Atlantic Razor Clam Concentration Areas in the St. Lawrence

Known concentration areas of harvested or unharvested Atlantic razor clam (Ensis leei) in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec. The dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergencies Centre for oil spill preparation and response. It is derived from Fisheries and Oceans Canada inventories, research projects, and commercial fisheries data.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial patterns of Atlantic razor clam concentration areas for habitat mapping and marine spatial planning.
• Model potential impacts of environmental incidents, like oil spills, on documented shellfish beds for emergency response planning.
• Cross-reference concentration areas with commercial fisheries data to study historical harvesting pressure on specific beds.

Strengths

• Created for a specific operational purpose (oil spill response) by the National Environmental Emergencies Centre, ensuring practical relevance.
• Compiles data from multiple authoritative sources including DFO inventories and research projects.
• Available in multiple geospatial formats (SHP, ESRI REST, CSV) for flexibility in analysis.

Limitations

• Represents only known areas from past inventories and does not show the full species distribution, which is likely wider.
• Polygon boundaries for some beds are not precise and may be approximate, as noted in the source description.
• The extent of shellfish beds can change over time due to factors like harvesting and recruitment, so data may not reflect current conditions.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) inventories, various DFO research projects, and commercial fisheries data.

Collection Method

Concentration areas were defined by compiling and interpreting data from the listed sources; some polygons were drawn around compiled benthic biodiversity data.

Time Range

Source data spans from at least 1991 to 2016, as indicated by the referenced reports.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-24, though the underlying source data includes historical studies dating back to 1991.

Geography

Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec Region, Canada.