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

This dataset includes metrics of eelgrass size, cover, and biomass from field sites along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Field sites were located across a gradient of environmental conditions, and field sampling was conducted in July to August 2022. Eelgrass percent cover, shoot density, and plants were sampled at 10 haphazardly distributed sampling stations within each eelgrass bed at approximately the same depth. Stations were ~10m apart and at least 2m from any eelgrass-bare interface. At each sampling station eelgrass leaves in a 0.5 x 0.5m quadrat were photographed for later computer image analysis to determine percent cover. The number of shoots were then counted in a 0.25 x 0.25m quadrat, and 3 vegetative shoots were collected. Shoots were measured for leaf length, width, and weight in the laboratory. These data were used to determine allometric and cover-biomass relationships for use in non-destructive estimation of bed biomass. Cite this data as: Wong, M.C., & Thomson, J. A. Data of eelgrass (Zostera marina) plant size (length, width), cover, and biomass from the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia. Published: February 2025. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS.For additional information please see:Thomson, J. A., Vercaemer, B., & Wong, M. C. (2025). Non-destructive biomass estimation for eelgrass (Zostera marina): Allometric and percent cover-biomass relationships vary with environmental conditions. Aquatic Botany, 198, 103853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2024.103853

Site locations of aquatic invasive species occurrences throughout the province. The aquatic invasive species include species of amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants, alga and turtles. This spatial dataset was compiled from a number of data sources including The Invasive Plant Council of BC; the Beaty Biodiversity Museum; the Royal BC Museum; the Fisheries Information Summary System; E-Flora BC; Electronic Atlas of Plants of BC; and from private data compilations(spreadsheets) and personal consultation with BC Ministry of Environment staff and other local experts, peer-reviewed articles and other unpublished technical reports. Full Citations are included

The Aquatic Invasive Species Surveillance Database is a compilation of fish community and habitat data from DFO’s Aquatic Invasive Species and Invasive Carp Program early detection surveillance efforts in Canadian waters of the Great Lakes basin. Data includes: sampling site location, date, fish species and counts, and associated habitat information. Annual project-specific details including purpose/objectives and study methodology are often reported in the DFO Canadian manuscript report of fisheries and aquatic sciences series.

The dataset has been used for the Great Lakes Conservation Blueprint Project for Aquatic Biodiversity. It can be used for: * research and aquatic species inventories * environmental impact and monitoring * watershed based resource planning and management * fisheries and other aquatic analysis Official GEO title: Aquatic Ecosystems Classification: Great Lakes Basin - Coast, Streams, Lakes and Wetlands

The Great Lakes Fish Biodiversity Science Database is a compilation of fish community and habitat data from DFO Science surveys, primarily related to freshwater fishes of conservation concern in the Great Lakes basin. Data include: sampling site location, date, fish species and counts, and associated habitat information. Project-specific details including purpose/objectives and study methodology are often reported in the DFO Canadian data report of fisheries and aquatic sciences series.

These data were created under DFO’s Strategic Program for Ecosystem-based Research and Advice - Aquatic Invasive Species Program: “Evaluation of the movement of marine infrastructure as a pathway for aquatic invasive species spread”. This geodatabase contains floating dock locations in coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest, from Puget Sound, Washington to Southeast Alaska. These data were assembled by Josephine Iacarella and used in an analysis to understand the role of floating infrastructure as a vector in the spread of marine nonindigenous species (Iacarella et al., 2019). The data are represented as point vectors, though docks have associated size estimates. Data were collected with the aim to have the most accurate representation of coastal coverage of structures in 2017. The most recent images from Google Earth were used, though in some areas these date back a few years.Floating docks included those that extended into the subtidal and were not fixed on pilings. Dock locations were binned into size categories, with small docks and associated marina structures grouped together as ‘marina areas’ based on spatial clustering and a visual estimate of size (haphazard measurement selection, n=35 per category; small: 57.2 m2 ± 6.7, medium: 379.1 m2 ± 42.8, marina area: 4,453.5 m2 ± 744.4). A total of 7,809 floating dock sites were recorded, covering an estimated area of 2.3 km2.

This product provides the median of monthly maximum turbidity values (in nephelometric turbidity units) for drinking water facilities by drainage region. Turbidity refers to the relative cloudiness of water, caused by suspended particles in water. The Survey of Drinking Water Plants collected this monthly maximum turbidity data for surface water sources from facilities reporting turbidity data for at least 10 months in 2013. These facilities served 24 million people and produced 4,091 million cubic metres of potable water from surface water sources in 2013. Source water turbidity was monitored continuously at 42% of these drinking water plants in 2013, daily at 34% of plants and less frequently at the remaining plants.

Kelp features were taken from digitized survey source fieldsheets produced by the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS). The area covered by this dataset encompasses various surveyed areas along the western coast of North America in British Columbia coastal waters. CHS has an extensive collection of hydrographic survey data in the form of field sheets based on over 100 years of surveying in Canada. Data has been collected using a wide range of methods and systems, from lead-line to modern day multi-transducer and multibeam systems. Positions have been established using the different types of terrestrial systems and methods available over many years - up to the latest advanced satellite positioning systems.Fieldsheets that had not been previously digitizted were imported into ESRI ArcMap and georeferenced directly to WGS84 using CHS georeferencing standards and principles (charts.gc.ca). In order to minimize error, a hierarchy of control points was used, ranging from high survey order control points to comparing conspicuous stable rock features apparent in satellite imagery. The georeferencing result was further validated against satellite imagery, CHS charts and fieldsheets, the CHS-Pacific High Water Line (charts.gc.ca), and adjacent and overlapping Fieldsheets. Finally, the kelp features were digitized, and corresponding chart information (category of kelp, scale, source, title, year, and comments) was added as attributes to each feature. When digitizing kelp features the points were located at the optical center of the feature being digitized. This dataset includes a point and a polygon layer. Kelp that is located on land is historically valid. Symbolized kelp is not always an exact location but indicates that kelp is present in the area. The symbol is a proxy.The kelp attribute field does not distinguish between different types of kelp. The field has three variables that are kelp, seaweed and Aquatic Plants. Seaweed is the general name for marine plants of the Algae class which grow in long narrow ribbons. (International Maritime Dictionary, 2nd Ed.)Kelp is one of an order (laminariales) of usually large, blade-shaped or vine-like brown algae. (IHO Dictionary, S-32, 5th Edition, 2611)Aquatic Plants – Aquatic plants are used as to represent vegetation in fresh water rivers and lakes.Geographically encompasses the kelp in the Western Coastal waters of North America (mainly Canada) and Temporally overlaps/continues from data extracted from the British Admiralties.

AIS NL Biofouling Species Fisheries and Oceans Canada's (DFO) National Marine Biofouling Monitoring Program conducts annual field surveys to monitor the introduction, establishment, spread, species richness, and relative abundance of native and some non-native species in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Region since 2006. Standardized monitoring protocols employed by DFO's NL, Maritimes, Gulf, and Quebec regions include biofouling collector plates deployed from May to October at georeferenced intertidal and shallow subtidal sites, including public docks, and public and private marinas and nautical clubs. Initially, (2006-2017), the collectors consisted of three 10 cm by 10 cm PVC plates deployed in a vertical array and spaced approximately 40 cm apart, with the shallowest plate suspended at least 1 m below the surface to sample subtidal and shallow intertidal species (McKenzie et al 2016a). Three replicate arrays were deployed at least 5 m apart per site. Since 2018, collector networks have been modified to improve statistical replication, including up to 10 individual collectors deployed per site at 1 m depth and at least 5 m apart (as above) from May to October. Since 2006, seven invasive biofouling organisms have been detected in Newfoundland and Labrador harbours, marinas and coastal areas.Should be cited as follows: DFO Newfoundland and Labrador Region Aquatic Invasive Species Marine Biofouling Monitoring Program. Published March 2024. Coastal and Freshwater Ecology, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.Reference:TunicatesViolet tunicate (Botrylloides violaceus) 2007The violet tunicate was first detected in NL waters in 2007 in Belleoram, Fortune Bay on wharf structures and vessels (McKenzie et al. 2016b). This colonial tunicate forms irregular shaped colonies usually of a solid color (orange, purple, yellow or cream). It is currently found in relatively small colonies in four harbours in NL; Placentia Bay (1), Fortune Bay (1), Conception Bay (1) and the west coast of NL (2). The data provided here indicates the detections of this AIS in coastal NL.From 2018-2022, the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program provided additional support to enhance sampling efforts in Placentia Bay.