Small Gorgonian Coral Fields in the Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves (Campelen Trawl Sample)

Polygons identifying concentrations of small gorgonian corals derived from research vessel survey by-catch data on the east coast of Canada. The data was created by Fisheries and Oceans Canada using kernel density analysis and catch weight thresholds across five biogeographic zones. The dataset was last updated on May 8, 2026.

Use Cases

• Mapping benthic habitat hotspots based on kernel density analysis of coral catch data
• Identifying areas vulnerable to fishing pressure based on the distribution of long-lived, non-aggregating black coral
• Comparing coral field distributions across the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada mentioned in the description
• Modeling the separation of coral field habitat from broader distribution using the 0.3 kg catch weight threshold

Strengths

• Data is derived from spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following a standardized NAFO approach
• Analysis covers five distinct biogeographic zones of eastern Canada
• Includes latitude and longitude positions for all research vessel tows that captured corals

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data may reflect geographic and methodological bias inherent to the Campelen trawl gear and survey locations

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data using kernel density and catch weight thresholds

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-08 08:01:04.814719; freshness should be verified

Geography

East coast of Canada, specifically the Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves biogeographic zone