Copper Redhorse Critical Habitat in Quebec's St. Lawrence River

Geospatial data defines the critical habitat for the endangered Copper Redhorse fish, whose distribution is exclusively restricted to Quebec. The habitat was identified through scientific workshops and modeling based on telemetric monitoring and twelve environmental variables. The species was officially listed as endangered under the Species at Risk Act in December 2007.

Use Cases

• Map critical adult feeding habitat in the St. Lawrence River using modeled environmental variables like depth and current velocity.
• Analyze habitat degradation threats by overlaying this geospatial layer with data on dam construction or commercial fishery zones.
• Support conservation planning by identifying specific fluvial reaches between Montreal and Sorel with favorable characteristics for the species.
• Validate habitat identification models by comparing this official critical habitat layer with independent telemetry and historic data.

Strengths

• Based on the best available information, including data from two dedicated scientific workshops held in 2009 and 2010.
• Habitat identification incorporates twelve specific environmental variables, such as depth and vegetation density, from telemetric monitoring.
• Officially recognized data supporting a species listed under Canada's Species at Risk Act, providing legal and scientific authority.

Limitations

• The critical habitat is identified only to the extent possible with available information, implying potential data gaps or incomplete coverage.
• As a geospatial polygon dataset, it lacks tabular attributes (rows/columns) for statistical analysis of individual habitat variables.
• The underlying data and modeling are from 2012 or earlier, which may not reflect recent changes in river conditions or species distribution.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Defined through analysis of available knowledge, scientific advice, and modeling based on telemetric monitoring and habitat variables.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

St. Lawrence River and some of its tributaries in Quebec, specifically the fluvial reach between Montreal and Sorel.