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.

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 conduct fishing activities in accordance with scientific protocols developed by DFO. The primary objective of this survey is to collect data 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 program began in 1999. It takes place in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence and is 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 design based on depth strata, NAFO divisions and bottom substrate type. A standard tow is 30 minutes long and conducted at a speed of 2.5 knots. The fishing gear consists of a 300 Star Balloon trawl mounted on a Rock Hopper footgear. The trawl has a mesh size of 145 mm, with a 40 mm liner in the codend. Unless sea conditions compromise fishing safety, a retaining cable must be used to standardize the horizontal opening of nets 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 (1999 -ongoing) -The fall series, which covers the period from 1999 to 2002 -The winter series, to study the mixing between the different stocks, which covers the period of 2002-2006 -The CRP (Cod reproductive potential) series, which targets the reproductive potential of cod and typically takes place during the month of May (2002-ongoing) Data For each fishing tow, 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 can then be collected from a subsample of multiple species such as Atlantic halibut, Greenland halibut, lumpfish and Atlantic cod, according to various protocols. The biological data are divided into 4 files: a “Stations” file containing set information, a “Catches” file containing catches per set for fish taxa, a “Carbio” file containing biological and morphometric measurements per individual, and a “Freql” file containing the length frequency of fish. The columns source_info, no_survey, nbpc and station_number serve as a common key linking the four datasets. To further link the “Captures” and the “Carbio” files to the species level, use the columns source_info, no_survey, nbpc, station_number, strap_code, and category. 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. For more information please contact the data management team (gddaiss-dmsaisb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

This dataset contains observations of species occurrences from seafloor imagery collected by the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) during the 2012 Expedition to Cobb Seamount. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration-operated SeaBED-class AUV which collected photographic images from 4 transects ranging from 436 m to 1154 m in depth.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has conducted an annual summer multidisciplinary scientific bottom trawl survey in the Estuary and the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence since 1984. Over the years this survey has been conducted on four vessels: the MV Lady Hammond (1984-1990), the CCGS Alfred Needler (1990-2005), the CCGS Teleost (2004-2021) and the CCGS Cabot (2022- on going). 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. The specificities of the missions onboard the CCGS Alfred Needler 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. Monitor the pelagic ecosystem 5. Collect samples for various research projects Survey description The survey covers the divisions 4R, 4S, 3Pn and the northern part of division 4T of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). This survey follows a stratified random sampling design and the fishing gear used on the CCGS Alfred Needler is a URI shrimp trawl (81'/114'). Standard trawling tows last 25 minutes, starting from the time the trawl touched the sea floor. 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 on a subsample. For fish, crab and squid, 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 collected for several species such as witch flounder, Atlantic cod, Greenland halibut and Atlantic halibut. 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 4 files: a “Stations” file containing set information, a “Catches” file containing catches per set for all species caught, a “Carbio” file containing biological and morphometric measurements per individual all species measured except shrimps, and a “Freql” file containing the length frequency of fish. The columns source_info, no_survey, nbpc and station_number serve as a common key linking the four 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). Data collection methods and sampling protocols have varied over the years. These changes may affect the comparability of the data across sampling periods. For more information about the protocols used, please contact the data management team (gddaiss-dmsaisb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca). It's 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 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.

Pacific Herring roe catch data for British Columbia. There are five major stock assessment regions: Haida Gwaii, Prince Rupert District, Central Coast, Strait of Georgia, and West Coast of Vancouver Island; and two minor stock assessment regions: Area 2W and Area 27. Catch that occurred outside of the major and minor stock assessment regions is recorded as ‘other’. Herring roe catch data is maintained in the Herring stock assessment database. The sum of catch is in metric tonnes for a specified time frame, geographical location, and gear type. Due to privacy, catch where less than three parties fished in a given area and time frame cannot be released. In these cases, ‘WP’ will appear in this field.

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.

Moored instrument time series data include current velocity, temperature, salinity, oxygen, fluorescence, transmissivity, turbidity, and particle capture of carbon, nitrogen, and silicon. Also included are sediment trap, ice drift and ice draft data. These data were collected by researchers from the Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, BC, from locations ranging from the Beaufort Sea, and across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago to Baffin Bay. The data links below are only a representative sample of the entire collection. If you require more data, please send your request to the data contact.

In place since fall 1994, the sentinel fisheries program is the result of a collaboration between Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and commercial fishermen’s associations in Quebec and Newfoundland. Under this program, contracts are awarded by tender to fishermen’s associations to conduct fishing activities in accordance with scientific protocols developed by DFO. The primary objective of this survey is to collect data used to calculate abundance indices for the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence Atlantic cod stock. Description of fixed gears survey The fixed gear sentinel fisheries program in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence is conducted in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) sub-division 3Pn and the divisions 4R, 4S, using fixed gillnets or longlines. Other fishing gears were also used during the early years of the program. Fishing activities with nets must have a mesh size of 5 ½ inches (140mm), and the number of nets is limited to a maximum of 6 to 20, depending on the region and catch. The target immersion time for gillnets (and other nets) is 19 to 24 hours. Longline fishing must be carried out with traditional J #16 or C #12 hooks. The maximum number of hooks varies from 500 to 1000, depending on the catch. The target immersion time for longlines is 4 to 6 hours. Data are collected by observers at sea or by technicians. Data For each fishing activity, the total catch is sorted and weighed by species. For each species other than Atlantic cod, the number of individuals caught is noted. Atlantic cod are then measured at the fork (cm). Other biological data such as weight (total, gonad, liver and stomach), age, sex and maturity are then collected on a subsample of cod. The biological data are divided into 4 files: a “Stations” file containing set information, a “Catches” file containing catches per set for fish taxa, a “Carbio” file containing biological and morphometric measurements per individual, and a “Freql” file containing the length frequency of fish. The columns source_info, no_survey, nbpc and station_number serve as a common key linking the four datasets. To further link the “Captures” and the “Carbio” files to the species level, use the columns source_info, no_survey, nbpc, station_number, strap_code, and category. 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. For more information please contact the data management team (gddaiss-dmsaisb@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

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.