The Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest (AOI) is a large coastal AOI in the Maritimes Region spanning 2089 km2 and extending along 100 km of coastline. While much of the data that led to the area's designation as an AOI was collected in the nearshore coastal areas (i.e., seagrass and kelp distributions, coastal bird nesting sites, herring spawning areas), there is less information available on the fish and invertebrate community structure in offshore areas of the AOI. Current offshore sampling effort is primarily focused in the Summer multi-species RV survey which covers the Scotian Shelf but does not sample within the depth range covered by the AOI (~ <100m depth). Environmental DNA (eDNA) offers a promising approach for biodiversity monitoring that has been gaining increased attention in the marine realm. Through sampling relatively small volumes of water (~1-5 L), eDNA can capture of millions of fragments of eDNA on filters that can then be sequenced to identify the species composition of an area. eDNA metabarcoding is based on the foundations of DNA barcoding, where species are identified solely by their unique DNA sequences. eDNA metabarcoding relies on a comprehensive reference library of gene sequences from known species to rapidly identify which species are captured in every water sample. This method is relatively simple, efficient (with the ability to characterize both fish and invertebrate diversity), and non-invasive, meaning there is no disruption of sensitive benthic habitats or need to dissect tissue samples from captured fish and invertebrates. eDNA has been shown to be comparable to other biodiversity censusing techniques and has the potential to rapidly conduct biodiversity surveys over a relatively large area, such as the Eastern Shore Islands AOI. Our eDNA sampling in the Eastern Shore Islands targets fish and invertebrates using multiple genetic markers (e.g., 12S and COI) to obtain baseline information on these communities across transects spanning from inshore to offshore in the AOI. Over time, we will investigate changes in species richness and community composition using annual eDNA surveys as an ongoing monitoring tool for this coastal region. Cite this data as: Jeffery, N.W. Environmental DNA Monitoring in the Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest - Offshore. Published: April 2026. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Maritimes Region, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth NS.

2 Billion Trees Program Forests and trees sustain life on Earth. Beyond the jobs that our sustainably managed forests provide, people living in Canada rely on forests for a wealth of benefits. Healthy forest ecosystems sustain thousands of living organisms, supply us with food, provide shelter and shade on a sunny day, clean the air we breathe and the water we drink, and hold spiritual significance for many, particularly within Indigenous cultures. The following 10 tree planting projects (out of 72 projects funded by the 2 Billion Trees program in 2021) are being showcased to highlight the diversity of projects funded across Canada. From the application of traditional ecological knowledge, habitat restoration, increasing tree biodiversity in urban centres, or engaging local residents in an effort to educate people on the importance of nature-based climate solutions, these projects demonstrate that planting trees brings a wealth of benefits for all Canadians, from coast to coast.

This dataset reports on lobster abundance and individual biological characteristics (size, sex, shell hardness, egg status), along with seabed substrate information, collected at various coastal sites in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Surveys were conducted over a 40-year period between 1982 and 2021. Survey areas and SCUBA dive sites were located around Grand Manan Island, Deer Island, Campobello Island, and along the Bay of Fundy’s New Brunswick shore stretching from Passamaquoddy Bay, east to Maces Bay. One survey area was located on the Bay of Fundy’s southern shore (Nova Scotia) in the Annapolis Basin (Lawton et al. 1995). The data represent a compilation of SCUBA diving surveys (1003 belt transects) conducted directly by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) scientific SCUBA divers (1982-2019), or by contracted commercial divers funded in association with outside collaborating organizations; Department of Fisheries and Agriculture (DFA; 1990 – 1993), the Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association (GMFA; 2013-2015), and the University of New Brunswick (UNB; 2019-2021). Cite this data as: Lawton P, Dinning K, Rochette R, Teed L. American lobster (Homarus americanus) abundance and biological characteristics collected from SCUBA dive surveys in the Bay of Fundy from 1982-2021. Published August 2024. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. For additional information please see: Campbell, A. 1990. Aggregations of berried lobsters (Homarus americanus) in shallow waters off Grand Manan, eastern Canada. DFO Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 47: 520-523. Denton, C.M. 2020. Maritimes Region Inshore Lobster Trawl Survey Technical Description. DFO Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 3376: v + 52 p. Lawton, P. 1993. Salmon aquaculture and the traditional invertebrate fisheries of the Fundy Isles region: habitat mapping and impact definition: Cooperation Agreement on Fisheries and Aquaculture Development. Submitted by Peter Lawton to the New Brunswick Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 84 p. Unpublished monograph. Available from Fisheries and Oceans Canada Library, Dartmouth, NS (Monographs: SH 380.2 .C2 .L39 1992). https://science-catalogue.canada.ca/record=3943769~S6 Lawton, P., Robichaud, D.A., and Moisan, M. 1995. Characteristics of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, lobster fishery in relation to proposed marine aquaculture development. DFO Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2035: iii + 26 p. Lawton, P., Robichaud, D.A., Rangeley, R.W., and Strong, M.B. 2001. American Lobster, Homarus americanus, population characteristics in the lower Bay of Fundy (Lobster Fishing Areas 36 and 38) based on fishery independent sampling. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2001/093. Wentworth, C.K. 1922. A Scale of Grade and Class Terms for Clastic Sediments. The Journal of Geology 30(5): 377-392. Dinning, K.M., Lawton, P., and Rochette, R. 2025. Increased use of mud bottom by juvenile American lobsters (Homarus americanus) in Maces Bay and Seal Cove, Bay of Fundy, after three decades of population increases and predator declines. Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences 82; https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2023-0312

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.

The BC Indigenous Business Listings dataset offers a brief summary of Indigenous businesses operating in the province. For each business listed in the dataset, information including the Indigenous owner(s) of the company, location, links to websites as well as primary contact information including email addresses and phone numbers is provided where available. This information is intended to facilitate connections between business owners and consumers, investors, and industry. It is also meant to support an understanding of ownership trends among Indigenous businesses.