Taxonomic List of Marine Species and Associated Coding Used by the Science Branch at Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Liste taxonomique d’espèces marines et codifications associées provenant des bases de données de l’Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Pêches et Océans Canada

Keywords: informations générales, Abondance et distribution de tortues marines, oiseaux et mammifères, species list, taxonomie, fishAbundanceAndDistribution, invertebrateAbundanceAndDistribution, liste d'espèces, Oceans, macroalgalCanopyCoverAndComposition, general information, Abondance et distribution d'invertébrés, marineTurtlesBirdsMammalsAbundanceAndDistribution, Abondance et distribution de poissons, Composition et couverture de la canopée de macroalgues, taxonomy
Temporal coverage: None

This report presents a list of marine vertebrates, invertebrates and plants along with their respective data base codes used by the science branch at Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The coded list of species was adopted from the Newfoundland Region of DFO in the 1980's, called the STRAP code. With the addition of several new codes over time, the two series are now sufficiently different that a description of the IML codes is necessary. In recent years the scientific names in the list have been standardized with ITIS and WoRMS.

The master file associated with the report complements it by listing plants, invertebrates, fishes, birds and marine mammals used at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute. Most of the taxonomic units mentioned in the list have a 3 to 4 digit code, called the IML code, used during DFO operations in the Quebec region. Other codes are also provided. First, the codes used in the Maritimes region of DFO are included, because these codes are used in the Quebec Region’s commercial sampling database and the Observer programs. Some of the Maritimes’ taxa do not have an IML code because they have not yet been found in in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization) and STACAC (Statistical Coordinating Committee for the Atlantic Coast) codes are also included to facilitate conversion between these coding systems. The master file also provides the classification code for the specimen collection at MLI, and the specimens may be considered as voucher specimens for the presence of taxa in a particular area of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Also included are columns for Phylum, Class, Order and Family for all taxa, which facilitate sorting and grouping of taxa. The classification is generally based on WoRMS but in certain cases of discrepancy, ITIS classification was used, generally because it corresponded better with the conventional taxonomic guides used in the laboratory. Two other worksheets in the master Excel file provide a list of codes to describe details about specimens, such as ontogenic stage (egg, larval stage, juvenile, adult), sex, or animal part (shell, carapace, beak, otolith), and a list of references consulted during the validation of the species list.

For more information, you can consult the [data context](https://ogsl.ca/en/species-identification-guide-marine-fish/). It is possible to access the data in the [SPECIES IDENTIFICATION GUIDE](https://ogsl.ca/en/marine-species-identification-guide-for-the-st-lawrence-application/).