Historical finds of Operophtera brumata

Considered the "king" of sea lions, the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is the biggest of all sea lions and enjoys a lifespan of up to thirty years. In Canada, the Steller can be spotted along the rocky coast of British Columbia. This hefty mammal usually travels alone or in a small group, but wisely, it joins others for protection during the mating and birthing season. Little is known about its oceanic lifestyle; however, the good news for this sea-loving mammal is that since the Steller sea lion first became protected in 1970, the size of the adult population has more than doubled. Recent trends in the abundance of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in British Columbia were assessed based on a series of thirteen province-wide aerial surveys conducted during the breeding season (27-June to 06-July) between 1971 and 2013.

Greenland Sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) are estimated to have the highest longevity of any invertebrate (392 ± 120 years), making bycatch a significant concern (Nielsen et al. 2016). However, in the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) region, accurate estimates of bycatch are not often available for the species (Simpson et al. 2021). To address this, species distribution models (SDMs) were generated to delineate habitat suitability for the species throughout the NL region in order to identify areas where a higher rate of bycatch is expected to occur.Observations of Greenland shark bycatch recorded by At-Sea Observers (ASOs) in NL (1983 – 2019), Spain (1999 – 2017), and by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Secretariat (2014 – 2019) were compiled to generate a presence-only dataset. Multiple environmental variables were assessed for collinearity, and non-collinear variables (Bathymetry and mean monthly bottom temperature for March and November (1990 – 2015)) were retained for use in the SDM. MaxEnt (maximum entropy) software was used to model habitat suitability because it is a presence-only modelling program that is able to account for a lack of absence data by comparing the environmental conditions at occurrence locations to those at randomly selected background points. Overall, the results indicated that habitat suitability for Greenland Shark was highest in deeper waters along the shelf edge in NAFO Divisions 3OP, and the Laurentian Channel, but also extended along the edge of the Labrador shelf, the Grand Banks, and deeper areas along the continental shelf such as the Hawke Channel, Funk Island Deep, and the slopes of Saglek, Nain, and Hamilton Banks. Beyond the Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) and within the NAFO regulatory area (NRA), suitable habitat was also present within the Flemish Pass, and along the slope of the Flemish Cap and shelf edge in NAFO Divisions 3NO (Simpson et al. 2021). More detailed information can be found in Simpson et al. 2021.References:Nielsen, J., R. B. Hedeholm, J. Heinemeier, P. G. Bushnell, J. S. Christiansen, J. Olsen, C. B. Ramsey, R. W. Brill, M. Simon, K. F. Steffensen, J. F. Steffensen. 2016. Eye lens radiocarbon reveals centuries of longevity in the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus). Science 353 (6300):702-704Simpson, M. R., Gullage, L., Konecny, C., Ollerhead, N., Treble, M.A., Nogueira, A., González-Costas, F. 2021. Spatial-temporal variation in Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) bycatch in the NAFO Regulatory Area. NAFO SCR Doc. 21/028

Since 1985, research surveys targeting scallops—primarily the sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) and, to a lesser extent, the Icelandic scallop (Chlamys islandica)—have been conducted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) at one- or two-year intervals around the Magdalen Islands (fishing area 20A). The main objective of this survey is to assess the status of sea scallop stocks. The study area is situated south of the Magdalen Islands, where scallop beds are typically sampled at depths ranging from approximately 25 to 35 m. Sampling stations are randomly selected from a predetermined fixed grid, with sampling conducted along transects at these randomly assigned locations within the study area. Each station is sampled using a lined Digby scallop dredge (20 mm mesh size), towed for roughly 500 m across the seabed.This publication includes three files: the file biometriePetoncle_20, which contains detailed biometric data (species, size, weights and sex) from 1998 to 2024; the file taillePetoncle_20, which provides the size of the individuals sampled from 2009 to 2024; and the file traitPetoncle_20 which contains the abundances and densities per tow from 2009 to 2024. Data on abundances and densities per tow from 1998-2008 is available upon request.This dataset is updated every one to two years as data becomes available. A cleaning of aberrant data has been carried out. However, there is missing data in various columns of the dataset – use the data with caution. If you have any questions please contact DFO.DataManagementSAISB-GestionDonneesDAISS.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca or the author. For certain time periods, associated species are identified and semi-quantitatively counted directly on the sorting table, and the results are presented in the following publications: - https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/6529a4b0-f863-4568-ac71-1fa26cf68679- https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/71732ad5-5c70-4dbf-916d-a94e1380c53b 

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.

The Brier Island/Digby Neck area has been identified as an Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and is one of four marine areas within the Bay of Fundy recognised by Parks Canada as of national significance for marine conservation planning. The area is representative of important outer Bay of Fundy features with significant marine mammal, bird, and benthic diversity including potentially important aggregations of sensitive benthic species such as horse mussel and sponge. Much of the information used for this recognition is now over 40 years old and should be re-validated using standardised georeferenced survey methods. As a first phase, a diver-based survey of the sublittoral habitats and associated species was conducted in August and September of 2017 for the Brier Island area. This report summarises the major sublittoral habitat types, species assemblages, and oceanographic conditions observed at 20 locations including Northwest and Southwest Ledges, Gull Rock, Peter’s Island, and Grand Passage. A total of 962 records were made of 178 taxa, consisting of 43 algae and 135 animals. Comparison with historical records largely confirmed the continued presence of unique habitats and species assemblages for which this area was initially recognised as an EBSA. Differences in species richness observed for cryptic and less known taxonomic groups such as sponges and bryozoans were attributable to changes in survey methods and knowledge. Based on these findings, additional surveys of inshore and offshore Brier Island using more quantitative methods developed for other Bay of Fundy EBSAs would further support regional MPA network planning and provide relative scales of species diversity and habitat coverage for this area.

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.

The Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is the largest of all sea lions and enjoys a lifespan of up to thirty years. In Canada, the Steller can be spotted along the rocky coast of British Columbia. These highly mobile marine mammals typically travel alone or in small groups, but they congregate in large numbers at traditional rookeries and haul-outs during the mating and pupping season. The population was severely depleted in Canada but following its protection in 1970, the size of the adult population has more than doubled.The survey targeted Steller sea lions and sites were chosen based on knowledge of historically occupied rookeries and haul-out sites with nearby areas monitored for potential shifts in distribution. This dataset contains counts that have been collected from sightings of individuals in the 2016/2017 survey season.

Important sites: reproduction, feeding and concentration area. Data extracted from the Fish Habitat Management Information System (FHAMIS) according to a literature review of documents produced between 1976 and 1999.

The North Shore of the Lower Estuary (Upper North Shore, Quebec) is a productive coastal system where many commercial species of benthic invertebrates are fished in the infralittoral (10-20 m) and circalittoral (20-50 m) zone. However, little data exist on the biodiversity of non-commercial species and the environmental characteristics of the benthic habitat in this area. Two scientific surveys were conducted in 2018 and 2019 to address this knowledge gap by developing a framework of biodiversity and environmental (water column and seafloor) data taking that will be used to determine the baseline state of the benthic ecosystem in this region.Surveys were conducted in 2018 (August 11-14) and 2019 (July 30-August 5) in the Upper North Shore region (between the towns of Forestville and Godbout). Surveys followed a fixed sampling design of eight transects perpendicular to bathymetry with stations at 10 m depth intervals in a bathymetry range of 10-50 m for a total of approximately 40 stations per survey. Specimens were collected with a beam trawl with an opening of 2.8 m. The hauls were made at a target speed of 2 knots and a target duration of 7 minutes. Start and end positions were recorded to calculate the distance traveled on each tow using the geosphere library of R. The average tow distance was approximately 425 m. The area covered at each tow was the product of the trawl opening and the distance traveled. The three files provided (DarwinCore format) are complementary and are linked by the "eventID" key. The "event_information" file includes generic event information, including date and location. The "additional_information_event_and_occurrence" file includes sample size, sampling protocol and sampling effort, among others. The "taxon_occurrence" file includes the taxonomy of the species observed, identified to the species or lowest possible taxonomic level. For abundance and biomass estimates, contact Virginie Roy (virginie.roy@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. Special cases were noted in "identificationRemarks" and selected specimens were confirmed using field photos. Data quality checks were performed using the R obistools and worrms libraries. All sampling locations were spatially validated.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.