Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Graphic illustrations of the major ecosystems in the Pacific region, including details on the main ecological components, key ecological interactions, environmental drivers, and relevant human activities. Ecosystems range from the intertidal to the deep sea and include: High and low energy rocky...

This dataset includes metrics of seagrass productivity and resilience collected 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 monthly from May 2018 to July 2019. Seagrass...

The data in the files of this dataset represent the raw and standardized information of the distribution of the number of prey in stomachs of larval fish, the increments widths derived from larval fish, and the mortality rates, that were included in the study by Pepin (2024) into the probability...

Atlantic herring NAFO 4T commercial landings data. Landings (in metric tons) per year, per stock (spring spawners and fall spawners), per fishing season (spring and fall) and per gear (fixed and mobile). Two fish samples are taken per week per herring fishing area to determine stock...

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Maritime Science Branch has collected grain size data from sediment and water column samples using bottle samples, sediment cores, and sediment grabs as part of numerous research projects not only in the Atlantic provinces, but also worldwide. The data collected...

PURPOSE: Provide early detection of newly arrived Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) and determine the spread, establishment and spatial distribution of existing AIS within marine waters of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL), DFO Gulf Region boundaries (northern and eastern coastal shores of...

This dataset is a compilation of numerous data files recovered as part of a data request in 2024 from a historical archive of DFO research data. Sediment and Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) samples were collected over more than a decade as part of Dr. Douglas Loring’s research program while...

PURPOSE: Determine the stock status of southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Atlantic Cod. DESCRIPTION: The yearly spawning stock biomass estimates of southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Atlantic Cod were obtained using a Statistical Catch-at-Age model as part of the stock assessment to year 2023. The...

11 tagged Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) were tracked during the daytime movements as well as the feeding behaviour in the St. Lawrence River estuary. Kernel density was applied to derminate the high density feeding areas of all individuals combined (30, 40, 50, 60, 75, 95 %)....

The blue whale (Balaenopterus musculus) is a wide-ranging cetacean that can be found in all oceans, inhabiting coastal and oceanic habitats. In the North Atlantic, little is known about blue whale distribution and genetic structure, and if whether animals found in Icelandic waters, the Azores, or...

Water temperature and water level are significant environmental factors affecting ecology of anadromous fish. Large-scale freshwater monitoring networks remain sparse, yet environmental protocols rely heavily on water temperature and water levels to assist decision making on river closures. Our...

In 1998, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) published an atlas called "Traditional Fisheries Knowledge for the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence". The document is composed of a series of maps that contain useful information primarily on nearshore fisheries and fish habitat in the eastern shore of New...

PURPOSE: To track juvenile Atlantic salmon densities DESCRIPTION: Indices of freshwater production are derived annually from electrofishing surveys in the rivers of Nova Scotia flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Fixed site sampling for juvenile salmon has been conducted most...

PURPOSE: Provide a record of commercial and mature female snow crab abundance and biomass in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Female snow crab represents an index of reproductive stock. DESCRIPTION: Snow crab in the southern Gulf are treated as a single stock in the annual assessments....

PURPOSE: Determine the stock status of Gulf of St. Lawrence Witch Flounder. DESCRIPTION: The yearly biomass estimates of Gulf of St. Lawrence Witch Flounder were obtained using a Bayesian Schaefer Surplus Production model as part of the stock assessment to year 2021. The yearly estimates...

Fecundity of Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) was estimated within five spawning areas (German Bank, Scots Bay, Seal Island, Southern Shore Nova Scotia, and Eastern Shore Nova Scotia) in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) areas 4WX in 2019 and 2020. The objective of this project...

This dataset is a compilation of algae and substrate observations that have been collected on DFO dive surveys between 1996 and 2021. Sources of this data include Marine Invertebrate Section/Shellfish Data Unit biological survey databases held for targeted species observations of green sea...

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...

PURPOSE: This data relates to the Regional Science Advisory Process from the Limit Reference Point and Population Model Review of the Southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence Sea Scallop peer review meeting held on November 1-2, 2023. The SFAs 22 and 24 have been identified as the core scallop habitat...

The Fieldnotes dataset represents anticipated locations of science field research and monitoring to be conducted throughout the year by Fisheries and Oceans Canadas' Pacific Science team and collaborators in the Northeast Pacific and Arctic oceans, and in the coastal and interior waters of...