Fisheries and Oceans Canada

The purpose of this study was to characterize the kelp bed at Batture-aux-Alouettes, a preferred food source for the green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis). The green urchin is fished commercially in Quebec and the fishing effort is concentrated on the Batture-aux-Alouettes near...

These data were created under DFO’s Strategic Program for Ecosystem-based Research and Advice - Aquatic Invasive Species Program: “Evaluation of the movement of marine infrastructure as a pathway for aquatic invasive species spread”. This geodatabase contains floating dock locations in coastal...

Fetch is a useful proxy for exposure (an important driver of nearshore species distributions) in the absence of a wind-wave model. We derived the first-ever coast-wide estimates of fetch for Pacific Canadian waters. Fetch was calculated for over 41,720 km of the British Columbia coastline, at 50...

The Department of Fisheries established a survey of demersal juvenile Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in the nearshore (<10 m deep) in 1959. This survey aimed to characterize the distribution and abundance of juvenile Atlantic cod and was based upon Norway's Flodevigen sampling program which has...

This dataset consists of three simulations from the Northeastern Pacific Canadian Ocean Ecosystem Model (NEP36-CanOE) which is a configuration of the Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO) V3.6. The historical simulation is an estimate of the 1986-2005 mean climate. The future...

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to important geographic features in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA). This data was mapped to inform the selection of marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA). Experts have indicated that these areas...

Catch, effort, location (latitude and longitude), and associated biological data from groundfish multi-species longline surveys in the northern portion of the inlets and protected waters east of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Introduction The Inside North Hard Bottom Longline (HBLL)...

Seasonal climatologies for salinity of the Northeast Pacific Ocean were computed to cover the period 2001 to 2020. Historical observations included all available conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD), bottle and profiling floats in the NODC World Ocean Database, Marine Environmental Data Service...

Moored instrument time series data include current velocity, temperature, salinity, oxygen, fluorescence, transmissivity, turbidity, and particle capture of carbon, nitrogen, and silicon. Also included are sediment trap, ice drift and ice draft data. These data were collected by researchers...

The assessment of the status of eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds at the bay-scale in turbid, shallow estuaries is problematic. The bay-scale assessment (i.e., tens of km) of eelgrass beds usually involves remote sensing methods such as aerial photography or satellite imagery. These methods can fail...

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key vertebrate species, other than fish and cetaceans, in the West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI) ecoregion. This data was mapped to inform the selection of marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA). Experts have indicated...

Lake sturgeon's presence zones, breeding, feeding and concentration areas according to a literature review of documents produced between 1976 and 2002.Data extracted from the Fish Habitat Management Information System (FHAMIS).

This dataset was compiled as part of a multiyear effort lead by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to support sustainable aquaculture regulation in the Coast of Bays, an area of the south coast of Newfoundland. It is the first of a series aiming to provide an oceanographic knowledge baseline of...

A research survey on snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) was conducted from July 1 to July 17, 2018 on the Lower North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Havre-Saint-Pierre and Blanc-Sablon. The main objective of this survey was to assess the abundance of snow crab and benthic species...

Exposure to wind-driven waves manifests an important physical gradient in the coastal zone that influences a variety of physical and biological processes (i.e., species distribution). Fetch, the unobstructed distance over which wind-driven waves can build, is a popular proxy for wave exposure at...

To develop a database of high quality CTD observations at key locations in DFO’s Pacific Region, 22 stations have been selected for sampling as often as possible. Chief Scientists of DFO vessels with CTD equipment on board are asked to acquire a CTD profile at as many of these stations as...

In 2018 and 2019 Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducted a project to relocate American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) from Port Dalhousie Harbour to mitigate potential impacts of in-water construction prior to and during an essential harbour revitalization project. American Eel are designated as...

Across the Canadian North, Arctic Char, Salvelinus alpinus, are culturally important and critical for maintaining subsistence lifestyles and ensuring food security for Inuit. Arctic Char also support economic development initiatives in many Arctic communities through the establishment of coastal...

The Oceans Act (1997) commits Canada to maintaining biological diversity and productivity in the marine environment. A key component of this is to identify areas that are considered ecologically or biologically significant. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science has developed guidance on the...

During the period of 1990 to 1993, Robin J. LeBrasseur and N. Brent Hargreaves led a juvenile salmon migration research project off the west coast of Vancouver Island BC. This included the development of surface beam trawl gear that could be deployed from a large trawl vessel (CCGS W.E. Ricker)...