Phytoplankton pigments, determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) are measured seasonally along a 20-station transect in the Juan de Fuca / Strait of Georgia Basin. Sampling was initiated in 2004, discontinued in 2012 and restarted in 2015. In addition, occasional sampling is carried out at several locations and times in inland waters.For data inquiries please contact: Angelica Pena for data from 2004 to 2015 and Nina Nemcek for data from 2015 to present.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has been conducting surface water trawl surveys since 1992 in the coastal waters of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Alaska and in the high seas of the Gulf of Alaska. These surveys initially focused on determining the migratory patterns (1992-2002) and on the growth and physiology (2003-2016) of juvenile Pacific Salmon. Since 2016, these surveys have been broadened to monitor the whole pelagic ecosystem, retaining a focus on juvenile Pacific Salmon. Data were collected from sites in the inland sea waters of British Columbia and Washington State, USA, that comprise the Strait of Georgia, Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound since 2001 and are ongoing.

Marine Ecosection classification for coastal and offshore British Columbia. The Marine Ecosections are: Johnstone Strait; Continental Slope; Dixon Entrance; Hecate Strait; Queen Charlotte Strait; Juan de Fuca Strait; North Coast Fjords; Queen Charlotte Sound; Strait of Georgia; Subarctic Pacific; Transitional Pacific; and Vancouver Island Shelf. 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.

In 1997, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake occurred 3 to 4 km beneath the Strait of Georgia, near Vancouver. This scenario visualizes the effects of that event if it occurred today with a magnitude of 5.0. A magnitude 7.0 Georgia Strait scenario is also provided, and represents a less likely but more consequential case for comparison.

Zooplankton data collected during surveys conducted in the central and northern Strait of Georgia, 1996-2018.

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.

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key cetacean species in the Strait of Georgia (SOG) ecoregion. This data was mapped to inform the selection of marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA). Experts have indicated that these areas are relevant based upon their high ranking in one or more of three criteria (Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences). The distribution of IA's within ecoregions is used in the designation of EBSA's.Canada’s Oceans Act provides the legislative framework for an integrated ecosystem approach to management in Canadian oceans, particularly in areas considered ecologically or biologically significant. DFO has developed general guidance for the identification of ecologically or biologically significant areas. The criteria for defining such areas include uniqueness, aggregation, fitness consequences, resilience, and naturalness. This science advisory process identifies proposed EBSAs in Canadian Pacific marine waters, specifically in the Strait of Georgia (SOG), along the west coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI, southern shelf ecoregion), and in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA, northern shelf ecoregion).Initial assessment of IA's in PNCIMA was carried out in September 2004 to March 2005 with spatial data collection coordinated by Cathryn Clarke. Subsequent efforts in WCVI and SOG were conducted in 2009, and may have used different scientific advisors, temporal extents, data, and assessment methods. WCVI and SOG IA assessment in some cases revisits data collected for PNCIMA, but should be treated as a separate effort.Other datasets in this series detail IAs for birds, coral and sponges, fish, geographic features, invertebrates, and other vertebrates.Though data collection is considered complete, the emergence of significant new data may merit revisiting of IA's on a case by case basis.

Seamounts have been identified as Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) due to their unique oceanography and ecology; they frequently serve as sites for fisheries and as habitat for a number of species of conservation concern. A mix of isolated seamounts and seamount complexes are distributed throughout Canada’s Pacific offshore waters, although only a subset of these are named. We used several pre-existing spatial databases and predictive models to map all named seamounts within Canada’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), all named seamounts fished by Canada in international waters, and any predicted (modelled) unnamed seamounts in the EEZ. These data are intended to inform marine planning initiatives in BC by providing collaborative, peer-reviewed scientific data at scales relevant to a BC coast-wide analysis.

Map of Canada showing locations of facilities selling nautical charts in both paper and digital formats.

Identification of a potential spawning site for lumpfish during an ichtyofauna inventory conducted in the eelgrass in Sept-Îles bay by Calderón (1996).Purpose:The 1996 document by par Isabel Calderón has been achieved by the "Corporation de protection de l'environnement de Sept-Îles" with the support of Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) as part of the "Biodiversity" program, St. Lawrence Vision 2000 (Canada).Source:Calderón, I. 1996. Caractérisation des habitats du poisson de la baie de Sept-Îles - Phase II. Corporation de protection de l'environnement de Sept-Îles. 37 pages.