Sablefish Trap Survey Data for British Columbia Mainland Inlets

2003 to 2019 data from a standardized trap survey in four mainland inlets of the British Columbia coast, conducted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Sablefish Association. The dataset comprises three tables: Inlet Effort, Inlet Catch, and Inlet Biological Information, detailing fishing events, species catch, and biological samples. Survey procedures are documented in Canadian Technical Reports of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.

Use Cases

• Analyze catch rates and species composition from the Inlet Catch table to assess fish population trends in specific inlet polygons.
• Correlate fishing effort metrics like soak time and trap count from the Inlet Effort table with biological data such as length and weight from the Inlet Biological Information table.
• Map fishing event locations and depths from the Inlet Effort table to study spatial distribution of sablefish and other species across the four inlet areas.
• Examine biological parameters like sex, maturity, and age from the Inlet Biological Information table for sablefish population structure analysis.

Strengths

• Data collection follows standardized and documented survey procedures as per Canadian Technical Reports of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
• Provides consistent annual coverage for four specific inlet areas from 2003 to 2019.
• Dataset is structured into three distinct, related tables (Effort, Catch, Biological) for organized analysis.

Limitations

• Survey coverage is incomplete after 2019, with no inlets surveyed in 2020 and only one per year since 2021, creating a temporal data gap.
• The dataset is specific to mainland inlets and differs in methodology from other survey components, limiting direct comparability with offshore data.
• Biological information is primarily for Sablefish, with limited samples for other species, potentially restricting multi-species analyses.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Annual fishery-independent research survey using longline trap gear at fixed stations, conducted collaboratively with the Canadian Sablefish Association.

Time Range

2003 to 2019 for consistent four-inlet coverage, with sporadic single-inlet surveys since 2021.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-24, though core survey data covers up to 2019 for consistent multi-inlet coverage.

Geography

Four mainland inlet areas on the British Columbia coast: Portland Inlet, Gil Island, Finlayson Channel, and Dean/Burke Channel.