Fish Habitat Suitability Maps for Bay of Quinte, 1972-2011

1972-2011 habitat suitability maps for fish in the Bay of Quinte, Canada, modeled at a 3-meter grid resolution. The data, produced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, assigns suitability scores from 0 to 1 for different life stages and species guilds based on depth, vegetation, substrate, and temperature. Final maps represent the maximum suitability values from the 39-year modeled period.

Use Cases

• Modeling species distribution based on documented habitat and temperature associations.
• Assessing habitat changes over time based on the 39-year temporal coverage.
• Planning conservation efforts based on suitability classes (very low to high).
• Analyzing habitat requirements for different fish life stages (spawning, nursery, adult).

Strengths

• 39-year temporal coverage from 1972 to 2011.
• High-resolution geospatial data modeled at a 3-meter grid.
• Suitability values are scaled from 0 (not suitable) to 1 (highly suitable).
• Based on multiple modeled variables: depth, vegetation, substrate, and temperature.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1972-2011

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-24 08:01:56.698105; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bay of Quinte Area of Concern, Canada