American Eel Biological Data and Otolith Images for Stock Assessment

1983-2017 biological data includes 20,047 length records, 8,915 weight records, and 2,212 age records for American eels. The collection also contains 5,814 electrofishing session records from New Brunswick rivers (1952-2019) and 1,838 otolith images. Data was compiled by D.K. Cairns (2020) for a potential range-wide stock assessment, with a focus on Canada's Atlantic Provinces.

Use Cases

• Model eel growth curves and age-length relationships using the 20,047 length records and 2,212 age records.
• Analyze electrofishing catch data from the 5,814 sessions in the Miramichi and Restigouche rivers for population trend analysis.
• Train a computer vision model to read eel ages from the 1,838 otolith image files, using the associated age records for validation.
• Assess regional biological differences by correlating length and weight data (8,915 records) with geographic sampling locations.

Strengths

• Contains 20,047 detailed biological records of American eel lengths, with subsets for weight (8,915) and age (2,212).
• Includes a long-term time series of 5,814 electrofishing sessions spanning from 1952 to 2019.
• Provides 1,838 high-resolution otolith images for age validation and potential computer vision applications.
• Data definitions are provided in both English and French for key tables.

Limitations

• Data is heavily focused on Canadian Atlantic Provinces, particularly the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, limiting range-wide representativeness.
• Age data is available for only 2,212 eels (approximately 11% of the length records), which may constrain certain age-structured analyses.
• The primary data files are in Excel (.xlsx) format, which may require conversion for programmatic analysis.

Provenance

Source

D.K. Cairns, Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Science No. 1311.

Collection Method

Compiled from various fisheries monitoring and research programs, including biological sampling and electrofishing surveys.

Time Range

Biological data: 1983-2017; Electrofishing data: 1952-2019.

Freshness

Data was compiled in a 2020 report; the most recent records extend to 2019.

Geography

Primarily Atlantic Provinces of Canada (especially Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence), with some data from elsewhere in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean Basin.