Vancouver Island Shelf Pelagic Ecosystem Survey Data

Fisheries and Oceans Canada conducts surface water trawl surveys on the continental shelf of north and west Vancouver Island. The surveys, ongoing since 1992, initially focused on juvenile Pacific Salmon migration and physiology before broadening to monitor the whole pelagic ecosystem in 2016. Data are collected for tows in waters shallower than 400 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyze juvenile Pacific Salmon migratory patterns using time series data from trawl surveys conducted since 1992.
• Monitor changes in the pelagic ecosystem composition by comparing survey data from before and after the 2016 program expansion.
• Study the growth and physiology of juvenile Pacific Salmon using survey data collected between 2003 and 2016.
• Map species distribution and abundance on the Vancouver Island continental shelf using geospatial data from the ESRI REST service.

Strengths

• Data collection spans over three decades, providing a long-term time series since 1992.
• Surveys cover a specific geographic area: the continental shelf of north and west Vancouver Island at depths shallower than 400 meters.
• The monitoring program evolved from a salmon focus to a broader pelagic ecosystem scope, captured in the data.

Limitations

• The exact number of rows (tows or observations) and available columns (features) is unknown, limiting pre-analysis assessment of dataset scale and variables.
• Data is specific to the Vancouver Island shelf and associated sounds/inlets, which may limit generalizability to other marine regions.
• The dataset may contain legacy data from different survey focuses (migration, physiology, ecosystem), potentially requiring harmonization.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)

Collection Method

Surface water trawl surveys conducted by DFO research vessels.

Time Range

1992 to present (ongoing).

Freshness

Data is actively updated, with a last recorded update in March 2026.

Geography

Continental shelf of north and west Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, including associated sounds and inlets.