Catch, effort, location (latitude, longitude), relative abundance indices, and associated biological data from groundfish multi-species bottom trawl surveys in Queen Charlotte Sound.Introduction The Queen Charlotte Sound (QCS) synoptic bottom trawl survey was conducted annually from 2003 to 2005 and has since been repeated every second year on the odd-numbered years. The survey was not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 Hecate Strait (HS) survey, the West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) survey, the West Coast Haida Gwaii (WCHG) survey, and the Strait of Georgia (SOG) survey. 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.

Modeled data showing the likely distribution of dall's porpoises. 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.

The blue shark (Prionace glauca), is a species found in Atlantic Canadian waters which is commonly encountered in commercial and recreational fisheries. Pop-up Satellite Archival Tags (PSAT) and Smart Position and Temperature tag (SPOT) from Wildlife Computers were applied to blue sharks from 2004 to 2008 to collect data on depth (pressure), temperature and ambient light level (for position estimation). Deployments were conducted in Canada on commercial and recreational vessels from mid-August to early October, but mostly in September. A variety of tag models were deployed: PAT 4 (n=16), Mk10 (N=28), and SPOT3 (N=2) and 39 of 46 tags reported. The blue sharks tagged ranged in size from 124 cm to 251 cm Fork Length (curved); 30 were female, 15 were male and 1 was unknown sex. Time at liberty ranged from 4 – 210 days and 16 tags remained on for the programmed duration. Raw data transmitted from the PSAT’s after release was processed through Wildlife Computers software (GPE3) to get summary files, assuming a maximum swimming speed of 2m/s, NOAA OI SST V2 High Resolution data set for SST reference and ETOPO1-Bedrock dataset for bathymetry reference. The maximum likelihood position estimates are available in .csv and .kmz format and depth and temperature profiles are also in .csv format. Other tag outputs as well as metadata from the deployments can be obtained upon request from: warren.joyce@dfo-mpo.gc.ca or heather.bowlby@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

A Storm Sewer is an enclosed system of pipes or drains that divert water away from the road and/or right of way. Also includes culverts that run under enclosed ditches. It is a Linear feature

Modeled data showing the likely distribution of harbour porpoises. 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.

A chlorophyll fluorescence time series was collected at various locations around the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada for monitoring phytoplankton concentrations. A Wetlabs ECO fluorometer was deployed every few months on a schedule depending on season and sensor availability. The instrument hung by a chain attached to the side of the buoy, or dock, depending on location, and measured chlorophyll using the fluorescence emission at 695nm. The instrument also measured turbidity by detecting the scattered light at 700nm. The units had internal batteries and data storage and were programmed to make a group of 5 measurements every 30 minutes. A copper wiper covered the sampling window between groups of measurements to reduce fouling. Times are in UTC unless otherwise stated.

Funded under DFO's Marine Conservation Targets Program, this optical imagery benthic survey documents the occurrence and estimated percent cover of the invasive colonial tunicate, Didemnum vexillum in seven drift-camera transects in the 'Head Harbour/West Isles Archipelago/The Passages' Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (ESBA, ~113km2) in the western Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. Occurrence data was derived from the use of high-resolution still images (n=386) taken periodically throughout each transect, and simultaneous continuous high-definition video. Video was divided into 20-second segments (here, we report the start and end location of each segment within a transect) and when D. vexillum was present in a video segment, frequency of occurrence was classified as common (continuous coverage/patches throughout the video segment), occasional (individual colonies of various sizes encountered >5 times throughout the video segment), or rare (small, isolated colonies encountered ≤5 times throughout the video segment). A video segment was deemed unusable and removed from the dataset if there was too much turbidity, or if the camera position was too high off-bottom to reliably image the seafloor. For still images, when D. vexillum was observed in an image, colony percent cover was categorized as >50%, 26-50%, 6-25%, or ≤5% of the images field of view (FOV). Distance travelled and distance between still images (m) was calculated using ArcGIS tools. FOV was estimated by measuring the length and width of a subset of still images and video frame grabs in ImageJ2, using 10-cm lasers for scale. FOV was standardized for each reported altitude, and area sampled (m2) along a continuous video segment was estimated by multiplying the average FOV by the distance travelled in that segment. D. vexillum was found in 44% of the area sampled at depths from 34 to 118m, deeper than previous reports globally of ~80m.Cite this data as: Teed LL, Goodwin C, Lawton P, Lacoursière-Roussel A, Dinning KM (2024) Multiple perspectives on the emergence of the invasive colonial tunicate Didemnum vexillum Kott, 2002 in the western Bay of Fundy, Atlantic Canada. BioInvasions Records 13(3): 713–738, https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2024.13.3.12

Each pixel value corresponds to the difference (anomaly) between the mean “Best-Quality” Max-NDVI of the week specified (e.g. Week 18, 2000-2014) and the “Best-Quality” Max-NDVI of the same week in a specific year (e.g. Week 18, 2015). Max-NDVI anomalies < 0 indicate where weekly Max-NDVI is lower than normal. Anomalies > 0 indicate where weekly Max-NDVI is higher than normal. Anomalies close to 0 indicate where weekly Max-NDVI is similar to normal.

A Culvert is a pipe (less than 3m in diameter) or half-round flume used to transport or drain water under or away from the road and/or right of way. Culverts that are greater than or equal to 3m in diameter are stored in the MoT Bridge Structure Road Dataset. It is a Point feature

Emerald Basin on the Scotia Shelf off Nova Scotia, Canada, is home to a globally unique population of the glass sponge Vazella pourtalesi. Through the analysis of both in situ photographs and trawl catch data from annual multispecies bottom-trawl surveys, we examined community composition, species density, and abundance of epibenthos and fish associated with V. pourtalesi compared to locations without this sponge. Using generalized linear models and analysis of similarities, the importance of V. pourtalesi in enhancing species density and abundance of the associated epibenthic community was assessed against that of the hard substrate on which it settles. Our results indicated that the megafaunal assemblage associated with V. pourtalesi was significantly different in composition and higher in species density and abundance compared to locations without V. pourtalesi. Analysis of similarity of trawl catch data indicated that fish communities associated with the sponge grounds are significantly different from those without V. pourtalesi, although no species were found exclusively on the sponge grounds. Our study provides further evidence of the role played by sponge grounds in shaping community structure and biodiversity of associated deep-sea epibenthic and fish communities. The mechanism for biodiversity enhancement within the sponge grounds formed by V. pourtalesi is likely the combined effect of both the sponge itself and its attachment substrate, which together comprise the habitat of the sponge grounds. We also discuss the role of habitat provision between the mixed-species tetractinellid sponges of the Flemish Cap and the monospecific glass sponge grounds of Emerald Basin. Please refer to the following citation for additional details on the data:Hawkes N, Korabik M, Beazley L, Rapp HT, Xavier JR, Kenchington E (2019) Glass sponge grounds on the Scotian Shelf and their associated biodiversity. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 614:91-109. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12903Cite this data as: Hawkes, Nickolas; Korabik, Michelle; Beazley, Lindsay; Rapp, Hans Tore; Xavier, Joana; Kenchington, Ellen (2019) Glass sponge grounds on the Scotian Shelf and their associated biodiversity. Published September 2023.Ocean Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/83c8e9af-ad3a-40bc-b1b7-d1ed4a069330