Fish Habitat Suitability Maps for Bay of Quinte 1972-2011

Habitat suitability maps for fish in the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern, modeled at a 3-meter grid resolution. The data contains maximum suitability values for guild-life stage combinations over a 39-year period from 1972 to 2011. Suitability is classified from 0 to 1 and categorized as very low, low, medium, or high based on depth, vegetation, substrate, and temperature variables.

Use Cases

• Train a geospatial model to predict habitat suitability classes (very low, low, medium, high) using depth, vegetation, and substrate variables.
• Analyze temporal changes in maximum suitability values for different fish life stages (spawning, nursery, adult) across the 39-year time series.
• Validate temperature algorithm outputs by comparing modeled suitability scores against documented habitat and temperature associations for fish guilds.
• Assess the impact of water level inputs, specifically the 75.0m ASL average, on habitat suitability for high vegetation association species.

Strengths

• Modeled at a high 3-meter grid resolution for detailed spatial analysis.
• Covers a long 39-year temporal range from 1972 to 2011 for time-series studies.
• Suitability values are derived from three documented variables: depth, vegetation, and substrate, modified by temperature algorithms.
• Includes data for different fish life stages (spawning, nursery, adult) and thermal guilds.

Limitations

• The dataset provides maximum suitability values over the period, not a full time series for each year, limiting granular trend analysis.
• Suitability is modeled and based on documented associations, not direct field measurements, which may introduce model bias.
• Data is specific to the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern, limiting geographic generalizability.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Modeled using the Habitat Ecosystem Assessment Tool (HEAT) with temperature algorithms, vegetation models, and water level inputs.

Time Range

1972 to 2011

Freshness

Last updated in March 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

Bay of Quinte Area of Concern, Canada