Sea Cucumber Commercial Catch Data from St. Lawrence 2014-2021

Quebec's Department of Fisheries and Oceans collected biological data on commercially exploited sea cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa) in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. The dataset includes metadata, sample weight, length, and specimen count for the period 2014-2021. It provides spatio-temporal coverage for assessing population demography and structure.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in sea cucumber length and sample weight over the 2014-2021 period to monitor population health.
• Model the relationship between specimen count and fishing area to inform spatial management strategies.
• Use metadata and biological variables (weight, length) to support stock assessment models for Cucumaria frondosa.

Strengths

• Data covers an 8-year period (2014-2021), providing a multi-year time series for analysis.
• Includes specific biological measurements: sample weight, length, and number of specimens measured.
• Collected by specialized DFO staff with a mandate for biological data collection on commercial species.

Limitations

• Specific data on vessel identity and precise capture dates has been simplified or excluded to protect confidentiality.
• Entries with only one vessel in a fishing area for a given year were excluded, potentially reducing sample size for some spatio-temporal cells.
• The exact number of rows and columns is unknown, making it difficult to assess the dataset's scale and feature completeness.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Quebec region.

Collection Method

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

Time Range

2014 to 2021.

Freshness

Dataset was last updated on March 24, 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence.