The Aquatic Invasive Species Surveillance Database is a compilation of fish community and habitat data from DFO’s Aquatic Invasive Species and Invasive Carp Program early detection surveillance efforts in Canadian waters of the Great Lakes basin. Data includes: sampling site location, date, fish species and counts, and associated habitat information. Annual project-specific details including purpose/objectives and study methodology are often reported in the DFO Canadian manuscript report of fisheries and aquatic sciences series. Suggested Citation: DFO. Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Surveillance Database – ongoing. Version published May 2026. Ontario and Prairie Aquatic Invasive Species Program, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Burlington, ON.

These data sets provide information pertaining to shrimp and bycatch estimates associated with otter-trawling and trapping (November, 2000) and beam-trawling (February, 2001) in Simoom Sound. Data sets were compiled and formatted by Meagan Mak. Abstract from report: As part of a project investigating possible modification of marine ecosystems by shrimp trawling and trapping, we obtained information on catches offish, shrimp, prawns , and bycatch organisms as well as weight, sex ratios , egg location and colIateral damage to several species of pandalids and eualids. Focusing on the humpback shrimp (Pandalus hypsinotus), we assessed damage to the rostrum, carapace, abdomen, and tail fan on specimens caught by beam trawling, otter trawling, and trapping. Data are given from a preliminary study conducted in Northumberland Channel in June 2000 and more comprehensive sampling from Simoom Sound in November 2000 and February 2001.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has conducted an annual multidisciplinary scientific survey using a bottom trawl in the Estuary and the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence during the summer since 1984. Over the years this survey has been conducted aboard four vessels: the MV Lady Hammond (1984-1990), the CCGS Alfred Needler (1990-2005), the CCGS Teleost (2004-2022) and the CCGS Cabot (2022-current). 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. However, comparative analyses have been carried out between vessels, and conversion factors are available upon request for a number of species. The specificities of the missions onboard the CCGS Cabot are described below. Objectives: 1. Assess groundfish and northern shrimp population abundance and condition 2. Assess environmental conditions 3. Conduct a biodiversity inventory of benthic and demersal megafauna 4. Assess phytoplankton and mesozooplankton abundance 5. Monitor the pelagic ecosystem 6. Collect samples for various research projects Survey description The survey covers the Estuary and 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). Since 2008, coverage of division 4T has been increased in the upstream part of the Lower Estuary. Each year, approximately 200 sampling stations are randomly selected within depth-based strata, ranging from around 40 m near the shores to close to 500 m in the deep channels. The fishing gear used on the CCGS Cabot is a four-sided modified Campelen 1800 shrimp trawl equipped with a Rockhopper footgear (“bicycle”). The trawl lengthening and codend are equipped with a 12.7-mm knotless nylon lining. Standard trawling tows last 15 minutes, starting from the time the trawl touches the sea floor. The targeted towing speed is 3 knots. Data For each fishing tow, the catch is sorted and weighed by taxa; individuals are then counted, and biological data are collected from a subsample. For fish and certain invertebrate species, size and weight are measured 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 the otoliths are sampled for several species such as Atlantic cod, Atlantic halibut, Greenland halibut and witch flounder. A roughly 2-kg shrimp sample is sorted and weighed by species (and by stage of maturity for northern shrimp). The shrimps are measured individually. The other invertebrates are counted (no individual measurements) and photographed. The biological data are divided into 3 files: a “Stations” file containing set information, a “Catches” file containing catches per set for all species caught and a “Carbio” file containing biological and morphometric measurements per individual all species measured except shrimps. The columns source_info, no_survey, nbpc and station_number serve as a common key linking the three datasets. To further link the “Captures” and the “Carbio” files to the species level (for fish and certain invertebrate species), use the columns source_info, no_survey, nbpc, station_number, strap_code, and category. Further shrimp biological and morphometric data are available but are not presented here in order to simplify data presentation. For access to the complete information, please contact the data management team (gddaiss-dmsaisb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca). The latest published data is preliminary and will be updated at the end of January of the following year. It is important to note that this is raw data. Only sets considered successful are retained. In each set, all species are kept, with a few exceptions. For more information please contact the data management team (gddaiss-dmsaisb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

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 Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) includes the metadata, sample weight, fish length, the sex and the number of specimens measured. This dataset covers the period of 1987 to present. 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 record contains data on beluga whale locations in the Beaufort Sea and west Amundsen Gulf 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

This dataset provides projected sea surface temperature and salinity as well as projected ocean bottom temperature and salinity in the Northwest Atlantic under a high emission scenario Dhared Socia-economic Pathway 5-8.5 (SSP585). The results are generated by a North Atlantic Ocean-ice Downscaling System (NAODS) that downscales the global Hedley Centre Global Environmental Model Version 2 with an Earth System component (HadGEM2-ES) output. NAODS couples a 1/12 ^o model for the northwest Atlantic with a 1/4 ^o model for the North Atlantic (Han et al., 2025). Bi-decadal means are included for 1986-2005, 2006-2025, 2026-2045, 2046-2065, 2066-2085, and 2080-2099, respectively.

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 Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) includes the metadata, sample weight, fish length, the sex and the number of specimens measured. This dataset covers the period of 1995 to present. 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.

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 Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) includes the metadata, sample weight, fish length, the sex and the number of specimens measured. This dataset covers the period of 1983 to present. 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.

The Meanook National Wildlife Area (NWA) bat monitoring project used a combination of stationary acoustic detectors and roost exit counts to evaluate bat species diversity, seasonal activity patterns, variance in habitat usage between species, and maternity roost dynamics in an artificial bat box. Ultrasonic bat detectors were deployed at three bat-attractive locations within the wildlife area during June-July of 2023-2025 to characterize species diversity, community composition, seasonal activity, and variation in habitat use, along with changes in these factors between years. Each detector was deployed for a period of at least seven days in June - July when the weather was forecasted to be appropriate (no rain, low winds). Sites were selected to minimize acoustic clutter, avoid roost-adjacent areas with high bat concentrations, and reduce sound distortion from reflective surfaces. Detectors were mounted on trees with microphones suspended above ground angled away from the tree and programmed to record from thirty minutes before sunrise to thirty minutes after sunrise, triggered by ultrasonic noise. Acoustic files from stationary monitoring were analyzed by an expert using the Wood Buffalo regional classifier in SonoBat 30.0, with manual review in SonoVet to assign each file to a species or species group. Over the three years, more than 96% of acoustic recordings were successfully classified. Since 2023, six species have been identified within Meanook NWA: little brown bats, hoary bats, silver-haired bats, big brown bats, northern myotis, and eastern red bats. Bat activity was consistently dominated by little brown bats, followed by hoary bats and silver-haired bats. In addition to acoustic monitoring, roost exit counts were conducted twice annually between early June and early July to estimate the mature adult population size of a little brown bat maternity colony occupying a bat box within the Meanook NWA area. Observers independently counted bats exiting and re-entering the roost at dusk through the use of handheld counters. Average counts ranged from 90-176 bats during the first surveys and 179-195 bats during the second surveys each year, with strong agreement between observers.

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.