Common Rock Crab Commercial Catch Measurements in the St. Lawrence, 1990 to Present

The Quebec region of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans collects biological data on commercially exploited species to assess stock demographics. This dataset on the common rock crab (Cancer irroratus) includes sample weight, shell width, shell condition, and sex of specimens measured. Data coverage spans from 1990 and 1995 to the present, collected at wharf or at sea by specialized DFO staff.

Use Cases

• Analyzing growth patterns and size-at-age relationships based on shell width and sample weight data.
• Modeling population structure and sex ratios for stock assessment based on recorded sex and shell condition.
• Studying long-term trends in crab demographics based on the spatio-temporal coverage from 1990/1995 to present.

Strengths

• Data offers a relatively large spatio-temporal coverage for the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• Includes specific biological measurements: sample weight, shell width, shell condition, and sex.
• Time series covers periods from 1990 and 1995 to the present.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Some information (e.g., vessel details) is excluded, and capture dates are simplified to protect confidentiality.
• Entries with only one vessel in a fishing area for a given year were excluded, which may affect completeness.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Collected at wharf or at sea by specialized DFO staff as part of the commercial catches sampling program.

Time Range

1990 and 1995 to present

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-24 08:02:38.855071; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence