Náttúrulegt birkilendi á Íslandi er kortlagning yfir alla náttúrulega birkiskóga og birkikjarr á Íslandi. Helstu upplýsingar eru hæð, þekja og aldur. Skilið er á milli núverandi hæðar og aldur fullvaxta birkis. Það er gert samkvæmt alþjóðlegum skilgreiningum um hæð trjágróðurs þar sem miðað er við hæð fullvaxta skógar. Birki var fyrst kortlagt á árunum 1972-1975 og var unnin leiðrétting á gögnunum og gerðar frekari greiningar á árunum 1987-1991. Gögnin voru því komin nokkuð til ára sinna þegar ákveðið var að hefja endurkortlagningu á öllu náttúrulegu birki á Íslandi. Fór sú vinna fram á árunum 2010-2014 og er núverandi þekja því afrakstur þeirrar vinnu. Flatarmál náttúrulegs birkis á Íslandi er 150.600 ha. Frá árinu 1987 hefur flatarmál birkis með sjálfsáningu aukist um 9% og nemur 13.000 ha. Gögnin voru upphaflega hugsuð fyrir mælikvarða 1:15.000, hins vegar var talsvert stór hluti landsins kortlagður í mælikvarða 1:5000 – 1:10.000.

This report attempts to review the abundance, status and distribution of natural wild goose populations in the northern hemisphere. The report comprises three parts that 1) summarise key findings from the study and the methodology and analysis applied; 2) contain the individual accounts for each of the 68 populations included in this report; and 3) provide the datasets compiled for this study which will be made accessible on the Arctic Biodiversity Data Service.

This layer details Important Areas (IAs) relevant to key vertebrate species other than fish and cetaceans in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA). This data was mapped to inform the selection of marine Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSA). Experts have indicated that these areas are relevant based upon their high ranking in one or more of three criteria (Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences). The distribution of IAs within ecoregions is used in the designation of EBSAs. Canada’s Oceans Act provides the legislative framework for an integrated ecosystem approach to management in Canadian oceans, particularly in areas considered ecologically or biologically significant. DFO has developed general guidance for the identification of ecologically or biologically significant areas. The criteria for defining such areas include uniqueness, aggregation, fitness consequences, resilience, and naturalness. This science advisory process identifies proposed EBSAs in Canadian Pacific marine waters, specifically in the Strait of Georgia (SOG), along the west coast of Vancouver Island (WCVI, southern shelf ecoregion), and in the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA, northern shelf ecoregion). Initial assessment of IAs in PNCIMA was carried out in September 2004 to March 2005 with spatial data collection coordinated by Cathryn Clarke. Subsequent efforts in WCVI and SOG were conducted in 2009, and may have used different scientific advisors, temporal extents, data, and assessment methods. WCVI and SOG IA assessment in some cases revisits data collected for PNCIMA, but should be treated as a separate effort. Other datasets in this series detail IAs for birds, cetaceans, coral and sponges, fish, geographic features, and invertebrates. Though data collection is considered complete, the emergence of significant new data may merit revisiting of IAs on a case by case basis.

PURPOSE: These data have been updated following a Canadian Science Advice Secretariat (CSAS) Regional Science Advisory Process. Associated publications are available in the citation section below or will be posted on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science Advisory Schedule as they become available. DESCRIPTION: Atlantic herring NAFO 4T biomass estimates for both spring and fall stock components. Values are provided in kilotons (kt) alongside with confidence intervals 50% (spring) and 95% (spring and fall). USE LIMITATION: To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

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. The following species have been sampled by this program from 1976 to present: 1. American lobster (Homarus americanus) 2. American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides) 3. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) 4. Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) 5. Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) 6. Atlantic lyre crab (Hyas araneus) 7. Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) 8. Atlantic surfclam (Spisula solidissima) 9. Arctic Lyre Crab (Hyas coarctatus) 10. Capelin (Mallotus villosus) 11. Common softshell clam (Mya arenaria) 12. Giant scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) 13. Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) 14. Green urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) 15. Iceland scallop (Chlamys islandica) 16. Redfish (Sebastes sp.) 17. Rock crab (Cancer irroratus) 18. Sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa) 19. Snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) 20. Stimpson surfclam (Mactromeris polynyma) 21. Waved whelk (Buccinum undatum) 22. White hake (Urophycis tenuis) 23. Winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) 24. Yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea) For more information concerning these species, see the «Related Products» section below.

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.

Polygons denoting concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations and the area occupied by successive catch weight thresholds was used to identify aggregations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures. These polygons identify sponge grounds from the broader distribution of sponges in the Southern Gulf region as sampled by Western II A gear in the Gulf biogeographic zone. A 3 kg minimum threshold for the sponge catch was identified as the weight that separated the sponge ground habitat from the broader distribution of sponges with these research vessel tow data and gear type.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Science Branch has designed a multispecies dive survey protocol to provide unbiased, coast wide monitoring of benthic invertebrate stocks (as may be required under the updated Fisheries Act) and associated habitat information for a suite of benthic marine invertebrate species (Green (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis), Purple (S. purpuratus) and Red Sea Urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus), Geoduck (Panopea generosa), Giant Red Sea Cucumber (Apostichopus californicus), Northern Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana), and Sunflower Sea Star (Pycnopodia helianthoides)). Based on information available at this time, the proposed survey design can provide estimates of coast wide stock status for Red Sea Urchin and Giant Red Sea Cucumber, and relative abundance indices for Geoduck, Green Sea Urchin, Purple Sea Urchin, Northern Abalone and Sunflower Sea Star. The new protocol was tested through a series of pilot surveys conducted on a subset of areas of the BC coast each September from 2016-2021. Design of the pilot surveys was based on previous dive survey data and experience and demonstrated the practical feasibility of the protocol, while also gathering preliminary information to guide recommendations about the statistical design of the survey. The dataset consists of a relational database containing tables representing each component of the survey methodology. The primary component of the survey is a transect location. Along each transect, systematically spaced quadrats are sampled, and on each quadrat, substrate observations are recorded, multiple species of algae are recorded, and multiple individual invertebrates are measured or counted. The tables are linked by transect number and quadrat number.

Sidney Island Shorebird Surveys transects area feature.

Likelihood of Presence of Harbour Porpoise in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan. The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section (DFO Science) reviewed reported opportunistic whale sightings and local knowledge sources to estimate areas where Harbour Porpoises are seasonally present and delineate these areas. A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section. Cite this data as: Lazin, G., Hamer, A.,Corrigan, S., Bower, B., and Harvey, C. Data of: Likelihood of Presence of Harbour Porpoise in Area Response Planning Pilot Areas. Published: June 2018. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/58ea48ab-f052-48ab-9c18-4353e51b8bea