Bay of Quinte Fish Spawning Habitat Suitability at High Water Level

Fish Habitat Assessment Output for the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern models spawning habitat suitability for high vegetation association species under a high water level of 75.4m ASL. It provides maximum habitat suitability values from 1972 to 2011, scaled from 0 to 1 and classified into very low, low, medium, and high suitability classes. The data was generated using the Habitat Ecosystem Assessment Tool (HEAT) at a 3-meter grid resolution, integrating depth, vegetation, substrate, and temperature variables.

Use Cases

• Analyze maximum habitat suitability values for spawning habitat across the 39-year modeled period to identify long-term trends.
• Model the impact of water level (75.4m ASL) on habitat suitability classes (very low to high) for high vegetation association fish species.
• Integrate depth, vegetation, and substrate variables with temperature suitabilities to assess spawning habitat quality.
• Use the 3-meter grid resolution suitability maps for spatial planning and conservation efforts in the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern.

Strengths

• Provides 39 years of temporal coverage from 1972 to 2011 for long-term trend analysis.
• Suitability is derived from multiple modeled variables: depth, vegetation, substrate, and temperature.
• Data has a fine 3-meter grid resolution for detailed spatial analysis of the Bay of Quinte area.

Limitations

• Specific row and column counts are unknown, limiting understanding of dataset scale and structure.
• Focuses on a single water level scenario (75.4m ASL) and a specific life stage (spawning), not a complete habitat assessment.
• As one of 16 outputs, the full ecological picture requires integration with other related datasets.

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 March 24, 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Geography

Bay of Quinte Area of Concern, Canada