Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) conducts an annual multidisciplinary scientific survey with a bottom trawl in the Estuary and the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence since 1978. Over the years, this survey has been conducted on four vessels: the MV Gadus Atlantica (1978-1994), the MV Lady Hammond (1984-1990), the CCGS Alfred Needler (1990-2005) and the CCGS Teleost (2004-2021). It is important to note that the objectives, the methods used and the identification of the species during these surveys have improved over time in response to DFO requests and mandates. The data are therefore not directly comparable between these surveys. The specificities of the missions onboard the MV Lady Hammond are described below.
Objectives:
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Assess groundfish populations abundance and condition
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Assess environmental conditions
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Inventory species biodiversity
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Monitor the pelagic ecosystem
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Collect samples for various research projects
Survey description
The survey covers the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence, that is the divisions 4R, 4S and the northern part of division 4T of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). A stratified random sampling strategy is used for this survey and the fishing gear used on the MV Lady Hammond is a bottom trawl Western IIA. Standard trawling tows last 30 minutes, starting from the time the trawl touches the sea floor. Towing speed is 3.5 knots.
Data
For each fishing tow, the catch is sorted and weighed by taxa; individuals are counted and biological data are then
collected. For fish, crab and squid, size and weight are gathered by individual and, for some
species, sex, gonad maturity, and the weight of certain organs (stomach, liver, gonads) are also evaluated. The soft rays of the anal fin are counted for redfish and otoliths are collected for redfish and Atlantic cod. Invertebrates are weighted and counted (no individual measurements).
The catches per tow for fish taxa are available below. For more information please contact the data management team (gddaiss-dmsaisb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).
- Publisher - Current Organization Name: Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Licence: Open Government Licence - Canada
Data and Resources
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Data DictionnaryCSVEnglish French guide CSV
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Lady Hammond Dataset EnglishCSVEnglish dataset CSV
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Lady Hammond Data MapESRI RESTEnglish French web_service ESRI REST
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Lady Hammond Data MapESRI RESTEnglish French web_service ESRI REST
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Lady Hammond Data FrenchCSVFrench dataset CSV
Contact Information
Delivery Point: 850, route de la Mer, P.O. Box 1000
City: Mont-Joli
Administrative Area: Quebec
Postal Code: G5H 3Z4
Country: Canada
Electronic Mail Address: gddaiss-dmsaisb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca