Large Gorgonian Coral Fields in the Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves (Campelen Trawl Sample)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada provides polygons identifying concentrations of large gorgonian corals derived from research vessel by-catch data. Kernel density analysis was applied to Campelen trawl survey data within the Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves biogeographic zone, using a 0.3 kg catch weight threshold to define coral fields. The dataset includes latitude and longitude positions for all survey tows that captured corals and sponges.

Use Cases

• Identify vulnerable marine ecosystems for conservation planning based on coral and sponge aggregation polygons.
• Analyze spatial overlap between fishing activity and sensitive habitats based on provided tow positions.
• Model species distribution for large gorgonian corals based on kernel density analysis results.
• Assess fishing pressure impacts on long-lived, non-aggregating taxa like black coral based on tow capture locations.

Strengths

• Polygons are derived from kernel density analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data, a recognized spatial method.
• Data includes specific tow positions for all captures, enabling point-level analysis.
• Analysis was performed for five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada, providing regional context.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and methodological bias inherent to the Campelen trawl gear and survey design.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data using kernel density and catch weight thresholds.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-08 08:02:26.037635; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves biogeographic zone on the east coast of Canada.