Harbour Porpoise Presence Likelihood in Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury

June 2018 data estimates the seasonal presence of Harbour Porpoises in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan pilot areas. The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section at Fisheries and Oceans Canada reviewed opportunistic whale sightings and local knowledge to delineate these areas. A version is formatted for the National Environmental Emergency Center's data model.

Use Cases

• Delineate areas of seasonal Harbour Porpoise presence for marine spatial planning and conservation efforts.
• Model the likelihood of Harbour Porpoise presence to inform environmental emergency response planning for oil spills.
• Integrate opportunistic whale sighting data with local knowledge sources to validate species distribution models.
• Support Area Response Plan development by mapping zones with higher probability of Harbour Porpoise occurrence.

Strengths

• Based on a review of reported opportunistic whale sightings and local knowledge sources by DFO Science experts.
• Provides a version specifically formatted for the National Environmental Emergency Center's (NEEC) data model.
• Covers two distinct pilot areas: the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury.

Limitations

• The underlying data sources (opportunistic sightings, local knowledge) may have inconsistent spatial or temporal coverage.
• The dataset represents a 2018 estimate, and species distributions may have changed since publication.
• Specific row counts, column details, and sample data are unavailable for assessing granularity.

Provenance

Source

Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Publication date June 2018; temporal coverage of underlying data unspecified.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026, though the core data publication date is June 2018.

Geography

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