1999 to 2023 surface temperature and salinity measured along the track of commercial ships, mostly between Montreal (Quebec) and St. John's (Newfoundland). Monitoring of surface water conditions in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence is carried out with different complementary methods such as thermosalinographs (TSG) installed on commercial ships. These ships are sailing all year long from Montreal to St. John’s, one round trip per week, and are sampling water near the surface (3 to 8 meters deep) to determine the temperature and salinity all along the route. Purpose The recorded data are used as input to numerical forecasting models for sea ice conditions and as a monitoring tool for the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Annual reports are available at the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS), (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/index-eng.htm). Galbraith, P.S., Chassé, J., Caverhill, C., Nicot, P., Gilbert, D., Lefaivre, D. and Lafleur, C. 2018. Physical Oceanographic Conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2017. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2018/050. v + 79 p.

Department of Opportunities and Social Development Office locations including Civic Address, City, Postal Code, Name of Office, Phone #, Fax #, Hours, Website

2015 to 2018 Capital Bridges

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 yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea) includes the metadata, sample weight, fish length, the sex and the number of specimens measured. This dataset covers the periods of 1992, 1995, 1997-2010, 2012-2013, 2015-2017 and 2019. 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.

This category encompasses items of surplus, not including Real Property, that have been determined to be, upon inspection, of no value to government and are in such condition that refurbishing is uneconomical. Any reusable or recyclable components are removed prior to disposal. The use of this option may also be based on environmental or safety considerations such as the obsolescence of the item; i.e., baby crib, mattresses, medical equipment, et cetera.

Part of the Nova Scotia Topographic Database (NSTDB), the roads and railroads theme layer is updated and maintained from aerial photography and collected in the field with mobile GPS, Field inspections verify road way types such as surface and number of lanes. Road feature codes and their descriptions are provided with the download in a NSTDB feature code table. Data download also available via GeoNova: https://nsgi.novascotia.ca/WSF_DDS/DDS.svc/DownloadFile?tkey=fhrTtdnDvfytwLz6&id=15 Map service view also available via GeoNova: https://nsgiwa.novascotia.ca/arcgis/rest/services/BASE/BASE_NSTDB_10k_Roads_UT83/MapServer?f=jsapi

Part of the Nova Scotia Topographic Database (NSTDB), the roads and railroads theme layer is updated and maintained from aerial photography and collected in the field with mobile GPS, Field inspections verify road way types such as surface and number of lanes. Road feature codes and their descriptions are provided with the download in a NSTDB feature code table. Data download also available via GeoNova: https://nsgi.novascotia.ca/WSF_DDS/DDS.svc/DownloadFile?tkey=fhrTtdnDvfytwLz6&id=15 Map service view also available via GeoNova: https://nsgiwa.novascotia.ca/arcgis/rest/services/BASE/BASE_NSTDB_10k_Roads_UT83/MapServer?f=jsapi

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Science Branch has designed a multispecies dive survey protocol to provide unbiased, coast wide monitoring of benthic invertebrate stocks (as may be required under the updated Fisheries Act) and associated habitat information for a suite of benthic marine invertebrate species (Green (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis), Purple (S. purpuratus) and Red Sea Urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus), Geoduck (Panopea generosa), Giant Red Sea Cucumber (Apostichopus californicus), Northern Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana), and Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)). Based on information available at this time, the proposed survey design can provide estimates of coast wide stock status for Red Sea Urchin and Giant Red Sea Cucumber, and relative abundance indices for Geoduck, Green Sea Urchin, Purple Sea Urchin, Northern Abalone and Sunflower Sea Star. The new protocol was tested through a series of pilot surveys conducted on a subset of areas of the BC coast each September from 2016-2021. Design of the pilot surveys was based on previous dive survey data and experience and demonstrated the practical feasibility of the protocol, while also gathering preliminary information to guide recommendations about the statistical design of the survey. The dataset consists of a relational database containing tables representing each component of the survey methodology. The primary component of the survey is a transect location. Along each transect, systematically spaced quadrats are sampled, and on each quadrat, substrate observations are recorded, multiple species of algae are recorded, and multiple individual invertebrates are measured or counted. The tables are linked by transect number and quadrat number.

Mean 2014 to 2023 winter surface conditions in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. The survey has been taking place every year in March. Surface conditions are described by temperature, salinity and nutrient concentration (mmol/m3) interpolated on a 10km x 10km grid. Purpose Since many years, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has been conducting annual surveys, at different periods of the year, in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, each having many objectives including assessment of environmental conditions. However, these surveys, carried out on vessels, did not cover the winter period. Since 1996, a regional monitoring program, conducted by Maurice-Lamontagne Institute scientists, is taking place in order to fill this gap. The annual helicopter survey is undertaken in the beginning of March to evaluate physical oceanographic conditions of waters up to 200 m and surface water nutrient contains. These surveys are usually sampled from a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter but from an icebreaker in 2016 and 2017. Data from regional monitoring programs are combined with the ones from the Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP) to produce annual reports (physical, biological and a Zonal Scientific Advice) which are available at the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS), (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/index-eng.htm). Galbraith, P.S., Chassé, J., Caverhill, C., Nicot, P., Gilbert, D., Pettigrew, B., Lefaivre, D., Brickman, D., Devine, L., and Lafleur, C. 2017. Physical Oceanographic Conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2016. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2017/044. v + 91 p. Devine, L., Scarratt, M., Plourde, S., Galbraith, P.S., Michaud, S., and Lehoux, C. 2017. Chemical and Biological Oceanographic Conditions in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence during 2015. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2017/034. v + 48 pp. Additional Information Water sampling for nutrient analysis is done from Niskin bottles according to AZMP sampling protocol: Mitchell, M. R., Harrison, G., Pauley, K., Gagné, A., Maillet, G., and Strain, P. 2002. Atlantic Zonal Monitoring Program sampling protocol. Can. Tech. Rep. Hydrogr. Ocean Sci. 223: iv + 23 pp. Nitrate titration is carried out according to the following method ((nitrite + nitrate) – nitrite): Nitrite + nitrate: Armstrong, FAJ, CR Stearns, JDH Strickland (1967) The measurement of upwelling and subsequent biological processes by means of the Technicon Autoanalyzer and associated equipment. Deep-Sea Res 14(3) 381-389. Nitrite: American Public Health Assoc. (1971) Standard Methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 13th edition, pp. 240-243, Washington D.C. Phosphate: Murphy, J, JP Riley (1962) A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Anal Chim. Acta 27 : 30. Silicate: Strickland, JDH, TR Parsons (1972) A Practical Handbook of Seawater Analysis, second edition. Fish Res Board Can, Bulletin 167, 310 pp. The surface water temperature and salinity are determined from CTD profiles.

Mean 2014 to 2023 pelagic fish total biomass in the Estuary and Gulf of St.Lawrence obtained by summing the fish biomass (kg) for all species for a tow and then averaging tows in each grid cell 10 km x 10 km. Input data are from the annual August (north) and September (south) multidisciplinary surveys. A distinct layer by survey is presented because the total biomasses are not comparable from one survey to the other (different fishing gears for each one). Purpose Since 1990, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has been conducting an annual multidisciplinary survey in the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence using a standardized protocol. In the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, these bottom trawl surveys has been carrying out each September since 1971. These missions are an important source of information about the status of the marine ressources. The objectives of the surveys are multiple: to estimate the abundance and biomass of groundfish and invertebrates, to identify the spatial distribution and biological characteristics of these species, to monitor the biodiversity of the Estuary and Gulf and finally, to describe the environmental conditions observed in the area at the moment of the sampling. The southern Gulf surveys are realized using the following standardized protocol: Hurlbut,T. and D.Clay (eds) 1990. Protocols for Research Vessel Cruises within the Gulf Region (Demersal Fish) (1970-1987). Can. MS Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. No. 2082: 143p. The sampling protocols used for the Estuary and northern Gulf surveys are described in details in the following publications: Bourdages, H., Archambault, D., Bernier, B., Fréchet, A., Gauthier, J., Grégoire, F., Lambert, J., et Savard, L. 2010. Résultats préliminaires du relevé multidisciplinaire de poissons de fond et de crevette d’août 2009 dans le nord du golfe du Saint-Laurent. Rapp. stat. can. sci. halieut. aquat. 1226 : xii+ 72 p. Bourdages, H., Archambault, D., Morin, B., Fréchet, A., Savard, L., Grégoire, F., et Bérubé, M. 2003. Résultats préliminaires du relevé multidisciplinaire de poissons de fond et de crevette d’août 2003 dans le nord du golfe du Saint-Laurent. Secr. can. consult. sci. du MPO. Doc. rech. 2003/078. vi + 68 p. Annual reports are available at the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS), (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/index-eng.htm). Bourdages, H., Brassard, C., Desgagnés, M., Galbraith, P., Gauthier, J., Légaré, B., Nozères, C. and Parent, E. 2017. Preliminary results from the groundfish and shrimp multidisciplinary survey in August 2016 in the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2017/002. v + 87 p.