PURPOSE: To quantify impacts of nutrient and sediment loading to plant and animal communities and the environmental conditions that support them in estuaries of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence DESCRIPTION: The MEQ monitoring program is being implemented in 35-40 estuaries in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) to support the development of a MEQ measure (threshold) to promote efforts to address nutrient enrichment in estuaries. The two main indicators included in the monitoring program are dissolved oxygen and eelgrass coverage which are used to assess the trophic status of estuaries within the region. The two factors most important for impacting the trophic status of estuaries are nitrogen loading and water residence time, i.e., water circulation. If water residence time is long and/or nitrogen loading is high, nutrient impacts are likely. A peer-reviewed manuscript has demonstrated that these two factors are predictive of the dissolved oxygen regime in the upper estuary and that publication successfully used dissolved oxygen to ascribe trophic status to estuaries. In a companion paper it was also determined that nitrogen loading was negatively correlated with eelgrass coverage. These two papers form the basis of the MEQ monitoring program (see attached). NOTES ON QUALITY CONTROL: Dissolved oxygen loggers require calibration prior to deployment and are checked for drift after retrieval (though drift isn't anticipated given optical sensor technology). In the event that dissolved oxygen loggers weren't cleared at a frequency sufficient to prevent data errors from occurring these data are removed prior to analysis. Additionally, data must be scrubbed of erroneous measurements which are relatively rare and very apparent. An error code of -888.88 is the primary error for dissolved oxygen loggers. Salinity probes rarely provide erroneous data and when they do it is typically the result of fouling. PHYSICAL SAMPLE DETAILS: Water is sampled bi-weekly to monthly using a Niskin water sampler at a depth of 0.5 m from the water surface, from May-November. Samples are processed in the laboratory in duplicate for chlorophyll a and seston within ~8 hours of being collected. SAMPLING METHODS: For each study estuary, dissolved oxygen is monitored continuously with optical dissolved oxygen loggers in the upper and mid-estuary. Tidal amplitude and salinity (NB and NS only) were also monitored at the upper estuary location only. Depth profiles for other water quality variables are taken at the bi-weekly or monthly scale as well as samples for seston (NB and NS only) and chlorophyll a (a proxy for phytoplankton). These parameters are monitored on a 3-year cycle except for two sites in PE and one site in NB and NS which are monitored annually: West and Wheatley, PE, Cocagne, NB and Pugwash, NS, respectively. Data is collected for eelgrass coverage by a collaborator between June-September, ideally during the same year we collect water quality data. Collaborators include the province of PEI’s Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change and the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability. USE LIMITATION: To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

This dataset contains the abundance (per m²) and the biomass (mg dry per m²) of macrofauna (≥ 500µm) in eelgrass and adjacent bare soft sediments, collected at sites in the Atlantic of Nova Scotia from 2009 to 2013. Cite this data as: Wong M.C. Data of Benthic invertebrates in seagrass and bare soft sediments in Atlantic Nova Scotia Published May 2020. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/05d5f46a-7f19-11ea-8a4e-1860247f53e3 Publications: Wong, M. C., & Dowd, M. (2021). Functional trait complementarity and dominance both determine benthic secondary production in temperate seagrass beds. Ecosphere. 12(11), e03794. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3794 Wong, M. C. (2018). Secondary Production of Macrobenthic Communities in Seagrass (Zostera marina, Eelgrass) Beds and Bare Soft Sediments Across Differing Environmental Conditions in Atlantic Canada. Estuaries and Coasts, 41, 536–548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0286-2

Funded under DFO's Marine Conservation Targets Program, this optical imagery benthic survey captured 73 drift-camera transects from September 21, 2022 to October 3, 2024 in the Fundy Isles region of the lower, western Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. The survey area includes the 'Head Harbour/West Isles Archipelago/The Passages' Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (ESBA, ~113 km2), the Wolves Islands and Grand Manan Island. High-resolution still images (n=5081) were taken periodically throughout each transect, while continuous high-definition downward- and forward-facing video (~30 hours of each) 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=863) 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 (~47 km surveyed in total), collecting imagery continuously for 3 minutes to more than 1 hour at a time, surveying depths from 15 to 188 m below chart datum. Transect locations were selected based on unique bathymetric features, areas previously predicted to have high habitat suitability for vulnerable marine ecosystem species, as well as proposed areas for inclusion in the regional marine conservation network plan. Additional information and imagery pertaining specifically to the 2022 datasets can be found at the following link in the Open Government Portal: https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/8ea6c28a-3d6c-47ef-8cf7-56790ee0c7f5 Cite this data as: Lawton P, Teed L. Near-seafloor drift transect video and high-resolution digital still imagery from a three-year survey in the Fundy Isles region of the lower, western Bay of Fundy. Published November 2025. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B.

Funded under DFO's Marine Conservation Targets Program in partnership with the Huntsman Marine Science Centre (HMSC), this diver-based imagery and sample collection benthic survey documents the occurrence of sponges at 42 dive sites in the Eastern Shore Islands (ESI) Area of Interest (AOI, ~2089 km2) off the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada from dive surveys conducted in summer 2021 and 2022. Water quality, species occurrences and counts, habitat, slope, and substrate characteristics were catalogued through diver log sheets, camera imagery, specimen vouchers, and high-resolution bathymetric data. A total of 54 dives to depths from 11 to 33 m (below sea level), collecting up to 147 still images, one-hour of video, and 17 specimen samples per site, resulted in 220 observations for 27 different sponge taxa. This included three new records for Canada (Hymedesmia stellifera, Plocamionida arndti, Hymedesmia jecusculum) and a range extension for a species new to science (Crellomima mehqisinpekonuta) which was recently described from the Bay of Fundy. There were also four species which may seem to be new to science (Halichondria sp., Hymedesmia sp., Protosuberires sp., and Sphaerotylus sp.). Sponges were found to occupy a diversity of micro-habitats, often several different ones in proximity. A total of eight distinct habitat classes were defined, based on varying abundances and diversity of sponges and associated benthic species. These are likely widely distributed among the many complex submerged seabed features within this AOI. Collected specimens were preserved and are stored at the Atlantic Reference Centre (ARC) in St. Andrew's, New Brunswick. Cite this data as: Goodwin, C., Cooper, J.A., Lawton, P., Teed, L.L. 2025. Sponge occurrence and associated species and habitat descriptions derived from the 2021 and 2022 SCUBA diving surveys in the Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest, Nova Scotia. Version 1.4. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Occurrence dataset. https://ipt.iobis.org/obiscanada/resource?r=eastern_shore_islands_sponge_survey_2021_2022&v=1.4

A derivative of DFO's benthic imagery surveys for the Marine Conservation Targets Program in the St. Anns Bank Marine Protected Area (https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/2a55e2b4-cbb6-4fea-b17e-a16f5e99e68f), occurrence records in this analysis represent presence/absence and density of a biogenic habitat-forming species in five drift-camera transects in the southeast corner of the MPA, off the coast of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. Presence/absence and count data of the unstalked crinoid (Heliometra glacialis) were derived from the use of high-resolution Nikon D850 still images (n=428, see link to parent record for more descriptive survey information and complete imagery dataset) and continuous high-definition video observations (approximately one observation every second using a 1Cam Mk6, SubC Imaging camera; n=8522). Densities were estimated by dividing the crinoid counts by the field of view (calculated from lasers with 10-cm spacing). Substrates were reported for each video observation, documenting the dominant substrate (>50% cover) according to a modified Wentworth scale (i.e., sand, gravel, pebble, cobble, boulder, bedrock; Wentworth 1922). Crinoids were observed in ~44% of the area of the five transects (~4811 m2), forming dense beds along sloped features from 77-119-m depths, predominantly on cobble and pebble substrates, reaching densities of up to 59 ind. m-2 and 139 ind. m-2 in the digital still images and video observations, respectively. Cite this data as: Lawton P, Teed L. Fine-scale observations of high density Heliometra glacialis (Crinoidea) beds from five near-seafloor imagery transects from a two-year survey in the St. Anns Bank Marine Protected Area, Atlantic Canada. Published March 2026. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. References: - Wentworth, C.K. 1922. A scale of grade and class terms for clastic sediments. The Journal of Geology 30(5): 377-392.

A derivative of DFO’s benthic species survey for the Strategic Program for Ecosystem-based Research and Advice (SPERA) (open data record ID: e736c0f0-b19e-4842-903d-28bfc756d48a), this benthic survey funded through the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network (CHONeII) looks at the presence/absence and abundance of two biogenic habitat-forming species that are listed as vulnerable to disturbance in a subset of 50 drift camera transects in the ‘Head Harbour/West Isles Archipelago/The Passages’ Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada (~113km2). Presence/absence and abundance data of the stalked sea squirt (Boltenia ovifera) and horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus) were derived from the use of high-resolution Nikon D800 36.1 megapixel still images (n=2576, see link to parent record for more descriptive survey information) to be used in species distribution modelling. Image field of view (FOV) was estimated using a 10 cm-wide trigger weight for scale,and standardized across images using the average FOV estimate (0.75 x 0.5 m) across a subset of 200 images. Species counts were then converted to abundance estimates (number of individuals per square-meter) by dividing counts by 0.375m2. Boltenia ovifera was observed at densities reaching 456 ind./m2, while Modiolus modiolus density reached a maximum of 240 ind./m2. Cite this data as: Mireault C.A., Lawton P., Devillers R. and Teed L. Presence/absence and abundance of vulnerable marine ecosystem species Boltenia ovifera and Modiolus modiolus in the lower Bay of Fundy derived from high resolution still imagery. Published September 2023. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/152ae3f1-d2b9-43d9-a7b4-d769d9e9fc41

This project was completed by the Pelagics Section in the Newfoundland and Labrador Science Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). As part of the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program, a historical research gillnet program was reinitiated in Placentia Bay. Four local fishers each set fleets of standardized nets to catch herring for 6 weeks during the spring. The data collected was used to update a time series and provide advice at the herring stock assessment in October 2022.  This program was continued in the 22/23 fiscal year. Data collected from this program included gillnet catch rates, bycatch, temperature and biological (herring) samples; from which biological metrics such as length, weight, sex, maturity and age were measured. This record contains catch data for 2018 to 2021, as well as biological data from 2018.

Funded under DFO's Marine Conservation Targets Program, this optical imagery benthic survey documents the occurrence and estimated percent cover of the invasive colonial tunicate, Didemnum vexillum in seven drift-camera transects in the 'Head Harbour/West Isles Archipelago/The Passages' Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (ESBA, ~113km2) in the western Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. Occurrence data was derived from the use of high-resolution still images (n=386) taken periodically throughout each transect, and simultaneous continuous high-definition video. Video was divided into 20-second segments (here, we report the start and end location of each segment within a transect) and when D. vexillum was present in a video segment, frequency of occurrence was classified as common (continuous coverage/patches throughout the video segment), occasional (individual colonies of various sizes encountered >5 times throughout the video segment), or rare (small, isolated colonies encountered ≤5 times throughout the video segment). A video segment was deemed unusable and removed from the dataset if there was too much turbidity, or if the camera position was too high off-bottom to reliably image the seafloor. For still images, when D. vexillum was observed in an image, colony percent cover was categorized as >50%, 26-50%, 6-25%, or ≤5% of the images field of view (FOV). Distance travelled and distance between still images (m) was calculated using ArcGIS tools. FOV was estimated by measuring the length and width of a subset of still images and video frame grabs in ImageJ2, using 10-cm lasers for scale. FOV was standardized for each reported altitude, and area sampled (m2) along a continuous video segment was estimated by multiplying the average FOV by the distance travelled in that segment. D. vexillum was found in 44% of the area sampled at depths from 34 to 118m, deeper than previous reports globally of ~80m. Cite this data as: Teed LL, Goodwin C, Lawton P, Lacoursière-Roussel A, Dinning KM (2024) Multiple perspectives on the emergence of the invasive colonial tunicate Didemnum vexillum Kott, 2002 in the western Bay of Fundy, Atlantic Canada. BioInvasions Records 13(3): 713–738, https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2024.13.3.12

We evaluated an autonomous environmental DNA sampler produced by Dartmouth Ocean Technologies Inc (Dartmouth, Canada) compared to time-at-sample filtration in the laboratory to determine the performance of moored samplers for monitoring in the marine world. We deployed three autonomous samplers from DOT in the Bedford Basin (Canada) over a nine-week period in summer/fall 2023. The samplers filtered seawater in situ at programmed interviews over this time period, and we collected contemporaneous samples with a standard vacuum pump during each sampling period. Both eDNA sample types captured similar fish diversity, including typical diversity for the Northwest Atlantic. The invertebrate community detected using the COI marker was different between each sample type, likely due to differences in filter pore size. We found biofouling on the moored samplers was minimal over the study period, even in a high-traffic area such as the Bedford Basin, likely due to the relatively short experimental period, and copper screening covering in the inlet and outlet valves of the instruments. Overall, our results show promise to deploy autonomous eDNA samplers in marine conservation areas to contribute to monitoring in the temperate ocean, but further testing over longer periods of time is needed to determine if DNA remains well-preserved in the autonomous samplers at ambient ocean temperatures. Cite this data as: Jeffery, N.W., Van Wyngaarden, M., and Stanley, R.R.E. Evaluating an Autonomous eDNA Sampler for Marine Environmental Monitoring: Short- and Long-Term Applications. Published: December 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS.

This project was completed by the Shellfish Section in the Newfoundland and Labrador Science Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), in collaboration with industry partners. The Coastal Environmental Baseline program supported the Placentia Bay portion of project work for an ongoing industry-DFO collaborative post-season trap survey for Snow Crab that was initiated in 2003 and has occurred each year. This survey is conducted by Snow Crab harvesters accompanied by at-sea observers and takes place in NAFO Divisions 2J3KLNOP4R. Historically the survey focused on commercial fishing grounds but began transitioning to a partly random stratified design in 2017. Since 2018, approximately 50% of survey stations are randomly allocated while 50% remain fixed. At each station, six (for inshore stations) or ten (for offshore stations) commercial traps are set in a fleet. To gather data on non-commercial sized Snow Crab, including females, many fleets also include one small-mesh trap. The coverage of small-mesh traps has been expanding in recent years with the aim of one small-mesh trap for every station in the coming years. Biological sampling is undertaken on at least one commercial trap and the small-mesh trap at each station. The data from this survey is incorporated into the annual stock assessment for Snow Crab in the Newfoundland and Labrador region. This record contains trap locations for Placentia Bay, and information on the types of data collected. More detailed information can be found in Pantin et al. (2022). https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2023/mpo-dfo/fs70-5/Fs70-5-2022-076-eng.pdf