Funded under DFO's Marine Conservation Targets Program, this optical imagery benthic survey captured 24 drift-camera transects from September 22-26, 2023 in the Quoddy Region of the lower, western Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. The survey area includes Passamaquoddy Bay, the 'Head Harbour/West Isles Archipelago/The Passages' Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (ESBA, ~113 km2), and Wolves Bank (a unique bathymetric feature south of the Wolves islands). High-resolution still images (n=1875) were taken periodically throughout each transect, while continuous high-definition downward- (>10 hours) and forward-facing (~10.5 hours) video was collected simultaneously. Distance travelled and distance between still images (m) was calculated using ArcGIS tools. Field of view (FOV) was estimated by measuring the length and width of a subset of still images (n=343) in ImageJ2, using 10-cm lasers for scale. FOV was standardized for each reported altitude. Transects ranged from 133 m to 2.6 km in length (~18 km surveyed in total), collecting imagery continuously for 3 minutes to more than 1 hour at a time, surveying depths from 24 to 144 m below chart datum. Transect locations were selected based on unique bathymetric features as well as areas previously predicted to have high habitat suitability for vulnerable marine ecosystem species.

Cite this data as: Lawton P, Teed L. Near-seafloor drift transect video and high-resolution digital still imagery from a 2023 survey in the Quoddy Region of the lower, western Bay of Fundy. Published September 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B.