Foreshore Plant Habitat Zones for Okanagan region lakes. The purpose of this data is to support the Large Lakes Protocol, an interagency document that addresses the processes that need to be followed during foreshore development. The required application process varies depending on habitat value zone

The purpose of this data is to support the Large Lakes Protocol, an interagency document that addresses the processes that need to be followed during foreshore development. The required application process varies depending on habitat value zone

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

Nearshore marine construction activities often involve projects conducted directly in or adjacent to eelgrass beds and can have detrimental effects on eelgrass health, through physical destruction of beds, smothering of plants by sediment, and light reduction from turbidity. A liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine terminal is proposed to be constructed near Goldboro in Isaacs Harbour on the Eastern shore of Nova Scotia in an area where sediments are contaminated with heavy metals from historical goldmining tailings. We conducted a pre-impact assessment of the eelgrass beds in Isaacs Harbour and in adjacent contaminated and non-contaminated harbours. We used underwater video to precisely map the eelgrass bed in the direct construction footprint in Isaacs Harbour. We surveyed 169 stations along ~40 km of coastline from Wine Harbour to New Harbour to identify eelgrass presence or absence in the nearby region and provide data on the distribution and abundance of other sensitive fish habitat such as kelp and other macrophytes. Sediment samples were collected and analyzed for grain size, organic matter content and heavy metal contamination. We also collected eelgrass plants to assess plant condition using morphological and physiological metrics, and heavy metal contamination in plant tissues. The overall condition of eelgrass plants in the surveyed area fell within the range of healthy plant characteristics (morphometrics and carbohydrates reserves) seen elsewhere along the Atlantic coast. However, a few stations displayed high arsenic and mercury contamination in sediments, which translated in some cases to high contamination in eelgrass rhizomes and leaves. There would be significant risk of impact on benthic habitat and contamination of marine biota from resuspension of sediments during a construction and operation of a ship terminal in Isaacs Harbour. This pre-impact assessment will allow DFO to assess the LNG terminal construction proposal and develop appropriate mitigation and monitoring procedures. Collected data will also be used for habitat-forming species distribution modeling to inform marine spatial and conservation planning.Vercaemer, B., O’Brien, J. M., Guijarro-Sabaniel, J. and Wong, M. C. 2022. Distribution and condition of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in the historical goldmining region of Goldboro, Nova Scotia. Can. Tech. Rep. Aquat. Sci. 3513: v + 67 p.Cite this data as: Vercaemer, B., O’Brien, J. M., Guijarro-Sabaniel, J., Wong, M. Data of: Eelgrass (Zostera marina) study in the historical goldmining region of Goldboro, Nova Scotia (2020). Published: February 2023. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/ee88aa17-fd30-4d4a-8924-897fd47cf560

Kokanee habitat zones for Okanagan region lakes. The purpose of this data is to support the Large Lakes Protocol, an interagency document that addresses the processes that need to be followed during foreshore development. The required application process varies depending on habitat value zone. The data was sourced from Kokanee Shore spawner inventory data

This shapefile dataset was designed using polygons extracted from the Cartography of Coastal Ecosystems of Maritime Quebec geodatabase (2022, Laboratory for Dynamics and Integrated Management of Coastal Zones, Fisheries and Oceans Canada), described in the paragraph below. It consists of polygons with eelgrass and incorporates attributes describing the vegetation cover, the composition of the seagrass beds, the associated ecosystem name, the imagery data that allowed photo-interpretation and the presence or absence of field data. A unique sequence number associated with each polygon makes it possible to trace the paired polygon of the geodatabase of coastal ecosystems to attribute values not detailed in this shapefile. The study area includes all of the estuarine and maritime coasts of Quebec, with the exception of certain sectors, including most of the Lower North Shore and Anticosti Island, with the exception of villages of Kegaska, la Romaine, Chevery, Blanc-Sablon and Port-Menier. Some islands off the estuary and gulf coasts are part of the region covered, such as Île d'Orléans, Isle-aux-Coudres, Île Verte and Île Bonaventure.The Mapping of Coastal Ecosystems of Maritime Quebec was carried out jointly by the Laboratory for Dynamics and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (LDGIZC) of the University of Quebec at Rimouski as part of the Coastal Resilience Project; and by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada team, as part of the Integrated Marine Response Planning Program (IMRP). A classification of coastal ecosystems was carried out on more than 4,200 km of coastal corridor, focusing on estuarine and maritime coasts of Quebec located between the limit of the upper foreshore and the shallow infralittoral (about 10m deep). The mapping method developed is based on semi-automated segmentation and a photo-interpretation of coastal ecosystems, using very high resolution multispectral photographs (RBVI) acquired between 2015 and 2020 by DFO. The classification of polygons is based on the assignment of predefined value classes for the biological and physical attributes under study (e.g., substrates, plant type, vegetation cover, geosystem, etc. ). Helicopter-born oblique photographs and field data helped to reduce the uncertainty associated with photo-interpretation. UQAR and DFO conducted field sampling campaigns targeting the mediolittoral (4,390 stations) and the lower mediolittoral and infralittoral zones (2,959 stations), respectively , which validated some of the attributes identified by photo-interpretation and provided detailed information on community structure . The geodatabase of the Mapping of coastal ecosystems is hosted and managed by UQAR on their SIGEC-Web cartographic platform: https://ldgizc.uqar.ca/Web/sigecwebCredits © DFO (2023, Fisheries and Oceans Canada)Provencher-Nolet, L., Paquette, L., Pitre, L.D., Grégoire, B. and Desjardins, C. 2024. Cartographie des macrophytes estuariens et marins du Québec. Rapp. Tech. Can. Sci. halieut. Aquat. 3617 : v + 99 p.Grégoire, B., Pitre, L.D., Provencher-Nolet, L., Paquette, L. and Desjardins, C. 2024. Distribution d’organismes marins de la zone côtière peu profonde du Québec recensés par imagerie sous-marine de 2017 à 2021. Rapp. tech. can. sci. halieut. aquat. 3616 : v + 78 p.Grégoire, B. 2022. Biodiversité du relevé côtier Planification pour une intervention environnementale intégrée dans l’estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent (2017–2021). Observatoire global du Saint-Laurent. [Jeu de données]Jobin, A., Marquis, G., Provencher-Nolet, L., Gabaj Castrillo. M. J., Trubiano C., Drouet, M., Eustache-Létourneau, D., Drejza, S. Fraser, C. Marie, G. et P. Bernatchez (2021) Cartographie des écosystèmes côtiers du Québec maritime — Rapport méthodologique. Chaire de recherche en géoscience côtière, Laboratoire de dynamique et de gestion intégrée des zones côtières, Université du Québec à Rimouski. Rapport remis au ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, septembre 2021, 98 p.

This dataset includes metrics of eelgrass traits related to bed structure, morphology, and physiology from field sites along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Field sites were located across a gradient of temperature and light conditions. Sampling was conducted in July to August, in 2017, 2021, and 2022. Seagrass density and plants were sampled at 10 haphazardly distributed sampling stations within each seagrass bed at approximately the same depth. Stations were ~10m apart and at least 2m from any seagrass-bare interface. Quadrats were used to determine vegetative and reproductive shoot density. Three plants from each sampling station were collected and processed in the laboratory for length and width leaf 3, number leaves per shoot, rhizome width, rhizome water soluble carbohydrates, and total leaf chlorophyll. Also included in this data temperature and light metric that summarize temperature and light conditions during the summer period.Cite this data as: Wong, M.C., Dowd, M. Data of eelgrass (Zostera marina) traits 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:Wong, M.C., Dowd, M. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Trait Variation Across Varying Temperature-Light Regimes. Estuaries and Coasts 48, 13 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-024-01439-3

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

This dataset was designed for Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) National Environmental Emergencies Center (NEEC) for oil spill preparedness and response. The polygons from this layer come mainly from the coastal ecosystems geodatabase as part of the Mapping of coastal ecosystems of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence project. This layer represents semi-vegetated and vegetated zones of which eelgrass is the dominant vegetation. The study area includes all of the estuarine and maritime coasts of Quebec, with the exception of certain sectors, including most of the Lower North Shore and Anticosti Island, with the exception of villages of Kegaska, la Romaine, Chevery, Blanc-Sablon and Port-Menier. Some islands off the estuary and gulf coasts are part of the region covered, such as Île d'Orléans, Isle-aux-Coudres, Île Verte and Île Bonaventure.The Mapping of coastal ecosystems of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence was carried out jointly by the Laboratory for Dynamics and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (LDGIZC) of the University of Quebec at Rimouski as part of the Coastal Resilience Project (https: //ldgizc.uqar.ca/Web/projets/projet-resilience-cotiere) funded by the MELCC; and by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada team, as part of its Integrated marine response planning (IMRP) component of the Oceans Protection Plan (OPP), with the objective of updating the Marine Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Regime of Canada. The master geodatabase of coastal ecosystems is hosted and distributed by UQAR on their SIGEC-Web mapping platform: https://ldgizc.uqar.ca/Web/sigecwebThe characterization of eelgrass beds was mainly carried out using photo-interpretation of RVBI aerial photos acquired by DFO (2015-2020) and oblique photos taken by helicopter by UQAR in 2017. This dataset also includes the information from validation stations visited by UQAR (2018-2020). Data from sampling stations, carried out aboard small boats during DFO field campaigns (2017-2021), were also used to validate and refine the photo-interpretation.This dataset also includes eelgrass beds characterized in the Basse-Côte-Nord (MRC Le Golfe-de-Saint-Laurent) by the Agence Mamu Innu Kaikusseht (AMIK) as part of the project ''Involvement of Innu communities in the protection of species at risk and their habitats 2010-2011''. These data were produced during aerial overflights at low altitude (200m and 400m) of the foreshore, as 2 observers circumscribed and documented the covering of eelgrass beds.Credits © UQAR-MPO-AMIK (2023, Laboratoire de dynamique et de gestion intégrée des zones côtières, Pêches et Océans Canada, Agence Mamu Innu Kaikusseht) Provencher-Nolet, L., Paquette, L., Pitre, L.D., Grégoire, B. and Desjardins, C. 2024. Cartographie des macrophytes estuariens et marins du Québec. Rapp. Tech. Can. Sci. halieut. Aquat. 3617 : v + 99 p.Grégoire, B., Pitre, L.D., Provencher-Nolet, L., Paquette, L. and Desjardins, C. 2024. Distribution d’organismes marins de la zone côtière peu profonde du Québec recensés par imagerie sous-marine de 2017 à 2021. Rapp. tech. can. sci. halieut. aquat. 3616 : v + 78 p.Grégoire, B. 2022. Biodiversité du relevé côtier Planification pour une intervention environnementale intégrée dans l’estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent (2017–2021). Observatoire global du Saint-Laurent. [Jeu de données]Nadeau, V., Le Breton, S. 2011. Inventaire aérien des herbiers de zostère de la Basse-Côte-Nord du Golfe du Saint-Laurent. Agence Mamu Innu Kaikusseht. 25 p.Jobin, A., Marquis, G., Provencher-Nolet, L., Gabaj Castrillo. M. J., Trubiano C., Drouet, M., Eustache-Létourneau, D., Drejza, S. Fraser, C. Marie, G. et P. Bernatchez (2021) Cartographie des écosystèmes côtiers du Québec maritime — Rapport méthodologique. Chaire de recherche en géoscience côtière, Laboratoire de dynamique et de gestion intégrée des zones côtières, Université du Québec à Rimouski. Rapport remis au ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, septembre 2021, 98 p.

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