Bay and Channel (fresh and marine) features and associated names

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

This dataset reports on lobster abundance and individual biological characteristics (size, sex, shell hardness, egg status), along with seabed substrate information, collected at various coastal sites in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Surveys were conducted over a 40-year period between 1982 and 2021. Survey areas and SCUBA dive sites were located around Grand Manan Island, Deer Island, Campobello Island, and along the Bay of Fundy’s New Brunswick shore stretching from Passamaquoddy Bay, east to Maces Bay. One survey area was located on the Bay of Fundy’s southern shore (Nova Scotia) in the Annapolis Basin (Lawton et al. 1995). The data represent a compilation of SCUBA diving surveys (1003 belt transects) conducted directly by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) scientific SCUBA divers (1982-2019), or by contracted commercial divers funded in association with outside collaborating organizations; Department of Fisheries and Agriculture (DFA; 1990 – 1993), the Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association (GMFA; 2013-2015), and the University of New Brunswick (UNB; 2019-2021).Cite this data as: Lawton P, Dinning K, Rochette R, Teed L. American lobster (Homarus americanus) abundance and biological characteristics collected from SCUBA dive surveys in the Bay of Fundy from 1982-2021. Published August 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B.For additional information please see:Campbell, A. 1990. Aggregations of berried lobsters (Homarus americanus) in shallow waters off Grand Manan, eastern Canada. DFO Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 47: 520-523.Denton, C.M. 2020. Maritimes Region Inshore Lobster Trawl Survey Technical Description. DFO Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3376: v + 52 p.Lawton, P. 1993. Salmon aquaculture and the traditional invertebrate fisheries of the Fundy Isles region: habitat mapping and impact definition: Cooperation Agreement on Fisheries and Aquaculture Development. Submitted by Peter Lawton to the New Brunswick Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 84 p. Unpublished monograph. Available from Fisheries and Oceans Canada Library, Dartmouth, NS (Monographs: SH 380.2 .C2 .L39 1992).https://science-catalogue.canada.ca/record=3943769~S6Lawton, P., Robichaud, D.A., and Moisan, M. 1995. Characteristics of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, lobster fishery in relation to proposed marine aquaculture development. DFO Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2035: iii + 26 p.Lawton, P., Robichaud, D.A., Rangeley, R.W., and Strong, M.B. 2001. American Lobster, Homarus americanus, population characteristics in the lower Bay of Fundy (Lobster Fishing Areas 36 and 38) based on fishery independent sampling. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2001/093.Wentworth, C.K. 1922. A Scale of Grade and Class Terms for Clastic Sediments. The Journal of Geology 30(5): 377-392.Dinning, K.M., Lawton, P., and Rochette, R. 2025. Increased use of mud bottom by juvenile American lobsters (Homarus americanus) in Maces Bay and Seal Cove, Bay of Fundy, after three decades of population increases and predator declines. Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences 82; https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2023-0312

This report describes an analysis of Maritimes Region inshore lobster logbook data reported at a grid level, including Bay of Fundy Disputed Zone data reported at the coordinate level. Annual and composite (2015–2019) grid maps were produced for landings, number of trap hauls, and the same series standardized by grid area, as well as maps of catch weight per number of trap hauls as an index of catch per unit effort (CPUE). Spatial differences in fishing pressure, landings, and CPUE are indicated, and potential mapping applications are outlined. Mapping the distribution and intensity of inshore lobster fishing activity has management applications for spatial planning and related decision support. The lack of region-wide latitude and longitude coordinates for inshore lobster effort and landings limits the utility of commercial logbook data for marine spatial planning purposes.

The Eastern Shore Islands was announced as an "Area of Interest" (AOI) in 2018 by the DFO Maritimes region to potentially be considered for a Marine Protected Area under the federal Oceans Act. As part of its mandate for monitoring established and potential conservation areas, DFO Science regularly deploys instruments including conductivity/temperature/depth (CTD) loggers, and other instruments for measuring dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and other chemical ocean properties. This data collection includes temperature and other oceanographic records for the ESI AOI from June 2024 onward. The data are derived from temperature loggers (Hobo Tidbit loggers or similar) and Sea-Bird MicroCATs, but may in future years include current profiles or additional oceanographic data. These data will be used to monitor temperatures in this coastal region to detect any biological shifts associated with temperature and climate fluctuations, and be used to groundtruth oceanographic models.Cite this data as: Jeffery, N., Stanley, R., Pettitt- Wade, H. (2025): Data of: Baseline oceanographic records for the Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest.Published: September 2025. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f0020cec-5671-4908-8fdd-11fc097de99d

The data layer (.shp) presented is the result of an unsupervised classification method for classifying seafloor habitat in the Bay of Fundy (Northwest Atlantic, Canada). This method involves separating environmental variables derived from multibeam bathymetry (slope, bathymetric position index), backscatter, and oceanographic information (wave-shear current velocity) into spatial units (i.e. image objects) and classifying the acoustically and oceanographically separated units into 7 habitat classes (Bedrock and Boulders, Mixed Sediments, Gravelly Sand, Sand, Silty Gravel with Anemones, Silt, and Tidal Scoured Mixed Sediments) using in-situ data (imagery). Benthoscape classes (synonymous to landscape classifications in terrestrial ecology) describe the geomorphology and biology of the seafloor and are derived from elements of the seafloor that were acoustically and oceanographically distinguishable. Reference:Wilson, B.R., Brown, C.J., Sameoto, J.A., Lacharite, M., Redden, A. (2021). Mapping seafloor habitats in the Bay of Fundy to assess macrofaunal assemblages associated with Modiolus modiolus beds. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2021.107294Cite this data as: Wilson, B.R., Brown, C.J., Sameoto, J.A., Lacharite, M., Redden, A. Bay of Fundy Benthoscape. Published May 2023. Population Ecology Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/dbabd17a-a2c7-4b3f-9bd8-a77a9c7f9c1c

This record contains results from chemical analysis including suspended nitrogen (mg/g), suspended carbon (mg/g), and phosphorus (mg/g) based on dry weight sediment samples collected in the Beaufort Sea.

Map of Canada showing locations of facilities selling nautical charts in both paper and digital formats.

Since 1992, scientific surveys have been conducted annually alternately, in the estuary and the North of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. These surveys allow DFO to monitor the population and ecosystem of the snow crab and thus understand the state of the stock and the renewal of the species.Beam trawl hauls following a systematic sampling take place every 2 years in the estuary and in the Lower North Shore. In the estuary (zone 17), a sampling of 94 stations is carried out. In the Lower North Shore (zone 13 and 14), 60 regular stations are usually sampled and 35 exploratory stations are distributed between Baie Johan Bettz and Kegaska (zone 15 and 16) but also on the south shore of zone 13 near Newfoundland. At each station, a fishing haul of 5 to 10 minutes is carried out. The harvested crabs are measured (cephalothorax width), sexed and counted. The state of the shell, sexual maturity and egg development stages are also assessed. The number of crabs caught, classified according to different size categories, allows estimating densities and thus monitoring the state and renewal of the snow crab population in the different fishing areas. This dataset on the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) contains abundance and density data of crabs under different size classes as well as geographical and bathymetric variables by station. The dataset covers the period from 1992 to the present and is updated each year. A cleaning of aberrant data has been carried out.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/8fbd81a4-ce4a-40e3-81f6-e2a5c44955de- https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/268bf29e-b9d6-4267-bc86-230f4edfb80b- https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/97dac757-2ef6-4144-b7d9-a0d8d51f8319

Each summer, environmental community groups collect important data to determine if groupings of fish, shrimp and crab – what is called a community- can be used as an indicator of the health status of bays and estuaries. Sampling was conducted from May through September for the first years then from June through August. In 2018 and 2019, the sampling was conducted just once in each estuary. Community group members and staff sample six stations once a month in their designated estuary.Fish, shrimps and crabs are collected with a beach seine net and later released live back to the water once identified and counted. From this, the community groups provide important information to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, including:- identification and numbers of fish, shrimp and crab species;- water conditions and samples;- information on aquatic plants;- sediment samples.With this information, Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists working with government agencies and universities can conduct analyses to determine the suitability of indicators to assess the health of bays and estuaries.PARAMETERS COLLECTED:Parameters: abundance, species richness, species developmental stage (young-of-the-year or adult), water temperature, water salinity, water dissolved oxygen, dissolved inorganic nutrient (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate), sediment % organic content, sediment % humidity content and sediment mean grain size, % submerged aquatic vegetation coverNOTES ON QUALITY CONTROL:Data entry into Excel and first quality control verification is done by CAMP summer students. A second quality control verification is done by DFO staff. See publ # 2823 attached to this record.In 2018, the historical data was migrated into a relationship database. From this year on, annual data will be entered into the database using a custom application. The application front end has numerous QC elements built-in.SAMPLING METHODS:Please see the following URL for sampling details: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/319437.pdf