The locations of coastal British Columbia scuba diving sites. The Coastal BC datasets are circa 2004 and legacy in nature. Caution should be exercised when using this data, as it may not be accurate or complete. There are currently no plans to update.

Funded under DFO's Marine Conservation Targets Program in partnership with the Huntsman Marine Science Centre (HMSC), this diver-based imagery and sample collection benthic survey documents the occurrence of sponges at 42 dive sites in the Eastern Shore Islands (ESI) Area of Interest (AOI, ~2089 km2) off the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada from dive surveys conducted in summer 2021 and 2022. Water quality, species occurrences and counts, habitat, slope, and substrate characteristics were catalogued through diver log sheets, camera imagery, specimen vouchers, and high-resolution bathymetric data. A total of 54 dives to depths from 11 to 33 m (below sea level), collecting up to 147 still images, one-hour of video, and 17 specimen samples per site, resulted in 220 observations for 27 different sponge taxa. This included three new records for Canada (Hymedesmia stellifera, Plocamionida arndti, Hymedesmia jecusculum) and a range extension for a species new to science (Crellomima mehqisinpekonuta) which was recently described from the Bay of Fundy. There were also four species which may seem to be new to science (Halichondria sp., Hymedesmia sp., Protosuberires sp., and Sphaerotylus sp.). Sponges were found to occupy a diversity of micro-habitats, often several different ones in proximity. A total of eight distinct habitat classes were defined, based on varying abundances and diversity of sponges and associated benthic species. These are likely widely distributed among the many complex submerged seabed features within this AOI. Collected specimens were preserved and are stored at the Atlantic Reference Centre (ARC) in St. Andrew's, New Brunswick.Cite this data as: Goodwin, C., Cooper, J.A., Lawton, P., Teed, L.L. 2025. Sponge occurrence and associated species and habitat descriptions derived from the 2021 and 2022 SCUBA diving surveys in the Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest, Nova Scotia. Version 1.4. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Occurrence dataset. https://ipt.iobis.org/obiscanada/resource?r=eastern_shore_islands_sponge_survey_2021_2022&v=1.4

This dataset contains observations of species occurrences from seafloor imagery collected by the remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) during the 2012 Expedition to Cobb Seamount. The ROV operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada was a customized Deep Ocean Engineering Phantom HD2+2 which collected photographic images from 12 transects ranging from 35 m to 211 m in depth.

This dataset contains observations of species occurrences from seafloor imagery collected by the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) during the 2012 Expedition to Cobb Seamount. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration-operated SeaBED-class AUV which collected photographic images from 4 transects ranging from 436 m to 1154 m in depth.

Groundwater samples have been collected in the hydrogeological unit, for various types of analysis. The dataset is not used to represent a particular phenomenon or observation but rather as a utility dataset to add context and reference to groundwater analysis. It represents a general description of the sample site and sample. Sampling methods vary according to the types of analysis.

The purpose of the survey is to document and record habitat types and associated algae and marine invertebrate species in a variety of habitat types. Transect locations are randomly selected throughout the study area, which rotates between the north and south coasts of British Columbia on a biannual basis. Transects are laid perpendicular to the shoreline. A team of two divers swim the transect with data sheets to collect habitat, algae and marine invertebrate data as detailed below in the methods section. Data is keypunched in an MS Access database that can be queried for species observations and environmental information.This dataset includes three tables pulled from the original database containing observations by species, observations by quadrat, and additional header information for each observation. All three tables can be linked by the field HKey. Three lookup tables are included as well, one for algae, one for invertebrates, and one for substrates.

This dataset contains the modelled and observed data used in the publication "Fjord circulation permits persistent subsurface water mass in a long, deep mid-latitude inlet" by Laura Bianucci et al., DFO Ocean Sciences Division, Pacific Region (published in the journal Ocean Science in 2024). An application of the Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM v4.1) was run from May 24 to June 27, 2019 in the Discovery Islands region of British Columbia, Canada. Observed temperature and salinity profiles available in this area during this time period are included in the dataset, along with the modelled values at the same times and locations.

Deep water (> 200 m) dissolved oxygen interpolated on a grid cell of 10 km x10 km in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Input data are from the annual August multidisciplinary survey hold in 2014 to 2023.PurposeSince 1990, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has been conducting an annual multidisciplinary survey in the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence using a standardized protocol. These surveys are an important source of information about the status of the marine ressources. The objectives of the survey are multiple: to estimate the abundance and biomass of groundfish and invertebrates, to identify the spatial distribution and biological characteristics of these species, to monitor the biodiversity of the Estuary and the northern Gulf and finally, to describe the environmental conditions observed in August in the sampling area.Annual reports are available at the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS), (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/index-eng.htm).Bourdages, H., Brassard, C., Desgagnés, M., Galbraith, P., Gauthier, J., Légaré, B., Nozères, C. and Parent, E. 2017. Preliminary results from the groundfish and shrimp multidisciplinary survey in August 2016 in the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2017/002. v + 87 p.Supplemental InformationThe bottom dissolved oxygen is determined from a CTD profile in the water column according to AZMP sampling protocol:Mitchell, M. R., Harrison, G., Pauley, K., Gagné, A., Maillet, G., and Strain, P. 2002. Atlantic Zonal Monitoring Program sampling protocol. Can. Tech. Rep. Hydrogr. Ocean Sci. 223: iv + 23 pp.

This dataset was developed to document the procedures for acquiring underwater images in the Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area (MPA). Its primary objective is to provide a comprehensive inventory of metadata linked to imagery campaigns that allowed us to conduct a basic characterization of the area, and now that are used for ecological monitoring of the benthic habitats within the MPA.Metadata were collected during imagery surveys conducted since 2012, using three main methods: drop cameras on the crest, baited drop stereoscopic cameras on both the crest and plains, and towed cameras on the plains. For each operation are shared the type of gear used, sampling method, date, geographic coordinates, and acquisition depth.The released dataset contains only descriptive information related to the acquisition of images : file identifier, location, sampling methodology, depth, and technical imaging parameters. It does not include image files themselves, visual content, or the results of image analyses.A systematic quality control is applied to ensure completeness and consistency of the metadata: field format standardization, validation of GPS coordinates, verification of dates and recorded depths. Clear instructions guide the recording of metadata to guarantee their reliability for management and scientific monitoring purposes.

A systematic oceanographic monitoring program was initiated in September 1989 at twenty-five monitoring stations in the Passamaquoddy Bay area and approaches by Dr. Shawn Robinson based out of the St. Andrews Biological Station (SABS). Stations were established in a uniform grid pattern of two arcminutes latitude and longitude over the study area in order to develop a database on the spatial patterns of water properties. Monthly measurements of the water column for the temperatures and salinity at all stations was completed using a Seacat SBE 19 internally recording CTD from Sea-bird Electronics Inc. The CTD was programmed to record conductivity, temperature, and depth at a frequency of 2 hz, corresponding to 2 measurements per meter of water depth. CTD casts were recorded for each of the 25 stations in the study area monthly using the R/V Pandalus, and later the CCGS Viola M. Davidson based out of SABS. The CTD was configured such that the sensors were oriented towards the benthos and the CTD was then attached to a hydraulic winch on the deck of the ship by a stainless steel cable one meter above a weight, and lowered 1 m below the water's surface in order for the CTD to equilibrate for one minute. The CTD was then lowered at 1 m/s to the benthos using a metered block on the winch to determine when the CTD had reached the maximum depth at that station. Once the weight had touched the bottom, the CTD was retrieved from the water, turned off, and placed in a bucket of fresh seawater in order to minimize equilibration time at the next station. Initially, the CTD measured salinity via water forced through the salinity cell with the drop rate of 1 m/s, but in August 1992, a pump was mounted on the CTD in order to provide a more consistent flow of water across the salinity cell. Surface temperatures were measured from bucket samples collected upon arriving at each station using a hand-held mercury thermometer at each station, and Secchi disk measurements were recorded. All data were downloaded from the CTD upon return to SABS using a DFO computer and the proprietary Sea-Soft software. Downcast data from each profile was retained, binned into 1 m intervals, and processed to remove data spikes, density inversions, and anomalies due to inadequate instrument equilibration. Processed data was then stored in the DFO's Oracle database (PTRAN) under the IMTA_SABS schema in the INVHYD and INVINF tables. Station numbers and locations are recorded in the CTD_STATIONS table in the IMTA_SABS schema.Cite this data: Robinson, S. Data of: Passamaquoddy Bay monthly Conductivity Temperature and Depth (CTD) sampling (1989 - 2018). Published: October 2019. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, NB. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/12184962-7879-4214-aef0-b31162f04a27