AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Relative occurrence of Atlantic Wolffish in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence

Spatial distribution of the relative occurrence of Atlantic Wolffish in the annual DFO groundfish research surveys conducted by the Québec (1978-2008) and Gulf (1971-2008) regions. 

Catch and effort data were aggregated by 100 km² cells. The probability of catching an Atlantic Wolffish in a set and within a cell (relative occurrence) was calculated as the ratio of the number of sets in which a species was recorded and the total number of sets made. This method allows the mapping of catch and effort for numerous time series based on data from different programs in both the whole study area (research surveys and Sentinel Fisheries using bottom trawls and a random stratified design) or in specific areas within the Gulf.

Source: 

Dutil, J.-D., S. Proulx, S. Hurtubise, and J. Gauthier 2011. Recent findings on the life history and catches of wolffish (Anarhichas sp.) in research surveys and in the Sentinel Fisheries and Observer Program for the Estuary and Gulf of St-Lawrence. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2010/126: x + 71 pages.

Associated publication:

Dutil, J.-D., Proulx, S., Chouinard, P.-M., and Borcard, D. 2011. A hierarchical classification of the seabed based on physiographic and oceanographic features in the St. Lawrence. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2916: vii + 72 pages. 
http:/ / www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/ Library/ 342703.pdf.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Beluga whale sightings made on 23 July 1992 in Mackenzie River Estuary

This record contains data on beluga whale locations in the Mackenzie estuary reported in Harwood, L.A. and P. Norton (1996). Aerial survey data from the southeast Beaufort Sea, Mackenzie River estuary and west. Amundsen Gulf, July 1992. Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 964

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Aerial photos from the Aug 12th, 2015 survey of the Western Hudson Bay beluga population

PURPOSE:
An aerial survey of the Western Hudson Bay beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) population was conducted on August 12th, 2015 to provide a population estimate. Surveys were flown in a DeHavilland Twin Otter (DH-6) fitted with four bubble windows and an optical glass-covered camera hatch at the rear underbelly of the plane. A Global Positioning System (GPS) unit logged the position, altitude, speed, and heading of the aircraft each second. Surveys were initially flown at a target ground speed of 100 knots (185 km/h), and target altitudes of 1,000 ft (305 m) for visual surveys and 2,000 ft (610 m) for photographic surveys. After the second day of flying, the target ground speed was adjusted to 110 knots (204 km/h).

Complete coverage of the two photographic strata was achieved using a Nikon D810 camera fitted with a 25 mm lens. The camera was mounted at the rear of the aircraft and directed straight down with the longest side perpendicular to the track line. The camera was connected to a GPS unit to geo-reference photographs, and to a laptop computer to control exposure settings and photo interval. At an altitude of 2,000 ft (610 m), the 25 mm lens captured a ground area of approximately 875 m x 585 m. The photograph interval was set to maintain an overlap of 20 to 40 % between consecutive photos, and with a transect spacing of 600 m, the lateral overlap between photos from adjacent transects was approximately 30 %.
            

DESCRIPTION:
Aerial surveys of summering Western Hudson Bay (WHB) beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) were conducted on August 12th, 2015 to update the previous population abundance. The survey area comprised five strata (three visual and two photographic) encompassing high use areas around three river estuaries where recurring aggregations of WHB beluga are found during the summer months. This metadata covers the photographic data related to the survey. The photographic surveys completely covered high density aggregations in the Churchill River and near the mouth of the Seal River.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Dressed Weight/Whole (Round Weight) Relationships for Halokvik River Arctic Char (Cambridge Bay Region, NU)

Commercial and exploratory fisheries for Arctic Char, Salvelinus alpinus, provide significant economic opportunities for Nunavummiut in several Nunavut communities. Having an accurate understanding of the weight of the Arctic Char that are harvested is important for tracking harvest and for understanding how biological parameters may be changing over time as a result of exploitation and/or climactic and environmental changes. Unfortunately, most fish enter the processing plants as dressed (gills and viscera removed) and therefore conversion factors have to be applied to reconcile whole (round) weight from dressed weight. Here, we provide an updated conversion factor based on linear regression for Arctic Char from the Halokvik River (locally known as 30 Mile) near the community of Cambridge Bay. This conversion factor can be used moving forward as the Halokvik River continues to be commercially harvested.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Likelihood of Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales in Area Response Planning Pilot Areas

Likelihood of Presence of North Atlantic Right Whales in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan. The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section (DFO Science) reviewed reported opportunistic whale sightings and local knowledge sources to estimate areas where Right whales are seasonally present and delineate these areas.

A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section.

Cite this data as: Lazin, G., Hamer, A.,Corrigan, S., Bower, B., and Harvey, C. Data of: Likelihood of presence of North Atlantic Right Whale in Area Response Planning pilot areas. Published: June 2018. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/d159ac68-6e46-44b5-a4e9-951880892c63

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
eDNA-based distribution assessment of Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in the Miramich River Watershed from 2019 to 2024

PURPOSE:
Scope the distribution of Smallmouth Bass in the Miramichi River Watershed using eDNA

DESCRIPTION:
This dataset contains the results of work undertaken from 2019 to 2024 to scope the extent of the spread of Smallmouth Bass in parts of the Miramichi River Watershed using an eDNA-based species-specific qPCR approach.

USE LIMITATION:
To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Evaluation of Toronto Region Area of Concern Degradation of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Populations and Analysis to Support Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat Beneficial Use Impairments (BUI)

This dataset supports the assessment of plankton community structure and water quality within Toronto Area of Concern (AOC). The data was collected to evaluate the Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) 13 - Degradation of Phytoplankton and Zooplankton Populations, and to provide georeferenced habitat information relevant to BUI 14 - Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat. 

The dataset provides a complete suite of water quality, microbial, phytoplankton and zooplankton observations collected from multiple georeferenced stations throughout the Toronto Harbor. Each datapoint includes latitude and longitude, sampling date, year and season, along with physiochemical measurements such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, nitrate + nitrite, chlorophyll-a and turbidity. Biological data includes phytoplankton, zooplankton and rotifer abundance and biomass across major taxonomic groups, as well as size structured zooplankton data distinguishing small and large taxa. The dataset also includes microbial community metrics and rate-based parameters such as bacterial growth rates, primary productivity and bacterial production. Sampling was conducted across multiple ecotypes identified by “Area” in the dataset (Inner Harbor, Islands, Habitat Cells and Embayments). The data structure allows for comparisons among sites, seasons, ecotypes and provides the basis for statistical analysis of plankton community composition, trophic relationships and ecological patterns within the AOC of Toronto Harbor. 

Results indicate water quality, zooplankton abundance and biomass differed across habitat ecotypes, with Inner Harbor exhibiting very low biomass similar to the open waters of Lake Ontario and a higher proportion of small taxa like rotifers, in spite of elevated nutrients. This pattern suggests environmental stress from runoff and contamination from the surrounding urban area. Zooplankton prey reductions are likely due to multiple urban environmental impacts including runoff and contaminants. Ecotype impacted zooplankton productivity but not primary productivity, indicating that protected systems (Island channels, Habitat Cells and Embayments) can offer diverse physical habitats and forage for fishes. Though primary productivity rates were reduced in most habitats, productivity was shunted into bacterial growth which were highly elevated throughout the entire AOC.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway Orthomosaic (2019)

In July and August of 2019, a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) project was undertaken in Canada’s western Arctic along the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk (ITH) and Dempster highways. The objective of this project was to test long-range RPAS missions for photogrammetric data acquisition and processing of these two Arctic highway corridors with embankments, bridges and culverts at risk of changing environmental and climatic regimes. The imagery was used to derive an orthomosaic and digital elevation model that could be used to measure road infrastructure and landscape change over time (e.g., fish habitat). 
The RPAS missions were conducted with a Griffon SeaHunter and full-frame DSLR sensor and scoped to obtain <10 cm spatial resolution imagery along a combined 396 linear km. The final deliverables covered over 22,000 ha and 29,000 ha for the ITH and Dempster Highways, respectively, and represent one of the first non-military beyond-visual-line-of-sight RPAS data products of its kind and scale in Canada, and likely elsewhere.  At the time of collection the data constituted the most current and detailed photo surveys of two of Canada’s most northern highways constructed over ice-rich permafrost terrain, and will provide a valuable baseline to study past and future landscape change.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Maritimes Region Clam Harvesting Areas (CHA)

The Maritimes Region is divided into seven Clam Harvesting Areas (CHA).

CLAM HARVESTING AREA 1 is described as follows:

The inland and tidal waters of the counties of Colchester, Cumberland and Hants that border and flow into the Bay of Fundy.

CLAM HARVESTING AREA 2 is described as follows:

The inland and tidal waters of the counties of Annapolis, Digby and Kings.

CLAM HARVESTING AREA 3 is described as follows:

The inland and tidal waters of Yarmouth County.

Time restrictions for Clam Harvesting Area 3: No person shall fish for clams from sunset each Saturday until sunrise on the following Monday (closed Sundays) in the boundaries of Clam Harvesting Area 3.

CLAM HARVESTING AREA 4 is described as follows:

The inland and tidal waters of the counties of Shelburne, Queens and Lunenburg and that portion of Halifax County west of Pennant Point (as defined in the Territorial Sea Geographical Coordinates Order (C.R.C., c. 1550), Schedule I, Area 4).

CLAM HARVESTING AREA 5 is described as follows:

The inland and tidal waters of Guysborough County and that portion of Halifax County east of Pennant Point (as defined in the Territorial Sea Geographical Coordinates Order (C.R.C., c. 1550), Schedule I, Area 4).

CLAM HARVESTING AREA 6 is described as follows:

The inland and tidal waters of the counties of Richmond and Cape Breton, all of Victoria County except that portion between Cape North and Inverness County and that portion of Inverness County that borders on the Bras d'Or Lakes.

NEW BRUNSWICK - BAY OF FUNDY 

CLAM HARVESTING AREA 7 is described as follows:

The inland and tidal waters of the counties of Charlotte, Saint John and Albert that flow into the Bay of Fundy.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Maritimes Region Fisheries Atlas: Catch Weight Landings Mapping (2019–2023)

These datasets show commercial fisheries catch weight landings of directed fisheries and bycatch from the Scotian Shelf, the Bay of Fundy, and Georges Bank from NAFO Divisions 4VWX and the Canadian portions of 5Y and 5Z. Five-year composite maps (2019–2023) that aggregate catches for each map series are publicly available. The maps aggregate catch weight (kg) per 10 km2 hexagon grid cell for selected species, species groupings and gear types to identify important fishing areas. These maps can support decision making in coastal and oceans management, including marine spatial planning, environmental emergency response operations and protocols, Marine Stewardship Council certification processes, marine protected area networks, and ecological risk assessment.

Reported catch locations may have rounded coordinates or contain errors. Although some errors have been corrected, it is assumed that additional errors remain in the data. 

These datasets have been filtered to comply with the Government of Canada's privacy policy. Privacy assessments were conducted to identify DFO unit areas containing data with less than five vessel IDs, licence IDs or fisher IDs. If this threshold was not met, catch weight locations were withheld from these unit areas to protect the identity or activity of individual vessels or companies.
Maps were created for the following species, species groupings and gear types:

1.	Groundfish (all species)
2.	Groundfish Bottom Trawl
3.	Groundfish Bottom Longline
4.	Groundfish Gillnet
5.	Groundfish (seasonal composites)
6.	Atlantic Cod
7.	Atlantic Cod, Haddock and Pollock
8.	Flatfish
9.	Atlantic Halibut
10.	Greenland Halibut (Turbot)
11.	Hagfish
12.	Cusk
13.	Dogfish
14.	Redfish
15.	Red Hake
16.	Silver Hake
17.	White Hake
18.	Monkfish
19.	Sculpin
20.	Skate
21.	Wolffish
22.	Squid
23.	Herring
24.	Mackerel
25.	Herring and Mackerel Gillnet
26.	Purse Seine
27.	Large Pelagics
28.	Bluefin Tuna
29.	Other Tuna
30.	Swordfish
31.	Snow Crab
32.	Other Crab
33.	Scallop
34.	Scallop (seasonal composites)
35.	Offshore Clam
36.	Shrimp Trawl
37.	Shrimp Trap
38.	Offshore Lobster
39.	Disputed Zone Area 38B Lobster
40.	Whelk

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Atlantic Herring Abundance in Placentia Bay

This project was completed by the Pelagics Section in the Newfoundland and Labrador Science Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).   As part of the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program, a historical research gillnet program was reinitiated in Placentia Bay. Four local fishers each set fleets of standardized nets to catch herring for 6 weeks during the spring.  The data collected was used to update a time series and provide advice at the herring stock assessment in October 2022.  This program was continued in the 22/23 fiscal year. Data collected from this program included gillnet catch rates, bycatch, temperature and biological (herring) samples; from which biological metrics such as length, weight, sex, maturity and age were measured. This record contains catch data for 2018 to 2021, as well as biological data from 2018.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Baseline oceanographic records for the Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest

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

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
A climate risk index for marine species of commercial and conservation interest across Canada

Significant climate change impacts are highly likely in all Canadian marine and freshwater basins, with effects increasing over time (DFO 2012). Climate models project that ecosystems and fisheries across Canada will be disrupted into the foreseeable future (Lotze et al. 2019; Bryndum-Buchholz et al. 2020; Tittensor et al. 2021; Boyce et al. 2024). Despite its imminence, climate change is infrequently factored into Canada’s primary marine conservation strategies, such as spatial planning (O’Regan et al. 2021) or fisheries management (Boyce et al. 2021; Pepin et al. 2022). The Climate Risk Index for Biodiversity (CRIB) was developed to assess climate risk for marine species in a quantitative, spatially explicit, and scalable manner, supporting climate-informed decision-making. It has been used to evaluate climate risks for marine life globally (Boyce et al. 2022), regionally (Lewis et al. 2023; Boyce et al. 2024; Keen et al. 2023), for fisheries (Boyce et al. 2024), and in support of spatial conservation planning (Keen et al. 2023). 

This dataset contains climate vulnerability and risk estimates from the CRIB framework adapted to consider warming at both the sea surface and its bottom for 145 marine species of conservation or fisheries interest across Canada’s marine territory. Climate risk is available at a 0.25-degree resolution under two contrasting emission scenarios to 2100. For each species, location, and scenario, 12 climate indexes, three vulnerability dimensions, and an overall vulnerability and risk score are provided. The accompanying report describes the data, methods, and workflow used to calculate risk. This report also guides the interpretation of these data to inform and support climate-informed decision-making in Canada.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Commercial catches sampling program in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence – common softshell clam (Mya arenaria)

Summary
The Quebec region of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is responsible for the assessment of several fish and invertebrate stocks exploited in the Estuary and the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. The commercial catches sampling program is one of the sources of information used to complete these assessments. The data collected by this program, at wharf or at sea, offers among other things the advantage of a relatively large spatio-temporal coverage and provides some of the necessary knowledge to assess the demography and the structure of the exploited populations. This program is implemented by specialized DFO staff whose main mandate is to collect biological data on groundfish, pelagic fish and marine invertebrate species that are commercially exploited in the various marine communities.

Data
This dataset on the common softshell clam (Mya arenaria) includes the metadata, sample weight, the shell width and the number of specimens measured. This dataset covers the periods of 1994 and 2004-2010. In order to protect the confidentiality of the sources, some informations (such as those concerning the vessel) have been excluded and others (such as the date of capture) have been simplified. Entries where there was only one vessel in a fishing area for a given year were also excluded. Further information including the fishing areas coordinates can be found by clicking on the «Atlantic and Arctic commercial fisheries» and «Fishing areas» links below.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Morrison Creek Lamprey Survey Data

Morrison Creek lamprey, Lampetra richardsoni variety marifuga are found only in Morrison Creek in Courtenay, BC. In 1995, this variety was designated Endangered by COSEWIC and is currently protected under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). For the years, 2011-2013 and 2015-2017, efforts were made to live trap Morrison Creek lamprey on and around spawning time. In 2014, DFO worked collaboratively with Hancock Forestry Management to assess the extent of the distribution of lamprey within the headwaters of Morrison creek on the land owned by the company. This dataset includes data for 2011 to 2017 inclusive.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada
Bay Scale Assessment of Nearshore Habitat Bras d'Or Lake - River Denys 2005 - 2009

Bay Scale Assessment of Habitat in Bras d'Or Lake - River Denys 2005 - 2009 data is part of the publication Bay Scale Assessment of Nearshore Habitat Bras d'Or Lakes. 


A history of nearshore benthic surveys of Bras d’Or Lake from 2005 – 2011 is presented. 

Early work utilized drop camera and fixed mount sidescan. The next phase was one of towfish development, where camera and sidescan were placed on one platform with transponder-based positioning. From 2009 to 2011 the new towfish was used to ground truth an echosounder. The surveys were performed primarily in the northern half of the lake; from 10 m depth right into the shallows at less than 1 m. Different shorelines could be distinguished from others based upon the relative proportions of substrate types and macrophyte canopy. The vast majority of macrophytes occurred within the first 3 m of depth. This zone was dominated by a thin but consistent cover of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) on almost all shores with a current or wave regime conducive to the growth of this plant. However, the eelgrass beds were frequently in poor shape and the negative impacts of commonly occurring water column turbidity, siltation, or possible localized eutrophication, are suspected. All survey data were placed into a Geographic Information System, and this document is a guide to that package. The Geographic Information System could be used to answer management questions such as the placement and character of habitat compensation projects, the selection of nearshore protected areas or as a baseline to determine long term changes.

Vandermeulen, H. 2016. Video-sidescan and echosounder surveys of nearshore Bras d’Or Lake. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3183: viii + 39 p.

Cite this data as: Vandermeulen H. Bay Scale Assessment of Nearshore Habitat Bras d'Or Lake - River Denys 2005 - 2009. Published May 2022. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S.

Organization: Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Pêches et Océans Canada