The blue whale (Balaenopterus musculus) is a wide-ranging cetacean that can be found in all oceans, inhabiting coastal and oceanic habitats. In the North Atlantic, little is known about blue whale distribution and genetic structure, and if whether animals found in Icelandic waters, the Azores, or Northwest Africa are part of the same population as those from the Northwest Atlantic. In the Northwest Atlantic, seasonal movements of blue whales and habitat use, including the location of breeding and wintering areas, are poorly understood.The behaviour of remotely-monitored animals can be inferred from a time series of location data. This is because animals tend to demonstrate stochasticity in their movement paths as a result of spatial variation in environmental characteristics, such as topography or prey density (Curio 1976; Gardner et al. 1989; Turchin 1991; Wiens et al. 1993). Predators are expected to decrease travel speed and/or increase turning frequency and turning angle when a suitable resource, e.g., food patch, is encountered (Turchin 1991), otherwise known as area-restricted search (ARS). In contrast, animals in transit or travelling tend to move at faster and more regular speeds, with infrequent and smaller turning angles (Kareiva and Odell 1987; Turchin 1998).Based on satellite telemetry to track the seasonal movements of 24 blue whales from eastern Canada in 2002 and from 2010 to 2015, it was possible to estimate trajectories and locations where ARS behaviour of blue whales was inferred at a 4h time interval.To assess blue whale movements and behavior, a Bayesian switching statespace model (SSSM) was applied to Argos-derived telemetry data (Jonsen et al. 2005; Jonsen et al. 2013). An SSSM essentially estimates animal location at fixed time intervals, movement parameters and behavioral patterns.Two important sources of uncertainty can be measured separately: estimation error resulting from inaccurate observations (Argos location error) and process variability linked to the stochasticity of the movement process (behavior mode estimation) (Jonsen et al. 2003; Patterson et al. 2008).The points visible on land are the result of errors in the Argos geographic position calculation. They have been deliberately left unchanged to assess the performance of the model, which was able to clean up some positions, but not all.Lesage, V., Gavrilchuk, K., Andrews, R.D., and Sears, R. 2016. Wintering areas, fall movements and foraging sites of blue whales satellite-tracked in the Western North Atlantic. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2016/078. v + 38 p.

This table contains information about the number of cases reported, inspections conducted, and non-compliances to The Animal Care Act from 2016 to present.This table contains information about the number of cases reported, inspections conducted, and non-compliances to The Animal Care Act for each year, starting in 2016, to the most recent quarter. These data are populated by the Provincial Animal Welfare Database for the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program and are displayed in the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program – Trends chart. The table will be updated on a quarterly basis. Fields included [Alias (Field Name): Field description] Category (Category): Includes the year, beginning in 2016, to the current year (e.g., 2016, 2017, 2018) # of cases reported (F__of_cases_reported): Includes the total number of cases reported for each year # of inspections conducted (F__of_inspections_conducted): Includes the total number of inspections conducted for each year # of non-compliances found* (F__of _non_compliances_found_): Includes the total number of non-compliances found following an inspection for each year * The number of non-compliances found as a result of an inspection by an Animal Protection Officer (APO) include animals deemed abandoned, issued notice of seizure, custody and distress, Director’s Order issued, surrendered ownership and recommendations for improvements.

This table contains information about non-compliances to five sections under The Animal Care Act.This table contains information about the number of non-compliances found to five sections of The Animal Care Act for each year, starting in 2016, to the most recent quarter. This data is populated by the Provincial Animal Welfare Database for the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program and is displayed in the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program – Non-Compliances to The Animal Care Act chart. The table will be updated on a quarterly basis. Fields included [Alias (Field Name): Field description] LookActStatsGrp (LookActStatsGrp): Includes the section under The Animal Care Act for which non-compliances were found Year (Year): Includes the year, beginning in 2016, to the current year (e.g., 2016, 2017, 2018) Month (Month): Includes the numeric value of all months in a calendar year (e.g., 1, 2, 3) Quarter (Quarter): Includes the numeric values of all quarters in a calendar year (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4), where quarter 1 corresponds with January, February and March, quarter 2 corresponds with April, May and June, quarter 3 corresponds with July, August and September and quarter 4 corresponds with October, November and December YQ (YQ): Includes the year and quarter of the most recent 12 quarters (e.g., 2021 Q1, 2021 Q2 )

This table contains information about the status, actions and outcomes from inspections conducted by Animal Protection Officers (APO) and prosecutions in the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program.This table contains information about the status, actions and outcomes from inspections conducted by Animal Protection Officers (APO) and prosecutions in the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program for each year, starting in 2016, to the most recent quarter. This data is populated by the Provincial Animal Welfare Database for the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program and is displayed in the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program – Case Outcomes dashboard. The table will be updated on a quarterly basis. Fields included [Alias (Field Name): Field description] StatusGroups2 (StatusGroups2): Includes the status, actions or outcomes that have occurred throughout each assigned case DashboardGrouping2 (DashboardGrouping2): Includes the dashboard element under which the statuses need to be grouped for each assigned case Year (Year): Includes the year, beginning in 2016 to the current year (e.g., 2016, 2017, 2018) Month (Month): Includes the numeric value of all months within a calendar year (e.g., 1, 2, 3) Quarter (Quarter): Includes the numeric values of all quarters in a calendar year (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4), where quarter 1 corresponds with January, February and March, quarter 2 corresponds with April, May and June, quarter 3 corresponds with July, August and September and quarter 4 corresponds with October, November and December YQ (YQ): Includes the year and quarter of the most recent 12 quarters (e.g., 2021 Q1, 2021 Q2 )

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key invertebrate species (which are not corals or sponges) in the West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) 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 IAs within ecoregions is used in the designation of EBSAs.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 IAs 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, cetaceans, coral and sponges, fish, geographic features, and other vertebrates.Though data collection is considered complete, the emergence of significant new data may merit revisiting of IAs on a case by case basis.

This table contains information about 11 animal types associated with assigned cases in the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program.This table contains information about animal types, grouped into 11 categories, associated with assigned cases in the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program for each year, starting in 2016, to the most recent quarter. This data is populated by the Provincial Animal Welfare Database for the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program. It is displayed in the Manitoba Animal Welfare Program – Animal Types chart. The table is updated on a quarterly basis. Fields included [Alias (Field Name): Field description] SpeciesStatsGrouping (SpeciesStatsGrouping): Includes one of the possible 11 animal type groups associated with each assigned case (e.g., Avian, Bison, Bovine) Year (Year): Includes the year, beginning in 2016, to the current year (e.g., 2016, 2017, 2018) Month (Month): Includes the numeric value of all months in a calendar year (e.g., 1, 2, 3) Quarter (Quarter): Includes the numeric values of all quarters in a calendar year (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4), where quarter 1 corresponds with January, February and March, quarter 2 corresponds with April, May and June, quarter 3 corresponds with July, August and September and quarter 4 corresponds with October, November and December YQ (YQ): Includes the year and quarter of the most recent 12 quarters (e.g., 2021 Q1, 2021 Q2 )

A compendium of reports that provide information about aquatic and terrestrial animals and plants, soils, surface water, groundwater and their accompanying data files and maps

The Fish Pathology Program (FPP) located at the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo has been assessing the health of aquatic animals since the early 1970’s. Utilizing traditional diagnostic methods, the FPP has supported internal and external clients to provide clinical data and management advice on the health of aquatic animals. The dataset contains information from diagnostic fish health cases coming from the Salmonid Enhancement Program, Research, Public and I&T submissions. Data contained in the database includes pathogen findings from submitted cases from all of the Pacific Region.The publication of The Fish Health Database will comply with public release recommendations documented in recommendation twenty two, made in volume three of the Final Report (October 2012) submitted by the Cohen Commission of Inquiry into the Decline of the Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River.

This geodatabase includes hotspot maps of 1) nearshore habitat richness, 2) diversity (fish and invertebrates), and 3) biomass (using catch per unit effort of fish and invertebrates), as well as two layers showing the spatial extent of the diversity and biomass hotspot analyses. Full details and methods can be found in the Rubidge et al. 2018 CSAS Research Document 2018/053 available here or at https://waves-vagues.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/40759842.pdf. These data were reviewed as part of a Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) regional peer review process on Nov 1-2, 2017.Habitat Richness Hotspots: Because there are no systematic surveys of nearshore species that span the entire coastline of Northern Shelf Bioregion, the nearshore habitat richness hotspots were developed as a proxy for species diversity in nearshore areas. Habitat richness was calculated from eight habitat features: eelgrass, surfgrass, canopy-forming kelp, estuaries, areas of high rugosity, and hard, mixed, and soft substrate. The number of features within 1 km x 1 km planning units was counted, and hotspots were identified using the Getis-Ord G* tool in ArcGIS. Planning units with Gi_Bin values of 3 (99% confidence) were classified as habitat richness hotspots.Diversity and Biomass Hotspots: Hotspots of fish and invertebrate diversity and biomass were developed as proxies for spatial patterns of productivity in the Northern Shelf Bioregion. Diversity (Shannon diversity) and biomass (kg/hour or count/hook/hour) were calculated from DFO synoptic trawl and outside hard-bottom longline (HBLL) survey catch records. The outside HBLL survey was previously referred to as Pacific Halibut Management Area (PHMA) survey. The synoptic trawl and HBLL surveys have complementary spatial coverage, with the HBLL surveys occurring in more coastal areas (20–260 m) and the synoptic trawl surveys occurring on deeper shelf areas (50–1300 m). Hotspots were identified using the Getis-Ord G* tool in ArcGIS for five separate analyses: fish biomass (trawl), fish diversity (trawl), fish diversity (longline), invertebrate biomass (trawl), and invertebrate diversity (trawl). Using the Minimum Bounding Geometry Tool, convex hull polygons were drawn around groups of hotspot points (Gi_Bin values of 1, 2, or 3; confidence ≥90%) containing 10 or more points. The resulting polygons were then buffered by 1 km and manually edited where needed to exclude any large areas of the polygons that did not include hotspot points.

The purpose of the survey is to document and record habitat types and associated algae and marine invertebrate species in a variety of habitat types. Transect locations are randomly selected throughout the study area, which rotates between the north and south coasts of British Columbia on a biannual basis. Transects are laid perpendicular to the shoreline. A team of two divers swim the transect with data sheets to collect habitat, algae and marine invertebrate data as detailed below in the methods section. Data is keypunched in an MS Access database that can be queried for species observations and environmental information.This dataset includes three tables pulled from the original database containing observations by species, observations by quadrat, and additional header information for each observation. All three tables can be linked by the field HKey. Three lookup tables are included as well, one for algae, one for invertebrates, and one for substrates.