Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Coastal Environmental Baseline Program supports the collection of ecological information on the current state of key coastal ecosystems across Canada. This initiative aims to acquire environmental baseline data (physical, chemical and biological) contributing to the characterization of important coastal areas and to support evidence-based assessments and management decisions for preserving marine ecosystems. From this page, you will find links to the data from projects undertaken from 2018-2022 at six coastal sites across Canada.

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 a series of sites across Canada, to build a better understanding of existing marine ecological conditions. The program began data collection in 2019, and with the onset of Phase 2 in 2023, the Maritimes region study area was expanded and renamed ‘Northwest Fundy Shores’. A physical oceanography program was designed to align with the oceanographic interests and data needs of local interest holders. Starting in 2023, oceanographic parameters including water temperature, salinity, depth and turbidity have been monitored at a series of locations in Passamaquoddy Bay, the St. Croix River, and along the Bay of Fundy coast, including the Musquash estuary Marine Protected Area (MPA). This dataset includes seasonal CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth) and turbidity data starting in spring 2023. Instruments are maintained through the winter months at a limited number of sites. Data collection methods are primarily moored instruments on the bottom in water depths of 5-90 meters, and a few buoyant surface floats. Overall, this dataset captures seasonal dynamics in near-shore marine environments in Passamaquoddy Bay, the St Croix River, the Bay of Fundy and the Musquash MPA. Cite this data as: Coastal Environmental Baseline Program (Maritimes Region), Northwest Fundy Shores conductivity, temperature and depth data. Published in May 2025. Coastal Environmental Baseline Program. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. 14-02-2025

This project was completed by the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program (Coastal and Freshwater Ecology Section) in the Newfoundland and Labrador Science Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). From 2018 to 2022 baseline biological and physical data were collected in Placentia Bay using Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP) and Cold Ocean Productivity Experiment (COPE) protocols. Complementary data were collected in the bay using moored CTDs. Where possible, sampling was conducted monthly at 4 sites between May and November to capture broad scale spatial and temporal trends. Additionally, data were collected bi-weekly in April and May, and monthly from June to September at one of these sites to capture finer scale temporal trends, such as spring blooms, in collaboration with Dr. C. McKenzie. Phytoplankton were collected using vertical net tows and niskins. Zooplankton were collected using vertical net tows. CTDs were used to collect physical and biogeochemical water column data including temperature, pressure, salinity, depth, chlorophyll-a, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH, photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM), and conductivity. Water biogeochemistry data were obtained by collecting water samples with niskins at depths of 5, 10, 20, 30, 40m, and 10m above bottom to measure nutrients, chlorophyll-a, carbonates, and particulate organic carbon and nitrogen (POC/PON). Additionally, eDNA samples were taken at each of the 4 sampling sites. This record contains the geographic locations of the sites, and information on the timing and type of data collected at each site.

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 unique sites across Canada, including the Port of Saint John (New Brunswick). The overall purpose of the Program is to collect localized ecological data in these areas to build a better baseline understanding of marine ecological conditions. The Maritimes region has developed a physical oceanography project to align with the interests and data needs of local communities and stakeholders. Starting in 2020, data describing the depth and temperature of tidal flood waters have been collected at a series of intertidal locations in the Port of Saint John vicinity, to characterize high marsh flood tides and water level fluctuations near the Courtenay Bay causeway. Inundation by marine waters in high marsh areas is typically limited to spring tides, while the water level in Courtenay Bay is influenced by anthropogenic infrastructure (e.g. causeway, tide gates). The resulting data can enhance studies ranging from coastal vulnerability and resilience to salt marsh morphodynamics, by quantifying the frequency, amplitude and duration of tidal inundation. Data were collected using Hobo U20-001-02 water level loggers, which were deployed inside stilling wells constructed from 15-inch lengths of perforated ABS pipe (2¼” diameter). The stilling wells were sunk to a depth of 6 inches below ground, with the water level logger suspended inside the well from a bolt near the top. The logger was positioned with a rigid wire such that the measurement volume was equal to ground level, while allowing the logger to be easily removed for downloading and precisely replaced at the measurement location. Loggers were accessed 2-3 times per year to download, and were removed during the winter months. Data have been compensated for changing atmospheric pressure using the Barometric Compensation Tool in HobowarePro (version 3.7.21) and barometric pressure data collected from a dry location during the study period. The resulting water level is reported in meters, and is relative to the elevation of the water level logger (e.g. above ground level).Citation: Port of Saint John intertidal water level and temperature (2020-2022). Coastal Environmental Baseline Program. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. XX-XX-2024

The objective of this project was to locate the mixing zones in the coastal environment on the north shore of the lower estuary, which are caused by the friction of the waters on the bottom and measure the effects of these mixing zones on the modification of the water bodies and the productivity potential of adjacent areas, using phytoplankton biomass and size structure as an indicator of productivity. Temperature and salinity profiles were measured using CTD and water sampling was done with a Niskin bottle to try to detect the signature of the mixture and to determine if nutrient salts and/or productivity are greater in adjacent areas.Sampling took place in 3 outings from 3 stations organized in a 100 NN transect which were carried out at the start of the season (June 30), mid-season (August 16) and end of the season (October 9). The transects were each composed of three stations ranging from 10 m depth near the coast to 50 and 75 m, depending on the transect, moving away from the coast. Samples were collected for nutrients and phytoplankton biomass (> 0.7 µm and > 5 µm) analysis at depths of 1, 10, 25 and 50 m. The optical transparency of water was also measured by Secchi disk. The first file provided “donnees_profils_data” is a summary of the CTD profils of every station. The second file “donnees_discretes_discret_data” contains the results of the water sample analysis. The file “Identification_station_identification” describe the repartition of consecutives among stations.This project was funded by DFO Coastal Environmental Baseline Program under Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan. This initiative aims to acquire environmental baseline data contributing to the characterization of important coastal areas and to support evidence-based assessments and management decisions for preserving marine ecosystems.

This project was completed by the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program (Coastal and Freshwater Ecology Section) in the Newfoundland and Labrador Science Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). From 2020-2023, there were semi-annual deployments and retrievals of 3 moored CTDs in the bay. From 2020 to November 2021, moored CTDs collected hourly recordings of conductivity, temperature and pressure. From 2021 through 2023, these CTDs collected year-round, hourly, information on temperature, conductivity, pressure, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a. Acoustic releases also collected hourly ambient noise (mV) data. This record contains the geographic locations of the sites, and information on the timings and types of data collected at each site.

Monitoring programs are an important component of Marine Protected Area (MPA) management, providing requisite information on the state of, and changes in, protected ecosystems. Monitoring is required to gauge the efficacy of MPAs towards their conservation objectives and provides information needed to evaluate the benefits provided to biodiversity from restricted access. However, in Nova Scotia’s coastal zone, there is a lack of baseline data, including fish diversity and community structure in macrophyte beds, which makes monitoring intractable. In 2017, the Eastern Shore Islands was identified as a coastal Area of Interest (AOI) for the potential establishment of an MPA. In 2018 an overview was conducted, detailing the spatial and temporal ecological attributes of the AOI. This information revealed a unique coastal ecosystem associated with a dense archipelago and relatively natural seascape. The abundance of plant and algal biogenic habitats within the area was assumed to host a diversity of juvenile fish species. The primary objective of this project is to begin development of a long-term biodiversity monitoring program in the Eastern Shore Islands and other coastal Areas of Interest for conservation planning. We propose implementing this program with the use of direct (beach seines, scuba diving, and stable isotope sampling) and indirect (environmental DNA - eDNA) sampling. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a useful tool to examine marine biodiversity in a non-invasive way, on a small spatial scale. eDNA can be easily collected and filtered and is becoming increasingly cost efficient to sequence and may be a useful marine protected area monitoring tool. While eDNA generally yields comparable results to traditional sampling techniques in terms of biodiversity captured, little is known on how eDNA signals fluctuate across years (or even days to weeks). We will compare species detections using eDNA metabarcoding to visual surveys (scuba and seine nets) to census eelgrass beds across the coastal zone, providing a baseline and time series of species diversity on which to base long-term monitoring. This project will generate inventories of eelgrass bed locations, and fish and invertebrate diversity within eelgrass beds. We additionally collect fish length distribution data to examine seasonal and inter-annual trends in size structure over time. The data generated from direct and indirect sampling will provide a comprehensive and ongoing catalog of species diversity and community structure in coastal eelgrass beds, as well as best-practices for sampling eDNA in the coastal environment.Cite this data as: Jeffery, N.W., Pettitt-Wade, H., Van Wyngaarden, M., and Stanley, R.R.E. Maritimes Coastal Biodiversity Monitoring Program – Beach Seining.Published: December 2023. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/dbbcb23a-d018-4b70-b8ec-89997aded770

This project was completed by the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program (Coastal and Freshwater Ecology Section) in the Newfoundland and Labrador Science Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). The nearshore fish and invertebrate community was sampled annually in Placentia Bay at 14 sites for 5 years (2018 – 2022). The objective of this program was to collect data on juvenile fish (specifically Atlantic cod) communities and habitats within Placentia Bay. The sites and timing (October) were selected based on historical sampling. There were several data types collected during each of these sampling trips. Boat-based beach seining was used to collect data on fish and invertebrate diversity, abundance, distribution, and size. Visual transects were used to identify vegetation and substrate (habitat) types and proportions at seine sites. CTD profiles (temperature, conductivity, depth, and salinity) were obtained using a castaway CTD. Finally, eDNA samples were collected at each site (2018-2021) to obtain complementary information on the presence of juvenile fish and other species present. This record contains the geographic locations of the 14 sites, and information on the timing and type of data collected at each site.

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.

Species characterization by environmental DNA (eDNA) is a method that allows the use of DNA released into the environment by organisms from various sources (secretions, faeces, gametes, tissues, etc.). It is a complementary tool to standard sampling methods for the identification of biodiversity. This project provides a list of invertebrates species whose DNA has been detected in water samples collected at 2018 using the marker COI.The surveys were carried out in the summer of 2018 from August 11 to 14, between Forestville and Godbout (Haute-Côte-Nord). Sampling was carried out between 9-52 meters depth in 40 stations with one sample par station. Two liters of water were filtered through a 1.2 µm fiberglass filter. DNA extractions were performed with the DNeasy Blood and Tissue extraction kit (Qiagen). Negative field, extraction and PCR controls were added at the different stages of the protocol. Libraries at the COI locus were prepared by Genome Quebec and sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq PE250 system. The bioinformatics analysis of the sequences obtained was carried out using an in-house analysis pipeline as reported in Bourret et al. 2022. A first step made it possible to obtain a molecular operational taxonomic unit table (MOTU) using the cutadapt software for the removal of the adapters and the DADA2 R package for the filtration, fusion, chimera removal and data compilation. The MOTUs table was subsequently corrected by taking into account the negative controls, where the number of observations in the latter was removed from the linked samples. Singleton MOTUs have also been removed. Finally, the taxonomic assignments were carried out on the MOTUs using the IDTAXA classifier (present in the DECIPHIER R package) using a training set trained on the COI reference bank for Golf St-Laurent (GSL-rl v1.0, https://github.com/GenomicsMLI-DFO/MLI_GSL-rl) and a threshold of 40. Detections with an “Unreliable due to gaps” category were reported at the genus level only.The file provided includes generic activity information, including site, station name, date, marker type, assignment types used for taxa identification, and a list of taxa or species. The list of taxa has been verified by a biodiversity expert from the Maurice-Lamontagne Institute.This project was funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Coastal Environmental Baseline Data Program under the Oceans Protection Plan. This initiative aims to acquire baseline environmental data that contributes to the characterization of significant coastal areas and supports evidence-based assessments and management decisions to preserve marine ecosystems.Data are also available on SLGO platform : https://doi.org/10.26071/ogsl-cd4c205b-f63b