evandale surface mooring.

The Maritimes Region is divided into seven Clam Harvesting Areas (CHA).CLAM HARVESTING AREA 1 is described as follows:The inland and tidal waters of the counties of Colchester, Cumberland and Hants that border and flow into the Bay of Fundy.CLAM HARVESTING AREA 2 is described as follows:The inland and tidal waters of the counties of Annapolis, Digby and Kings.CLAM HARVESTING AREA 3 is described as follows:The inland and tidal waters of Yarmouth County.Time restrictions for Clam Harvesting Area 3: No person shall fish for clams from sunset each Saturday until sunrise on the following Monday (closed Sundays) in the boundaries of Clam Harvesting Area 3.CLAM HARVESTING AREA 4 is described as follows:The inland and tidal waters of the counties of Shelburne, Queens and Lunenburg and that portion of Halifax County west of Pennant Point (as defined in the Territorial Sea Geographical Coordinates Order (C.R.C., c. 1550), Schedule I, Area 4).CLAM HARVESTING AREA 5 is described as follows:The inland and tidal waters of Guysborough County and that portion of Halifax County east of Pennant Point (as defined in the Territorial Sea Geographical Coordinates Order (C.R.C., c. 1550), Schedule I, Area 4).CLAM HARVESTING AREA 6 is described as follows:The inland and tidal waters of the counties of Richmond and Cape Breton, all of Victoria County except that portion between Cape North and Inverness County and that portion of Inverness County that borders on the Bras d'Or Lakes.NEW BRUNSWICK - BAY OF FUNDY CLAM HARVESTING AREA 7 is described as follows:The inland and tidal waters of the counties of Charlotte, Saint John and Albert that flow into the Bay of Fundy.

Launched in 2017, the Cumulative Effects of Marine Shipping (CEMS) initiative is part of Canada’s $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan, which is providing economic opportunities to Canadians today, while protecting our coasts and waterways for future generations. The Cumulative Effects of Marine Shipping initiative is another way that the Government of Canada is protecting our coasts and waterways.https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-pollution-environmental-response/cumulative-effects-marine-shippingAs part of this initiative, Transport Canada is working with Indigenous partners and stakeholders in six pilot areas across Canada. Together, we are trying to understand the effects of marine shipping in various coastal areas. These pilot areas include:- North Coast British Columbia- South Coast British Columbia- St. Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers, Quebec- Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia- Placentia Bay, Newfoundland- Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

Data layers show commercial fishery footprints for directed fisheries using bottom and pelagic longlines for groundfish and large pelagics respectively, and traps for hagfish, LFA 41 and Grey Zone lobster, snow crab, and other crab on the Scotian Shelf, the Bay of Fundy, and Georges Bank in NAFO Divisions 4VWX and Canadian portions of 5Y and 5Z. Bottom longline and trap fishery maps aggregate commercial logbook effort (bottom longline soak time and logbook entries) per 2-minute grid cell using 2002–2017 data. Pelagic longline maps aggregate speed-filtered vessel monitoring system (VMS) track lines as vessel minutes per km2 on a base-10 log scale using 2003–2018 data. The following data layers are included in the mapping service for use in marine spatial planning and ecological risk assessment: 1) multi-year and quarterly composite data layers for bottom longline and trap gear, and 2) multi-year and monthly composite data layers for pelagic longline gear. Additional details are available online: S. Butler, D. Ibarra and S. Coffen-Smout, 2019. Maritimes Region Longline and Trap Fisheries Footprint Mapping for Marine Spatial Planning and Risk Assessment. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3293: v + 30 p. http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2019/mpo-dfo/Fs97-6-3293-eng.pdf

The Eastern Shore Islands was announced as an "Area of Interest" (AOI) in 2018 by the DFO Maritimes region to potentially be considered for a Marine Protected Area under the federal Oceans Act. As part of its mandate for monitoring established and potential conservation areas, DFO Science regularly deploys instruments including conductivity/temperature/depth (CTD) loggers, and other instruments for measuring dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and other chemical ocean properties. This data collection includes temperature and other oceanographic records for the ESI AOI from June 2024 onward. The data are derived from temperature loggers (Hobo Tidbit loggers or similar) and Sea-Bird MicroCATs, but may in future years include current profiles or additional oceanographic data. These data will be used to monitor temperatures in this coastal region to detect any biological shifts associated with temperature and climate fluctuations, and be used to groundtruth oceanographic models.Cite this data as: Jeffery, N., Stanley, R., Pettitt- Wade, H. (2025): Data of: Baseline oceanographic records for the Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest.Published: September 2025. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f0020cec-5671-4908-8fdd-11fc097de99d