This resource documents a dataset of epifauna occurrences collected in 2021 during The Knowledge and Ecosystem-Based Approach in Baffin Bay (KEBABB) program developed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in collaboration with university partners. The overall objective of KEBABB is to characterize the variability and trends in physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic conditions and food webs supporting fisheries in the connected ecosystems of western Baffin Bay and Lancaster Sound. In 2021, DFO expanded the KEBABB program to Barrow Strait (KEBABS-Knowledge and Ecosystem-Based Approach in Barrow Strait), a key productive area of the Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area. The study took place in the Eastern Canadian Arctic (mainly in Baffin Bay, Davis Strait and Barrow Strait). Sampling is done along transects at fixed stations in the study area. Catches are collected with a 1.5 m Agassiz trawl (5 mm mesh net) for 3 minutes bottom-contact time at a target speed of 1.5 knots and with a 3 m benthic beam trawl (6.4 mm mesh net) for 15 minutes bottom-contact time at a target speed of 3 knots. A total of 16 stations were sampled for epifauna in 2021 between 85-850 m depth. Epibenthic invertebrates are identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level and photographed. All unknown specimens are frozen. In the lab, the identifications are validated or refined with the photos and the frozen specimens. The data are presented in Darwin Core and are separated in two files: The “Activité_épifaune_KEBABB_epifauna_event_en” file which contains information about missions, stations and deployments, which are presented under a hierarchical activity structure. The “Occurrence_épifaune_KEBABB_epifauna_en” file that contains the taxonomic occurrences. Further details on sampling can be found in the following report: Pućko, M., Charette, J., Tremblay P., Brulotte S., St-Denis B., Ciastek S., Hedges, K., Kuzyk, Z., Roy V., and Michel, C. 2022. An ecosystem-based approach in the eastern Arctic: KEBABB/S (Knowledge and Ecosystem-Based Approach in Baffin Bay/Barrow Strait) 2021 expedition report. Can. Manuscr. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3250: viii + 58 p. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2022/mpo-dfo/Fs97-4-3250-eng.pdf USE LIMITATION: To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

An exploratory project on the taxonomic and genetic diversity of decapods in three ocean subregions (Northeast Pacific, Canadian Arctic, and Northwest Atlantic), which were sampled in 2022, was undertaken by the Arctic Working Group under the Canada-U.S. Fisheries and Climate Collaboration between Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This collaboration framework aims to pool Canadian and U.S. data to explore the impacts of broad-scale climate change on marine biodiversity. In early summer 2022, a sampling protocol with the selection of targeted decapods was provided to DFO and NOAA collaborators. Targeted genera were collected from a total of 10 research programs across three ocean subregions and four marine regions. The Northeast Pacific samples were collected in the Bering Sea during the Northern Bering Sea Ecosystem and Surface Trawl Survey, and the Eastern and Northern Bering Sea Continental Shelf Bottom Trawl Survey of Groundfish and Invertebrate Fauna onboard the F/V Northwest Explorer, F/V Alaska Knight and F/V Vesteraalen. In the Western Canadian Arctic (mainly from Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf), specimens were collected during DFO’s Canadian Beaufort Sea – Marine Ecosystem Assessment (CBS-MEA) survey onboard the F/V Frosti. In Eastern Canadian Arctic (mainly from Baffin Bay and Davis Strait), specimens were collected during DFO’s Knowledge and Ecosystem-Based Approach in Baffin Bay (KEBABB) survey onboard the CCGS Amundsen and DFO’s North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Subarea 0B survey onboard the R/V Tarajoq. In the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL), specimens were collected from coastal surveys (scallops, sea cucumber, snow crab, and whelk surveys) onboard the CCGS Leim and offshore during the Ecosystemic Survey onboard the CCGS Teleost. Decapods were collected from various sampling gears (benthic beam trawl, modified Atlantic Western IIA otter trawl, Bacalao trawl, shrimp trawl, Digby scallop dredge, or modified sea cucumber dredge) and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level and photographed, when possible. All specimens were frozen at sea (n = 995). In the lab, the identifications were validated or refined with the photos and the frozen specimens. DNA was extracted for 87 specimens and a section of COI gene was amplified in order to be sequenced using Sanger method. Sequences were compared with existing data using The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) in the National Center for Bio-technology Information Nucleotide database (NCBI-nt, including the GenBank database) to compare scientific names, where available. The present dataset includes 391 decapod species occurrences. DNA was extracted for a subset of 87 specimens (COI gene); sequences are publicly available on BOLD data portal under project code DDAO (see supporting document "citations_references.csv" for more information). The data are presented in Darwin Core format and are separated in three files: The "Activité_décapodes_DDAO_decapods_event_en" file contains information about missions, stations and deployments, which are presented under a hierarchical activity structure. The "Occurrence_décapodes_DDAO_decapods_en" file contains the taxonomic occurrences. The "ADN_décapodes_DDAO_decapods_DNA_en" file contains the DNA derived data. For further details, please refer to the technical report available in the supporting document named "citations_references.csv". USE LIMITATION: To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.