The lobster recruitment project is run by the Fishermen and Scientist Research Society (FSRS) through DFO funding. Fishermen participating in the lobster recruitment project collect information about lobster in their fishing area by fishing 2-5 scientific project traps (SPTs) (fished in fixed locations) within the regular commercial season. The SPTs used in all fishing areas are smaller than commercial traps and designed to primarily catch juvenile lobsters below the legal-size limit.These traps are additional to the vessel's legal number of commercial traps. The lobster recruitment project has more than 120 fishers participating from all LFAs along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia from LFA 27 in Cape Breton to LFA 35 in the Bay of Fundy (excluding LFA 28, who have not participated to-date).The number of fishermen per LFA and number of SPTs per fisherman are decided on by the LFA Advisory Committees. This decision considers how much additional effort they were comfortable having in the LFA (i.e. number of SPTs) and from how many traps each fisher could be reasonably expected to collect data. It is also important to have fishers dispersed enough to maximize study footprint. DFO Science consults on project design. SAMPLING METHODS: The fishers record the number, sex and length of lobsters captured in each SPT, as well as presence of eggs, tags or v-notch. Bottom temperatures are monitored by placing a temperature recorder in one of their SPTs for the entire lobster season.Cite this data as: Tibbets-Scott, S., Zisserson, B. Data of: Fishermen and Scientist Research Society (FSRS) Lobster Recruitment Trap Project. Published: November 2020. Population Ecology Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/a88f9b4d-b59a-44f6-ae7e-d36550266940

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 American lobster (Homarus americanus) and rock crab (Cancer irroratus) has been carried out annually on the Magdalen Islands since 1995 to assess the abundance and structure of populations in this area. The survey is carried out during the first two weeks of September and covers the southern part of the Magdalen Islands, from "Baie de Plaisance" to "Grande-Entrée", extending slightly eastwards between "Havre-aux-Maisons" and "Grande-Entrée". The survey lasts 8 to 15 days, depending of the weather conditions, and covers a maximum of 48 stations. Approximately half of the stations are surveyed in duplicate (two tows per station). The tows always cover 500 meters, with a slightly variable trawl opening (as explained above), averaging around 10 meters.The gear used is a Nephrops trawl, a benthic trawl originally developed for langoustine fishing in Brittany, but slightly modified to target lobster. The trawl is deployed from the CCGS Leim and the harvested organisms are hauled aboard and sorted. Cephalothorax length, sex and shell stage are recorded for all lobsters. This is supplemented by information on reproductive conditions for certain size classes, and dissections of 25 males and 25 females per mission. Rock crabs are also included in the survey and are counted with additional measurements of shell width, sex and shell condition that are recorded on predetermined stations. For other stations individuals data are collected depending on the time available between trawl hauls.The publication contains 4 files; the "Information_stations" file which contains the data of the stations, the "Data_homard_lobster_survey" file which contains the measurements of each lobster, the "Nombre_crabe_crab_number" file which contains the count of rock crabs, the "Mesure_crabe_crab_measurement" file contains the characteristics measured for each crab. Each of the files can be linked by the "date", "st", "tr" columns. The “bat” column notes the boat code, because the gear is not deployed in the same way on each boat.*This record consist of raw data and quality has not been verifiedAssociated species are identified and semi-quantitatively counted directly on the sorting table, and the results are presented in the following publication: https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/99cb7034-f3d5-4da4-a5bc-e81315cfb8eb

A research survey on American lobster (Homarus americanus) has been conducted annually in the Magdalen Islands since 1995 to assess the abundance and structure of lobster populations in this area. Starting in 2007, the main objective was modified to include the diversity and abundance of benthic species associated with lobster habitat. Only benthic species data associated with lobster habitat are presented in this dataset.Surveys were generally conducted during the first two weeks of September from 2007 to 2020 on the entire south side of the Magdalen Islands, from Grosse-Île to Havre-Aubert. The sampling plan consists of 70 trawl tows on 50 fixed stations, between 4 and 35 meters in depth. Some stations had double tows. Specimens were collected using a Nephrops-type door trawl with a total width of 3.04 meters consisting of four Vexar™ lined baskets of 19 millimeter mesh size in order to harvest small individuals. Start and end positions were recorded to calculate the distance traveled at each tow using the geosphere library in R. The year 2011 is not included in the dataset, as biodiversity data were not recorded. Since 2017, the average tow distance has been reduced from 1000 meters to 500 meters. The opening of the trawl is also noted every minute throughout the duration of the tow so that the area sampled can be calculated. The area covered in 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 "Event_data" file includes generic activity information, including date and location. The "Occurrence" file includes the taxonomy of the observed species, identified to the species or lowest possible taxonomic level. For abundance and biomass estimates, contact Benoît Bruneau (Benoit.Bruneau@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 the "identificationRemarks" field and selected specimens were confirmed with field photos mentioned in "associatedMedia". Data quality checks were performed using the R obistools and WORMS libraries. All sampling locations were spatially validated.

Effective conservation planning relies on understanding population connectivity which can be informed by genomic data. This is particularly important for sessile species like the horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus), a key habitat-forming species and conservation priority in Atlantic Canada), yet little genomic information is available to describe horse mussel connectivity patterns. We used more than 8000 restriction-site associated DNA sequencing-derived single nucleotide polymorphisms and a panel of 8 microsatellites to examine genomic connectivity among horse mussel populations in the Bay of Fundy, along the Scotian Shelf, and in the broader northwestern Atlantic extending to Newfoundland. Despite phenotypic differences between sampling locations, we found an overall lack of genetic diversity and population structure in horse mussels in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. All sampled locations had low heterozygosity, very low FST, elevated inbreeding coefficients, and deviated from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, highlighting generally low genetic diversity across all metrics. Principal components analysis, Admixture analysis, pairwise FST calculations, and analysis of outlier loci (potentially under selection) all showed no independent genomic clusters within the data, and an analysis of molecular variance showed that less than 1% of the variation within the SNP dataset was found between sampling locations. Our results suggest that connectivity is high among horse mussel populations in the Northwest Atlantic, and coupled with large effective population sizes, this has resulted in minimal genomic divergence across the region. These results can inform conservation design considerations in the Bay of Fundy and support further integration into the broader regional conservation network.Cite this data as: Van Wyngaarden, Mallory et al. (2024). Widespread genetic similarity between Northwest Atlantic populations of the horse mussel, Modiolus modiolus. Published: May 2025. Coastal Ecosystem Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, NS.

The BC Indigenous Business Listings dataset offers a brief summary of Indigenous businesses operating in the province. For each business listed in the dataset, information including the Indigenous owner(s) of the company, location, links to websites as well as primary contact information including email addresses and phone numbers is provided where available. This information is intended to facilitate connections between business owners and consumers, investors, and industry. It is also meant to support an understanding of ownership trends among Indigenous businesses.

Historical finds of Operophtera brumata

An annual trawl survey is conducted in Southwestern Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy to assess the lobster stocks in the area. The survey is conducted with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center Ecosystem Survey Trawl (NEST), a small mesh trawl with a cod end liner, which ensures the capture of various sizes of lobster. The dimensions and location of the trawl are monitored and recorded throughout the tow using an electronic trawl mensuration system. In addition, water temperature and depth are also monitored. The target tow length is 1 kilometer which is tracked using an Olex marine charting system. Vessel crew, DFO science staff and a contracted at sea observer work together to perform required tasks and collect all relevant data. Catch from each tow is separated by species, weighed and counted. Length frequency data is collected on select groundfish and crab species and detailed morphometric data is collected on each lobster.PARAMETERS COLLECTED:Set information and profile - includes set date, time depth and locationCatch summary - weight and number caught of each speciesLength Freqeuncies - completed for up to 100 fish for selected speciesLobster Morphological Data - detailed data collected on each lobsterBottom TemperatureTrawl MetricsNOTES ON QUALITY CONTROL:Data is visually verified and double keypunched. On loading to Oracle, data is run through rigorous automated checks to verify data accuracy and integrity.SAMPLING METHODS:The target tow length is 1 kilometer which is tracked using an Olex marine charting system. Vessel crew, DFO science staff and a contracted at sea observer work together to perform required tasks and collect all relevant data. Catch from each tow is separated by species, weighed and counted. Length frequency data is collected on select groundfish and crab species, detailed morphometric data is collected on each lobster. Bottom temperature and trawl metrics are collected for each tow.CITATION LIST:Denton, Cheryl M.. 2020. Maritimes Region Inshore Lobster Trawl Survey Technical Description. Canadian technical reports of fisheries and aquatic sciences (DFO) 3376.

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 

Polygons denoting concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations and the area occupied by successive catch weight thresholds was used to identify aggregations. These analyses wereperformed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures.These polygons identify small gorgonian coral fields from the broader distribution of small gorgonian corals in the region as sampled by Campelen trawl gear in the Eastern Arctic biogeographic zone. A 0.05 kg minimum threshold for the small gorgonian coral catch was identified as the weight that separated the small gorgonian field habitat from the broader distribution of small gorgoninan corals with these research vessel tow data and gear type.