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 mackerel (Scomber scombrus) includes the metadata, sample weight, fish length, the sex and the number of specimens measured. This dataset covers the periods of 1976-1977 and 1984 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 snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) includes the metadata, sample weight, specimen weight, shell width and condition, sex and the right claw height of the specimens measured. This dataset covers the periods of 1984-2003 and 2005 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 dataset contains digital data files on transects flown and 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 table contains quality-controlled weather station data from various sources across Canada since 2006.

The objective of this project was to gather data to develop a model of the food web of the lower trophic levels of the nearshore area of the Beaufort Sea. Sampling took place from 2005 to 2008 using the CCGS Nahidik. The multidisciplinary character of the Nahidik program produced measurements of biology/ecology (primary production, phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthos, fish), chemical and physical oceanography, contaminants, geology and hydro acoustics. The data were collected in July and August of each year. The Nahidik program provided data to provide a baseline for future studies as well as an information source for environmental assessment. This record contains water chemistry data collected as part of this project including suspended nitrogen, dissolved nitrogen, suspended phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon, suspended carbon, chlorophyll a, and suspended silicon.

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.

PURPOSE: To characterize food webs of freshwater fish communities using stable isotopes DESCRIPTION: Data set containing the carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur stable isotope ratios of fishes caught in the Northwest Miramichi River system PARAMETERS COLLECTED: Species gut contents (ecological); species isotopic signatures (ecological); points (spatial) PHYSICAL SAMPLE DETAILS: Powdered animal tissue SAMPLING METHODS: Invertebrates were sampled via kicknet and were collected 1-4 meters from the shore of each location in one-minute intervals with 5-10 intervals per site. Fish were captured using a variety of net types in order to maximize sampling breadth. Please see below for list of net types and mesh sizes: Large fyke (box, lead line, and cod = 5mm tight, 10mm loose); 6mm beach seine; Site 3: two small fyke nets (box, lead line, and cod = 17mm, 17mm and 10mm tight, and 32mm, 32mm, 20mm loose), one trap net (box = 47.6mm and lead line = 146mm) were used). USE LIMITATION: To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

In place since fall 1994, the sentinel fisheries program is the result of a collaboration between Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Quebec and Newfoundland commercial fishermen's associations. Under this program, contracts are awarded by tender to fishermen’s associations to carry out fishing activities according to scientific protocols developed by DFO. The main objective of this survey is to collect data that will be used to calculate abundance indices for various fish stocks, including cod, Greenland halibut, Atlantic halibut and rockfish. Description of mobile survey The mobile gear sentinel fisheries of the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence are conducted in the sub-division 3Pn and the divisions 4R, 4S and the northern part of the division 4T of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). This program follows a stratified random survey plan according to depth strata, NAFO divisions and the type of substrate at the bottom. A standard tow is 30 minutes long and made at a speed of 2.5 knots. The fishing gear is a 300 Star Balloon trawl mounted on a Rock Hopper footgear. The trawl mesh size is 145 mm with a liner of 40 mm in the codend. Unless conditions at sea compromise safety during fishing activity, a retaining cable must be used to standardize the horizontal opening between vessels and the various depths fished. Data are collected by observers at sea or by technicians. The data contained in this program are divided into 4 different projects. -The summer series, carried out during the month of July -The fall series, which covers the period from 1995 to 2002 -The winter series, to study the mixing between the different stocks -The CRP (Cod reproductive potential) series, which targets the reproductive potential. Data For each trait, the total catch is sorted and weighed for each species. The number of individuals caught for each unmeasured fish species is noted. Biological data such as length, weight (sampled, per individual, gonad, liver and stomach), age, sex and maturity migth then be collected on a subsample of many species such as Atlantic halibut, Greenland halibut, lumpfish and Atlantic cod, using a variety of protocols. The biological data are divided into 4 files: a “Metadata” file containing set information, a “Catches” file containing catches per set for fish taxa, a “Carbio” file containing biological and morphometric measurements per individual, a “Freql” file containing the length frequency of fish. The data collected as part of this program is available below. It is important to note, however, that 1) only traits deemed successful have been retained; 2) historical data may contain inaccuracies; 3) the most recent survey is not available for validation purposes.

The contaminants in fish database is a compilation of contaminant data analysed from fish tissue at the Fresh Water Institute from 1970 to 2005. Data include lab number, region, analysis, organs, species, lake, form (whole fish, headon dressed, headless dressed), weight, and length and contaminant concentrations. Total mercury was the predominant contaminant measured. Results were expressed as ppm or ppb based on the parameter analyzed. Concentrations are expressed based on wet weight.

To better understand patterns of temporal and spatial variation of fish assemblages in offshore waters of Lake Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada), pelagic trawl tows were conducted at lakewide monitoring stations since 2002. Trawl samples collected during spring, summer, and fall from the south basin, channel, and north basin were used to study effects of season and geographic region within the lake on species biomass estimates.