Arctic SDI catalogue
Pacific Ocean
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(La version française suit) What is an Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area? Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) are areas within Canada’s oceansthat have been identified through formal scientific assessments as having special biological or ecological significance when compared with the surrounding marine ecosystem.Failure to define an area as an EBSA does not mean that it is unimportant ecologically. All areas serve ecological functions to some extent and require sustainable management. Rather, areas identified as EBSAs should be viewed as the most important areas where, with existing knowledge, regulators and marine users should be particularly risk averse to ensure ecosystems remain healthy and productive. Why are EBSAs identified? EBSA information is used to inform marine planning, including environmental assessment and the siting of marine-based activities, by: Informing and guiding project-specific or regional environmental assessments; Informing and guiding industries and regulators in their planning and operations, for example: EBSAs have been acknowledged and referred to (often as "Special Areas" or "Potentially Sensitive Areas") in oil and gas related assessments. EBSA information has been provided to proponents of submarine cable projects to be used for route planning purposes. Informing and guiding the Integrated Oceans Management (IOM)process within five Large Oceans Management Areas (LOMAs)and 12 marine bioregions; Serving as a basis for the identification of Areas of Interest (AOIs)and of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)(individually and in the context of planning bioregional networks of MPAs); How are EBSAs identified? The process used to identify EBSAs is generally comprised of two phases. The first phase involves compiling scientific data and knowledge of a marine area’s ecosystems ─ notably fish species, marine mammals, sea birds, marine flora, marine productivity, physical and chemical conditions and geology. “Knowledge” includes experiential knowledge of long-time uses of the areas. In some cases (e.g., in the Arctic), substantial efforts are taken to collect traditional knowledge on ecosystems and environmental conditions from community members, fish harvests, hunters and individuals whose knowledge of the study area complement and often helps fill scientific data gaps. In the second phase, the available information for a marine area (e.g. a bioregion) is assessed against five nationally-established science-based criteria including: Uniqueness: How distinct is the ecosystem of an area compared to surrounding ones? Aggregation: Whether or not species populate or convene to the study area? Fitness consequence: How critical the area is to the life history of the species that use it (e.g. is it a spawning or feeding ground)? Naturalness: How pristine or disturbed by human activities is the study area? Resilience: What is the ability of the ecosystem to bounce back if it is disturbed? Progress to date and next steps EBSAs have been identified for large portions of Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific oceans as well as most of the Arctic oceans. For a map of current EBSAs in these areas, click here. EBSAs will continue to be identified in priority areas as resources become available to carry out the process. The boundaries or locations of existing EBSAs may be modified to reflect both new knowledge and changing environmental conditions. Les zones d'importance écologique et biologique (ZIEB) sont des zones au sein des eaux océaniques canadiennesque des évaluations scientifiques officielles ont désignées comme ayant une importance écologique et biologique particulière par rapport à l'écosystème marin environnant. Le fait qu'une zone n'ait pas été désignée comme ayant une importance écologique et biologique ne signifie pas pour autant qu'elle n'a pas une importance écologique. Toutes les zones assument des fonctions écologiques dans une certaine mesure et exigent une gestion durable. Les zones désignées comme des ZIEB devraient plutôt être vues comme des zones extrêmement importantes, où les connaissances, les législateurs et les utilisateurs des ressources marines doivent exercer une grande prudence eu égard au risque, afin de veiller à ce que les écosystèmes restent sains et productifs. Pourquoi des ZIEB sont-elles désignées? Les renseignements relatifs à ces aires sont utilisés pour appuyer la planification marine, notamment l'évaluation environnementale et la mise en place d'activités marines: En informant et guidant les industries et les législateurs pour une planification et une conduite d'activités optimale, par exemple: les zones d'importance écologique et biologique ont été prises en compte et mentionnées dans les évaluations portant sur le pétrole et le gaz. Des renseignements ont été fournis aux promoteurs de projets de câbles sous-marins, afin de les aider à en déterminer les tracés. En information et en guidant le processus de gestion intégrée des océans dans cinq zones étendues de gestion des océans et 12 biorégions marines. En servant de fondement pour la détermination des zones d'intérêt et des zones de protection marines (de manière individuelle et dans le cadre de la planification des réseaux biorégionaux de zones de protection marines). Comment désigne-t-on les zones d'importance écologique et biologique? Le processus utilisé pour désigner les zones d'importance écologique et biologique comprend généralement deux étapes. La première étape consiste à recueillir des données scientifiques et des connaissances relatives aux écosystèmes d'une aire marine, notamment les espèces de poissons, de mammifères marins et d'oiseaux marins, la flore marine, la productivité marine, les conditions physiques et chimiques, et la géologie. Les « connaissances » comprennent les connaissances empiriques des utilisateurs de longue date de ces aires. Dans certains cas (p. ex. dans l'Arctique), d'importants efforts sont déployés pour réunir les connaissances traditionnelles sur les écosystèmes et les conditions environnementales des membres des communautés, des pêcheurs, des chasseurs et des personnes dont la connaissance de la zone étudiée complète l'information existante et permet souvent d'aider à combler les lacunes dans les données scientifiques. La deuxième étape consiste à évaluer l'information disponible relative à une aire marine (p. ex., une biorégion) en utilisant cinq critères scientifiques nationaux: La spécificité: dans quelle mesure l'écosystème d'une aire est-il distinct des écosystèmes environnants? La concentration: l'aire étudiée abrite-t-elle des espèces ou est-elle un lieu de regroupement d'espèces? Les conséquences sur la valeur adaptative: dans quelle mesure l'aire est-elle vitale pour le cycle biologique des espèces qui l'utilisent (p. ex., est-ce une zone de frai ou d'alimentation? Le caractère naturel: dans quelle mesure la zone étudiée est-elle demeurée intacte ou est-elle perturbée par les activités humaines? La résilience: dans quelle mesure l'écosystème est-il capable de se rétablir s'il est perturbé? Progrès réalisés à ce jour et prochaines étapes Des zones d'importance écologique et biologique ont été désignées dans une grande partie des eaux océaniques de l'Atlantique et du Pacifique canadien, ainsi que dans la quasi-totalité de l'océan Arctique. À mesure que des ressources seront disponibles pour mener à bien le processus, des zones d'importance écologique et biologique continueront à être désignées dans les zones prioritaires. Les limites ou les emplacements des zones d'importance écologique et biologique existantes sont susceptibles d'être modifiés pour refléter les nouvelles connaissances et conditions environnementales.
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(La version française suit) What is an Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area? Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) are areas within Canada’s oceansthat have been identified through formal scientific assessments as having special biological or ecological significance when compared with the surrounding marine ecosystem.Failure to define an area as an EBSA does not mean that it is unimportant ecologically. All areas serve ecological functions to some extent and require sustainable management. Rather, areas identified as EBSAs should be viewed as the most important areas where, with existing knowledge, regulators and marine users should be particularly risk averse to ensure ecosystems remain healthy and productive. Why are EBSAs identified? EBSA information is used to inform marine planning, including environmental assessment and the siting of marine-based activities, by: Informing and guiding project-specific or regional environmental assessments; Informing and guiding industries and regulators in their planning and operations, for example: EBSAs have been acknowledged and referred to (often as "Special Areas" or "Potentially Sensitive Areas") in oil and gas related assessments. EBSA information has been provided to proponents of submarine cable projects to be used for route planning purposes. Informing and guiding the Integrated Oceans Management (IOM)process within five Large Oceans Management Areas (LOMAs)and 12 marine bioregions; Serving as a basis for the identification of Areas of Interest (AOIs)and of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)(individually and in the context of planning bioregional networks of MPAs); How are EBSAs identified? The process used to identify EBSAs is generally comprised of two phases. The first phase involves compiling scientific data and knowledge of a marine area’s ecosystems ─ notably fish species, marine mammals, sea birds, marine flora, marine productivity, physical and chemical conditions and geology. “Knowledge” includes experiential knowledge of long-time uses of the areas. In some cases (e.g., in the Arctic), substantial efforts are taken to collect traditional knowledge on ecosystems and environmental conditions from community members, fish harvests, hunters and individuals whose knowledge of the study area complement and often helps fill scientific data gaps. In the second phase, the available information for a marine area (e.g. a bioregion) is assessed against five nationally-established science-based criteria including: Uniqueness: How distinct is the ecosystem of an area compared to surrounding ones? Aggregation: Whether or not species populate or convene to the study area? Fitness consequence: How critical the area is to the life history of the species that use it (e.g. is it a spawning or feeding ground)? Naturalness: How pristine or disturbed by human activities is the study area? Resilience: What is the ability of the ecosystem to bounce back if it is disturbed? Progress to date and next steps EBSAs have been identified for large portions of Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific oceans as well as most of the Arctic oceans. For a map of current EBSAs in these areas, click here. EBSAs will continue to be identified in priority areas as resources become available to carry out the process. The boundaries or locations of existing EBSAs may be modified to reflect both new knowledge and changing environmental conditions. Les zones d'importance écologique et biologique (ZIEB) sont des zones au sein des eaux océaniques canadiennesque des évaluations scientifiques officielles ont désignées comme ayant une importance écologique et biologique particulière par rapport à l'écosystème marin environnant. Le fait qu'une zone n'ait pas été désignée comme ayant une importance écologique et biologique ne signifie pas pour autant qu'elle n'a pas une importance écologique. Toutes les zones assument des fonctions écologiques dans une certaine mesure et exigent une gestion durable. Les zones désignées comme des ZIEB devraient plutôt être vues comme des zones extrêmement importantes, où les connaissances, les législateurs et les utilisateurs des ressources marines doivent exercer une grande prudence eu égard au risque, afin de veiller à ce que les écosystèmes restent sains et productifs. Pourquoi des ZIEB sont-elles désignées? Les renseignements relatifs à ces aires sont utilisés pour appuyer la planification marine, notamment l'évaluation environnementale et la mise en place d'activités marines: En informant et guidant les industries et les législateurs pour une planification et une conduite d'activités optimale, par exemple: les zones d'importance écologique et biologique ont été prises en compte et mentionnées dans les évaluations portant sur le pétrole et le gaz. Des renseignements ont été fournis aux promoteurs de projets de câbles sous-marins, afin de les aider à en déterminer les tracés. En information et en guidant le processus de gestion intégrée des océans dans cinq zones étendues de gestion des océans et 12 biorégions marines. En servant de fondement pour la détermination des zones d'intérêt et des zones de protection marines (de manière individuelle et dans le cadre de la planification des réseaux biorégionaux de zones de protection marines). Comment désigne-t-on les zones d'importance écologique et biologique? Le processus utilisé pour désigner les zones d'importance écologique et biologique comprend généralement deux étapes. La première étape consiste à recueillir des données scientifiques et des connaissances relatives aux écosystèmes d'une aire marine, notamment les espèces de poissons, de mammifères marins et d'oiseaux marins, la flore marine, la productivité marine, les conditions physiques et chimiques, et la géologie. Les « connaissances » comprennent les connaissances empiriques des utilisateurs de longue date de ces aires. Dans certains cas (p. ex. dans l'Arctique), d'importants efforts sont déployés pour réunir les connaissances traditionnelles sur les écosystèmes et les conditions environnementales des membres des communautés, des pêcheurs, des chasseurs et des personnes dont la connaissance de la zone étudiée complète l'information existante et permet souvent d'aider à combler les lacunes dans les données scientifiques. La deuxième étape consiste à évaluer l'information disponible relative à une aire marine (p. ex., une biorégion) en utilisant cinq critères scientifiques nationaux: La spécificité: dans quelle mesure l'écosystème d'une aire est-il distinct des écosystèmes environnants? La concentration: l'aire étudiée abrite-t-elle des espèces ou est-elle un lieu de regroupement d'espèces? Les conséquences sur la valeur adaptative: dans quelle mesure l'aire est-elle vitale pour le cycle biologique des espèces qui l'utilisent (p. ex., est-ce une zone de frai ou d'alimentation? Le caractère naturel: dans quelle mesure la zone étudiée est-elle demeurée intacte ou est-elle perturbée par les activités humaines? La résilience: dans quelle mesure l'écosystème est-il capable de se rétablir s'il est perturbé? Progrès réalisés à ce jour et prochaines étapes Des zones d'importance écologique et biologique ont été désignées dans une grande partie des eaux océaniques de l'Atlantique et du Pacifique canadien, ainsi que dans la quasi-totalité de l'océan Arctique. À mesure que des ressources seront disponibles pour mener à bien le processus, des zones d'importance écologique et biologique continueront à être désignées dans les zones prioritaires. Les limites ou les emplacements des zones d'importance écologique et biologique existantes sont susceptibles d'être modifiés pour refléter les nouvelles connaissances et conditions environnementales.
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The Fishery Operations System (FOS) is the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) centralized Oracle database that holds commercial salmon fishery catch, effort and biological data. The FOS database was built in 2001 and continues to be the current repository for all data pertaining to DFO’s Pacific Region Commercial Salmon Logbook program. The Commercial Salmon Logbook program was initiated in 1998 with fleet wide participation made mandatory during the 2001 season. The program requires all commercial salmon fishers to record their daily catch and effort information in a harvest logbook and to subsequently report it to DFO using a service provider within deadlines defined in the conditions of licence. A portion of the information collected from the logbook program contains fisher personal information and is therefore protected and un-releasable. Fishery Managers use the fisher reported catch and effort, in addition to information collected from other sources such as overflights, to calculate in-season catch estimates. NOTES: - This data contains ONLY commercial catch estimates; it DOES NOT include testfishing, recreational or First Nations data. - All catch estimates are reported in pieces (numbers of fish). - Catch estimates include adults and jacks combined.
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Zooplankton samples were collected at Ocean Station "P" (50.0000, -145.0000) from 1956 to 1980, and were analyzed to various levels of taxonomic resolution over the years. Although summaries of these data have been previously published ((LeBrasseur 1965) and (Fulton 1978, 1983)) the detailed species data have never been published. This detailed dataset contains total zooplankton wet weights/m3 for the whole period of 1956 to 1980, as well as densities (numbers/m3) for five major taxa (copepods, chaetognaths, euphausiids, amphipods, and Aglantha) from 1964 to 1967, species identifications, counts and lengths for many samples collected between 1968 to 1980. The attached supporting document (Ocean Station "Papa" detailed zooplankton data: 1956 – 1980) contains information on the methods used to collect and process the data along with descriptions of a number of fairly minor points about the data that were not resolved. It also describes, in detail, the format of the original data files, the corrections/changes that were made to these files in creating this version, and how these errors affect what was published in Fulton (1983). The purpose of this record is to make the detailed data available to the scientific community in an electronic format and to provide a convenient reference for citing the detailed data. Waddell, Brenda J., and Skip McKinnell. 1995. Ocean Station "Papa" detailed zooplankton data: 1956 - 1980. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2056: 21 p.
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We summarize available information on Pacific walrus haulouts from available reports, interviews with coastal residents and aviators, and personal observations of the authors. We provide this in the form of a georeferenced database that may be queried and displayed with standard geographic information system and database management software. The database contains 150 records of Pacific walrus haulouts, with a summary of basic characteristics on maximum haulout size, age-sex composition, season of use, and decade of most recent use. Citations to reports are provided as a bibliographic database.
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Many cetacean species were depleted in Canadian Pacific waters by commercial whaling, which ended in 1967. Although some populations have since shown evidence of recovery, there is limited information about the current abundance and geographic distribution of many species, particularly in difficult-to-survey offshore regions. This lack of baseline data hampers conservation status assessments, including estimating population-level impacts of anthropogenic activities. From July to early September 2018, we conducted ship-based surveys of cetaceans throughout the coastal and offshore waters of British Columbia. Density surface modelling (DSM) was used to produce spatially-explicit abundance estimates and distribution maps for four commonly-encountered cetacean species: the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), Dall’s porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) and harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). We estimated abundances of 7,030 (95% CI = 5,733-8,620) humpback whales, 2,893 (95% CI = 2,171-3,855) fin whales, 23,692 (95% CI = 19,121-29,356) Dall’s porpoises and 5,207 (95% CI = 2,769-9,793) harbour porpoises throughout Canadian Pacific waters. Our results complement design-based abundance estimates calculated from the same survey data, and can be compared with past habitat modelling studies and historical whaling catch data to estimate the extent of recovery of previously harvested populations. The return of these predators to habitats from which they were previously extirpated will have important ecosystem-level implications. The DSM results can contribute to calculations of Potential Biological Removal estimates to inform fisheries bycatch, as well as providing spatial data that can be used to assess the risk of entanglements, ship strikes, acoustic disturbance, and other anthropogenic threats. This dataset contains model-predicted densities of four commonly-encountered cetacean species (humpback whale, fin whale, Dall's porpoise and harbour porpoise) that were estimated using ship-based, visual survey data collected during the Pacific Region International Survey of Marine Megafauna (PRISMM) in July-August of 2018. Abundance of each species (where relevant) is provided for three gridded strata (25 km2 cell size) in the Pacific Region: one for the offshore, extending to Canada’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and two for coastal areas (the North Coast and the Salish Sea).
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These data were created under DFO’s Strategic Program for Ecosystem-based Research and Advice - Aquatic Invasive Species Program: “Evaluation of the movement of marine infrastructure as a pathway for aquatic invasive species spread”. This geodatabase contains floating dock locations in coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest, from Puget Sound, Washington to Southeast Alaska. These data were assembled by Josephine Iacarella and used in an analysis to understand the role of floating infrastructure as a vector in the spread of marine nonindigenous species (Iacarella et al., 2019). The data are represented as point vectors, though docks have associated size estimates. Data were collected with the aim to have the most accurate representation of coastal coverage of structures in 2017. The most recent images from Google Earth were used, though in some areas these date back a few years. Floating docks included those that extended into the subtidal and were not fixed on pilings. Dock locations were binned into size categories, with small docks and associated marina structures grouped together as ‘marina areas’ based on spatial clustering and a visual estimate of size (haphazard measurement selection, n=35 per category; small: 57.2 m2 ± 6.7, medium: 379.1 m2 ± 42.8, marina area: 4,453.5 m2 ± 744.4). A total of 7,809 floating dock sites were recorded, covering an estimated area of 2.3 km2.
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Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Coastal Environmental Baseline Program supports the collection of ecological information on the current state of key coastal ecosystems across Canada. This initiative aims to acquire environmental baseline data (physical, chemical and biological) contributing to the characterization of important coastal areas and to support evidence-based assessments and management decisions for preserving marine ecosystems. From this page, you will find links to the data from projects undertaken from 2018-2022 at six coastal sites across Canada.
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Marine protected areas (MPAs) are one among a number of spatial management tools, and are defined as areas that are established for the long-term, and managed through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. Currently, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has a number of MPAs designated under the Oceans Act and Areas of Interest for new MPAs at various stages of progress towards designation. These areas are ecologically significant, with species and/or features that require special management consideration. An Oceans Act MPA can be established for any of the six conservation purposes outlined in the Act: • The conservation and protection of commercial and non-commercial fishery resources, including marine mammals, and their habitats; • The conservation and protection of endangered or threatened marine species, and their habitats; • The conservation and protection of unique habitats; • The conservation and protection of marine areas of high biodiversity or biological productivity; • The conservation and protection of any other marine resource or habitat as is necessary to fulfill the mandate of the Minister; and • The conservation and protection of marine areas for the purposes of maintaining ecological integrity
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The selection of an Area of Interest (AOI) marks the beginning of the Oceans Act Marine Protected Area (MPA) establishment process led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The process includes completing detailed ecological and socioeconomic assessments, setting conservation objectives, determining boundaries and management measures, and eventually developing the regulations under section 35 of the Oceans Act. Collaboration, consultation, and engagement occurs with stakeholders and partners throughout each step of this process.