Bluefin Tuna Presence Likelihood in Nova Scotia Coastal Areas

Landings and sightings data for Bluefin tuna from coastal Nova Scotia, queried in January 2016, were used to estimate the species' presence within Area Response Plan pilot zones. The analysis, conducted by the Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section, accounts for seasonal variation in tuna presence. A version of this dataset was formatted for the National Environmental Emergency Center.

Use Cases

• Model seasonal presence likelihood of Bluefin tuna using landings and sightings data for coastal zone planning.
• Analyze spatial patterns of Bluefin tuna landings within Area Response Plan areas to inform fisheries management.
• Integrate opportunistic sighting reports with official landings data to create a composite species distribution map.

Strengths

• Data combines official fishery landings records with opportunistic sighting reports for a more complete picture.
• Analysis specifically accounts for the seasonal variation in Bluefin tuna presence.
• Dataset is available in multiple formats including ESRI REST, FGDB/GDB, and CSV for different user needs.

Limitations

• Longline fishing data was excluded due to location uncertainties, potentially omitting a source of catch information.
• Sighting data is reported opportunistically, which may introduce spatial and temporal reporting biases.
• The underlying data was queried in January 2016, making the core records over eight years old.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Coastal Ecosystems Science Division.

Collection Method

Landings data from the Maritime Fishery Information System Database and sighting reports from the DFO Whale Sightings Database, analyzed to estimate presence.

Time Range

Data queried in January 2016; dataset published in June 2018.

Freshness

Metadata was last updated in March 2026, but the core data reflects a query from January 2016.

Geography

Coastal Nova Scotia, specifically Area Response Plan pilot areas.