Gulf of St. Lawrence Commercial Catch Weights and Lengths 1999-2023

Fisheries and Oceans Canada's At-Sea Observer Program provides catch data for stock assessments in the Quebec region. The dataset contains sum of weight data for species caught by NAFO sub-division and year from 1999-2023, and includes length frequencies when required by protocol. Data are aggregated to preserve industry confidentiality and are presented only when observed on a minimum of 5 vessels in a given NAFO area.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in sum of weight data for species caught across NAFO sub-divisions from 1999 to 2023.
• Study length frequencies for species caught to support biological assessments of commercial stocks.
• Assess fishing activity distribution by using the minimum 5-vessel observation threshold as a proxy for effort in NAFO areas.
• Review species identification data, incorporating taxonomist comments from the REMARK_IDENT column for quality control.

Strengths

• Data spans a 25-year time range from 1999 to 2023, providing a long-term view of commercial fisheries.
• Data collection follows a formal protocol subject to annual consultation with stock assessment biologists.
• Includes specific data fields for catch weight, species, NAFO sub-division, year, and length frequencies.

Limitations

• Data is aggregated and only presented when activity is observed on at least 5 vessels, which may obscure smaller-scale fishing events.
• The data is raw and may contain errors in spatial coordinates, landing weights, or species identifications.
• The dataset's scope is limited to commercial species directed fisheries for stock assessments in the Quebec region, not the entire Gulf.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) At-Sea Observer Program.

Collection Method

Collected by independent third-party observers at sea to verify fishing activities and provide scientific data on catches.

Time Range

1999 to 2023.

Freshness

Data covers up to 2023, with metadata last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Gulf of St. Lawrence, specifically NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization) sub-divisions relevant to the Quebec region.