Finback Whale Presence Likelihood in Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury

Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists estimated the seasonal presence of Finback whales in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan regions. The dataset was created by reviewing opportunistic whale sightings and local knowledge sources. A version formatted for the National Environmental Emergency Center is available for download.

Use Cases

• Map seasonal presence likelihood zones for Finback whales to inform marine spatial planning.
• Analyze the relationship between opportunistic sighting data and local knowledge sources for species distribution modeling.
• Support Area Response Planning by identifying regions with higher likelihood of Finback whale presence for emergency preparedness.

Strengths

• Data is produced by the Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section of DFO Science, an authoritative government body.
• Includes a version specifically formatted for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model.
• Available in multiple geospatial formats including ESRI REST, FGDB/GDB, and CSV for broad tool compatibility.

Limitations

• The core data is from 2018, which may not reflect current whale distribution patterns.
• Likelihood estimates are based on reviewed opportunistic sightings and local knowledge, not systematic surveys, potentially introducing bias.
• Specific sample sizes, row counts, and column definitions are not provided in the input.

Provenance

Source

Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Collection Method

Scientists reviewed reported opportunistic whale sightings and local knowledge sources to estimate and delineate areas of seasonal presence.

Time Range

Analysis published in June 2018.

Freshness

The metadata was last updated in March 2026, but the underlying scientific analysis and data publication date is June 2018.

Geography

Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan pilot areas, Canada.