Benthic Epifauna Biodiversity in the St. Lawrence Estuary (2018-2019)

2018-2019 surveys collected data on benthic invertebrate biodiversity and environmental characteristics in the Upper North Shore region of the St. Lawrence Estuary. Two scientific surveys in August 2018 and July/August 2019 followed a fixed sampling design of eight transects with approximately 40 stations per survey. Specimens were collected via beam trawl, with taxonomic names validated against the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).

Use Cases

• Analyze species composition and abundance from the taxon_occurrence file linked by eventID to characterize benthic community structure.
• Correlate environmental data in the event_information and additional_information_event_and_occurrence files with taxonomic observations to model habitat preferences.
• Use the sampling effort and protocol details in the additional_information_event_and_occurrence file to standardize biodiversity metrics like catch per unit effort across stations.
• Spatially analyze station locations from the event_information file to map species distributions across the 10-50 meter bathymetry range.
• Validate taxonomic identifications using the scientificNameID field, which contains WoRMS matches, to ensure data consistency for biodiversity trend analysis.

Strengths

• Taxonomic data is quality-controlled against the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), with matches recorded in the scientificNameID field.
• Surveys followed a structured design with approximately 40 stations per survey across eight transects, providing systematic spatial coverage.
• Sampling effort is documented, including trawl distance (average ~425 m) and area calculations, enabling standardized ecological metrics.
• Data underwent quality checks using R packages obistools and worrms, and all sampling locations were spatially validated.

Limitations

• The dataset is limited to two sampling periods (2018 and 2019), providing a snapshot rather than long-term temporal trends.
• Geographic coverage is restricted to the Upper North Shore region between Forestville and Godbout, limiting broader estuary-wide inferences.
• Abundance and biomass estimates are not directly included in the provided files; they require contacting the data custodian.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Specimens collected via beam trawl (2.8 m opening) at target speed of 2 knots for 7 minutes, following a fixed transect design at 10 m depth intervals from 10-50 m.

Time Range

2018-08-11 to 2018-08-14 and 2019-07-30 to 2019-08-05

Freshness

Data last updated on 2026-03-24, but the underlying surveys were conducted in 2018 and 2019.

Geography

Upper North Shore of the St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec, Canada, between the towns of Forestville and Godbout.