Sponge Occurrence and Habitat Data from 2021-2022 Nova Scotia Diving Surveys

Fisheries and Oceans Canada's survey documents 220 observations for 27 different sponge taxa from 54 dives at 42 sites in Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore Islands. The dataset includes water quality, species counts, habitat, slope, and substrate characteristics collected in summer 2021 and 2022. It contains three new records for Canada and four species potentially new to science.

Use Cases

• Map the distribution of 27 sponge taxa across eight distinct habitat classes using site location data.
• Analyze correlations between sponge species occurrences and recorded water quality or substrate characteristics.
• Identify potential new species by examining records for Halichondria sp., Hymedesmia sp., Protosuberites sp., and Sphaerotylus sp.
• Study sponge micro-habitat preferences using associated benthic species and habitat descriptions from diver logs.

Strengths

• Contains 220 documented observations providing a concrete baseline for sponge biodiversity.
• Documents 27 distinct sponge taxa, including three new records for Canada and four potential new species.
• Integrates multiple data types: diver logs, camera imagery (147 stills per site), video, and specimen samples.
• Covers 42 dive sites across a defined ~2089 km² Area of Interest, offering spatial breadth.

Limitations

• Limited temporal scope, with data collected only during two summer seasons (2021, 2022).
• Spatial coverage is restricted to a single Area of Interest in Nova Scotia, limiting broader geographic inference.
• Sample size is moderate (220 observations), which may constrain statistical power for rare species analysis.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in partnership with the Huntsman Marine Science Centre.

Collection Method

SCUBA diving surveys with diver log sheets, camera imagery, specimen vouchers, and bathymetric data collection.

Time Range

Summer 2021 and 2022.

Freshness

Data is recent, collected in 2021-2022 and last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest (~2089 km²), Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.