Sea Turtle Sightings and Strandings in Newfoundland and Labrador, 1946-2023

Fisheries and Oceans Canada provides a dataset of sea turtle detection events, including sightings, strandings, and entanglements. It covers Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Green Turtles in waters near Newfoundland and Labrador from 1946 to 2023. The data is primarily from opportunistic reports, with some systematic aerial surveys enabling habitat modeling.

Use Cases

• Model sea turtle habitat using Date, Latitude, and Longitude from detection reports to predict seasonal occurrence.
• Analyze trends in stranding events by examining variables like Strand or Entrapment Outcome and Location Reliability.
• Compare detection rates across species (e.g., Leatherback vs. Loggerhead) using the Number of Animals and ID Reliability fields.
• Assess data quality and reporting bias by evaluating the Platform variable (e.g., aerial survey vs. opportunistic report).

Strengths

• Covers a 77-year time range from 1946 to 2023.
• Includes data for three distinct sea turtle species: Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Green.
• Contains multiple data types (sightings, strandings, entanglements) for a more complete event picture.
• Some records from DFO aerial surveys include measures of observer effort, enabling habitat modeling.

Limitations

• Most records are from opportunistic reports, lacking consistent measures of observer effort and associated imagery.
• Data quality for some variables (e.g., Location Reliability) is derived from report comments, introducing potential interpretation bias.
• Geographic coverage is heavily focused on Newfoundland and Labrador, with only limited records from other regions.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Amalgamation of opportunistic reports, systematic aerial surveys, and stranding/entrapment records.

Time Range

1946 to 2023

Freshness

Data current through 2023, with metadata last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Primarily waters near Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; limited records from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Scotian Shelf, and northeastern U.S. waters.