Nearshore Benthic Habitat Surveys of Bras d'Or Lake 2005-2011

A history of nearshore benthic surveys of Bras d'Or Lake from 2005 to 2011, presented as a guide to a Geographic Information System package. The surveys utilized drop camera, fixed mount sidescan, a developed towfish platform, and echosounder ground truthing, primarily in the northern half of the lake from depths of less than 1 m to 10 m. Data were collected to distinguish shorelines based on substrate types and macrophyte canopy, with findings on eelgrass distribution and condition.

Use Cases

• Analyze substrate type proportions and macrophyte canopy data to distinguish and classify different shoreline habitats within the lake.
• Use echosounder and sidescan data from the 2009-2011 towfish surveys to ground truth and map benthic features like eelgrass beds.
• Leverage the Geographic Information System package to model habitat suitability for eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) based on depth, current, and wave regime data.
• Assess potential impacts of water column turbidity and siltation on eelgrass bed health using survey observations from depths within the first 3 meters.

Strengths

• Surveys span a 7-year time range from 2005 to 2011, providing a multi-year perspective.
• Data collection employed multiple methodologies including drop camera, sidescan, towfish, and echosounder across a defined depth gradient from <1 m to 10 m.
• Findings include specific ecological observations, such as the dominance of eelgrass within the first 3 meters of depth on conducive shores.

Limitations

• The core data is documented within a PDF/HTML report guide, not as a directly analyzable tabular or geospatial dataset.
• Spatial coverage is limited primarily to the northern half of Bras d'Or Lake.
• Survey methodologies evolved over the project timeline, which may complicate direct temporal comparisons.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Coastal Ecosystems Science Division.

Collection Method

Nearshore benthic surveys using drop camera, fixed mount sidescan, a developed towfish platform (camera and sidescan), and echosounder ground truthing.

Time Range

2005 to 2011

Freshness

The underlying survey data is from 2005-2011, though the metadata record was last updated in 2026.

Geography

Bras d'Or Lake, primarily the northern half, from depths of less than 1 meter to 10 meters.