These data sets provide information pertaining to shrimp and bycatch estimates associated with otter-trawling and trapping (November, 2000) and beam-trawling (February, 2001) in Simoom Sound. Data sets were compiled and formatted by Meagan Mak.Abstract from report:As part of a project investigating possible modification of marine ecosystems by shrimp trawling and trapping, we obtained information on catches offish, shrimp, prawns , and bycatch organisms as well as weight, sex ratios , egg location and colIateral damage to several species of pandalids and eualids. Focusing on the humpback shrimp (Pandalus hypsinotus), we assessed damage to the rostrum, carapace, abdomen, and tail fan on specimens caught by beam trawling, otter trawling, and trapping. Data are given from a preliminary study conducted in Northumberland Channel in June 2000 and more comprehensive sampling from Simoom Sound in November 2000 and February 2001.

During the period of 1990 to 1993, Robin J. LeBrasseur and N. Brent Hargreaves led a juvenile salmon migration research project off the west coast of Vancouver Island BC. This included the development of surface beam trawl gear that could be deployed from a large trawl vessel (CCGS W.E. Ricker) and operated in an offshore environment. This dataset contains the research survey catch data and individual fish examinations data.

These data sets provide information pertaining to shrimp and bycatch estimates associated with beam-trawling and trapping (2001-2002) in Clio Channel. Data sets were compiled and formatted by Meagan Mak.Abstract from report:As part of a project investigating possible modification of marine ecosystems by shrimp trawling and trapping, we enumerated beam trawl and prawn trap catches at two locations in Clio Channel, south -central coast of British Columbia. Beam trawl surveys were conducted in Bones Bay and Turnour Bay during October 2001 and January 2002, respectively, and a prawn trap survey was conducted in Turnour Bay during March 2002. Catch data from the two gear types are presented.

Nekton assemblages in Zostera marina beds and adjacent bare soft-sediments were sampled on the south and eastern shore of Nova Scotia. Sampling gear used were visual snorkel transects and a benthic beam trawl. Fish were identified and size either measured (trawl) or estimated in situ (snorkel transects). Surveys were conducted in mid-July to Aug in summer of 2013 and 2014 across multiple sampling sites. Multiple replicate transects were conducted at each site. Raw abundances from observations were transformed into young of year (YOY) equivalent abundance, and then into density of each species calibrated to account for the sampling equipment and day/night differences.Cite this data as: Wong, M. C. Data of: Fish and large decapods in eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Published: April 2020. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/dbc56f11-4a97-45e7-99f4-71966b51630c

These data sets provide information pertaining to epifauna taxa including bottom-dwelling shrimp and fish along trawling transects in Bones Bay and Turnour Bay between 2001 and 2002. Data sets were compiled and formatted by Meagan Mak.Abstract from the report:This study is a component of a larger project designed to assess potential effects of shrimp trawling gear on epifauna, shrimp, fish, and benthic habitat of Clio Channel located in Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, Canada. Replicate beam-trawl surveys were carried out on individual transects in both Bones Bay and Turnour Bay located in the northern and southern portions of Clio Channel, respectively. A submersible, towed video-camera surveyed the seabed to enumerate epifauna and fish taxa before and after trawling activities. In regards to the video surveys, fish and epifauna (e.g. common shrimp) were observed across Clio Channel, while sea whips were predominate in the Turnour Bay video transects.

This dataset derives from a series of beam trawl tows conducted during several research surveys in coastal areas of the St. Lawrence Estuary, between Portneuf-sur-Mer and Pointe-des-Monts, and between June and October of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. It contains catch data for fish and invertebrates (occurrence and catch weights by species), in trawl tows conducted at depths ranging from 10 to 50 meters. Data were collected in various cruises:• June 28th to July 5th 2019 (NGCC Leim)• September 30th to October 9th 2019 (NGCC Leim)• October 1st to October 10th 2020 (NGCC Leim)• April 22nd to May 5th 2021 (NGCC Perley)• October 15th to October 24th 2021 (NGCC Perley)• June 24th to July 15th 2022 (NGCC LEIM)The beam trawl used to generate this data set consists of a frame (width of 2.8 m, height of 0.8 m) equipped with a 6.5 m long net with 40 mm diamond mesh, which is lined with a net (skirt) of square mesh (5 mm) at the cod-end (length 2 m) and a protective apron (75 mm mesh) on the ventral portion. Three skid chains are linked at the base of the skates. Each station corresponds to a 5 to 10 minutes tow along an isobath at a speed of about 2 knots. At each haul, the trawl catch was placed on a sorting table on the deck and the organisms were sorted and identified at the best possible taxonomic resolution. Most taxa were independently weighed. Some invertebrates taxa were subsampled, counted and weighted in order to estimate their contribution (weight and number) to the total catch. Additionally, the first 30 fish of each species were measured and weighed individually.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. Data acquired during the research surveys additionally included: 1) occurrence data on epibenthic invertebrates and submerged aquatic vegetation in photo samples from a drop camera system, 2) occurrence data on fish and invertebrate taxa in video samples collected using a baited underwater video system (BUV), 3) substrate classification based on drop camera photo samples, 4) oceanographic measurements of the water column from Seabird 19plus V2 profiling CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth, photosynthetic active radiation, pH, dissolved oxygen), 5) nutrients (NO2, NO3, NH4, PO4, SiO3) and dissolve organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, and 6) current speed and direction from tilt meters. The first two items are available as independent data on the OBIS portal. To obtain data from items 3-6 and/or biological data collected on fish and invertebrate taxa, please contact David Lévesque or Marie-Julie Roux.The research surveys were undertaken by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada as part of the baseline program of the Ocean Protection Plan. This initiative aimed to acquire environmental baseline data contributing to the characterization of important coastal areas and in support of evidence-based assessments and management decision-making for preserving marine ecosystems.Which contribute to the elaboration of conservation objectives based on an ecosystem assessment approach for fishery stock assessment requires the development of sampling methods to maximize the data collection on the ecosystem, while minimizing the impact on organisms and the marine environment. This project aims at characterising the coastal ecosystem of the St. Lawrence Estuary between Portneuf-sur-Mer and Godbout (QC), including the physico-chemistry of water, phytoplankton, zooplankton, submerged vegetation, benthic habitats as well as assemblages of fish and invertebrates. Sampling was performed by combining conventional methods such as CTD profiling, zooplankton nets, and beam trawl, with non-extractive methods such as dropped photo cameras and stereoscopic baited video camera systems. The data collected will help define baseline ecosystem conditions in the study area; explore the links between environmental conditions, habitat structure and biological assemblages; identify important habitats for marine species; as well as the evaluation of the performance of visual sampling methods compared to conventional methods. The results will make it possible to optimize the seasonal or annual monitoring in order to better understand the direct and indirect effects of human activities in coastal environments.This project was funded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada as part of the baseline program of the Ocean Protection Plan.

A research survey on snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) was conducted from July 7 to July 26, 2019 in the Estuary St. Lawrence River between Forestville, Baie-Comeau and Matane. The main objective of this survey was to assess the abundance of snow crab and benthic species associated with snow crab habitat. Only data for benthic species associated with snow crab habitat are presented in this dataset.Data were collected according to a fixed station sampling design consisting of 66 stations, between 31 and 279 meters depth. Specimens were collected using a beam trawl with a total width of 2.8 meters and a total height of 0.76 meters. The codend was lined with a 16 millimeter stretched mesh net in order to harvest the small individuals. The hauls were made at a target speed of 2 knots and a target duration of 15 minutes. Start and end positions were recorded to calculate the distance traveled on each tow using the geosphere library in R. The average tow distance was approximately 25 m. The area covered at each tow was the product of the trawl opening and the distance traveled.The two files provided (DarwinCore format) are complementary and are linked by the "eventID" key. The "Activity_Information" file includes generic activity information, including date and location. The "occurrence_taxon" file includes the taxonomy of the species observed, identified to the species or lowest possible taxonomic level. To obtain the abundance and biomass assessment, contact Cedric Juillet (cedric.juillet@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).For quality controls, all taxonomic names were checked against the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) to match recognized standards. The WoRMS match was placed in the "ScientificnameID" field of the occurrence file. Data quality checks were performed using the R obistools and worrms libraries. All sampling locations were spatially validated.

This dataset documents the epifauna occurrences collected from 2021 to 2024 during the Canadian Beaufort Sea Marine Ecosystem Assessment (CBS-MEA) conducted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). This scientific program focuses on the integration of oceanography, food web linkages, physical-biological couplings, and spatial and interannual variabilities. The program also aims to expand the baseline coverage of species diversity, abundances, and habitat associations in previously unstudied areas of the Beaufort Sea and Western Canadian Archipelago. The study took place mainly in the Canadian Beaufort Sea and the Amundsen Gulf. Sampling is done along transects at fixed stations in the study area. Catches are collected with a 3 m benthic beam trawl for 10 minutes bottom-contact time at a target speed of 2 knots and with a modified Atlantic Western IIA otter trawl for 20 minutes bottom-contact time at a target speed of 2.9 knots. A total of 32 stations were sampled for epifauna in 2021, 22 in 2022, 23 in 2023 and 22 in 2024, between 22-655 m depth. Epibenthic invertebrates were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible and photographed. All unknown specimens are frozen. In the lab, the identifications are validated or refined with the photos and the frozen specimens.The data are presented in Darwin Core and are separated in two files:The "Activité_épifaune_CBSMEA_epifauna_event_en" file which contains information about missions, stations and deployments, which are presented under a hierarchical activity structure.The "Occurrence_épifaune_CBSMEA_epifauna_en" file that contains the taxonomic occurrences.

A research survey on snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) was conducted from May 2006 to May 2009 in the Bay of Ste. Marguerite near Sept-Îles, Quebec. The main objective of this survey was to assess the abundance of snow crab and benthic species associated with snow crab habitat. Only data for benthic species associated with snow crab habitat are presented in this dataset.Data were collected according to a fixed station sampling design consisting of 79 stations, between 7 to 198 meters depth. Specimens were collected using a beam trawl. The codend was lined with a small stretched mesh net in order to harvest the small individuals. The hauls were made at a target duration of 15 minutes. Start and end positions were recorded to calculate the distance traveled on each tow using the geosphere library in R. The two files provided (DarwinCore format) are complementary and are linked by the "eventID" key. The "Activity_Information" file includes generic activity information, including date and location. The "occurrence_taxon" file includes the taxonomy of the species observed, identified to the species or lowest possible taxonomic level. To obtain the abundance and biomass assessment, contact Bernard Sainte-Marie (Bernard.Sainte-Marie@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).For quality controls, all taxonomic names were checked against the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) to match recognized standards. The WoRMS match was placed in the "ScientificnameID" field of the occurrence file. Data quality checks were performed using the R obistools and worrms libraries. All sampling locations were spatially validated.

A research survey on snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) was conducted from July 1 to July 17, 2018 on the Lower North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Havre-Saint-Pierre and Blanc-Sablon. The main objective of this survey was to assess the abundance of snow crab and benthic species associated with snow crab habitat. Only data for benthic species associated with snow crab habitat are presented in this dataset.Data were collected according to a fixed station sampling design consisting of 61 stations, between 46 and 230 meters depth. Specimens were collected using a beam trawl with a total width of 2.8 meters and a total height of 0.76 meters. The codend was lined with a 16 millimeter stretched mesh net in order to harvest the small individuals. The hauls were made at a target speed of 2 knots and a target duration of 10 minutes depending on seabed conditions. Start and end positions were recorded to calculate the distance traveled on each tow using the geosphere library in R. The average tow distance was approximately 25 m. The area covered at each tow was the product of the trawl opening and the distance traveled.The two files provided (DarwinCore format) are complementary and are linked by the "eventID" key. The "Activity_Information" file includes generic activity information, including date and location. The "occurrence_taxon" file includes the taxonomy of the species observed, identified to the species or lowest possible taxonomic level. To obtain the abundance and biomass assessment, contact Cedric Juillet (cedric.juillet@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).For quality controls, all taxonomic names were checked against the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) to match recognized standards. The WoRMS match was placed in the "ScientificIDname" field of the occurrence file. Special cases were noted in the "commentsIdentification" field and selected specimens were confirmed with field photos. Data quality checks were performed using the R obistools and Worms libraries. All sampling locations were spatially validated.