Fish and Invertebrate Catch Data from St. Lawrence Estuary Beam Trawls

2019 to 2022 data from beam trawl surveys conducted between June and October each year in coastal areas of the St. Lawrence Estuary. The dataset contains catch data for fish and invertebrates, including occurrence and catch weights by species, collected from tows at depths of 10 to 50 meters. Taxonomic names were verified against the World Register of Marine Species, and data quality was controlled using R packages.

Use Cases

• Analyze species occurrence and catch weight patterns across the 2019-2022 sampling years to assess interannual variability in fish and invertebrate assemblages.
• Model the relationship between catch data and environmental factors like depth (10-50 meters) and seasonal timing (June-October) for coastal ecological studies.
• Use verified taxonomic names from the scientificNameID field to support biodiversity assessments and taxonomic consistency in marine research.

Strengths

• Multi-year temporal coverage from 2019 to 2022, with surveys conducted in June-October each year.
• Taxonomic data verified against the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), with quality control performed using R packages obistools and worrms.
• Detailed methodological description including trawl specifications (2.8m width frame, 40mm mesh) and standardized tow procedures (5-10 minutes at 2 knots).

Limitations

• Sample data and column structure are unknown, limiting immediate understanding of the data's granularity and available features.
• The dataset is part of a larger survey; access to complementary oceanographic, nutrient, and substrate data requires contacting specific researchers.
• Spatial coverage is limited to a specific coastal stretch of the St. Lawrence Estuary between Portneuf-sur-Mer and Pointe-des-Monts.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Data collected via standardized beam trawl tows during research cruises on vessels NGCC Leim and NGCC Perley, with organisms sorted, identified, and weighed on deck.

Time Range

2019 to 2022, with specific surveys between June and October each year.

Freshness

Data last updated in March 2026, with collection ending in 2022.

Geography

Coastal areas of the St. Lawrence Estuary (north shore), between Portneuf-sur-Mer and Pointe-des-Monts.