Beaufort Sea Marine Fish Survey Stations 2012

A 2012 Fisheries and Oceans Canada survey sampled marine fishes and habitats at 28 stations along four transects on the Canadian Beaufort Shelf and slope. Standardized sampling occurred at predetermined depth stations from 20 to 1000 meters using trawls, nets, and CTD probes. The dataset details sampling locations and the gear deployed at each station.

Use Cases

• Map sampling station locations and transect lines to visualize spatial coverage of the Beaufort Shelf survey.
• Analyze the distribution of sampling gear types (e.g., benthic trawls, plankton nets, CTD) across different depth stations.
• Correlate station depth data with subsequent biological or water quality measurements from related datasets.

Strengths

• Sampling was conducted at 28 precise stations along four transects, providing structured spatial coverage.
• Data collection followed standardized protocols at seven predetermined depth intervals, from 20 to 1000 meters.
• Multiple sampling methods were employed, including benthic trawls, plankton nets, sediment cores, and CTD profiles.

Limitations

• The dataset contains only station and gear metadata; biological or environmental measurements are in separate files.
• Sampling was limited to a single month in 2012, providing a snapshot rather than temporal trend data.
• Geographic coverage is restricted to the Canadian Beaufort Shelf and slope, limiting broader regional analysis.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Standardized sampling from the F/V Frosti using benthic trawls, plankton nets, sediment cores, and CTD profiles.

Time Range

August 5 to September 3, 2012

Freshness

Data is from a 2012 survey, with metadata last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Canadian Beaufort Shelf and slope, Arctic Ocean