PURPOSE: The research survey provides a fisheries-independent source of information about all marine living organisms that are captured by the fishing trawl used to obtain samples in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. DESCRIPTION: Tow, catch, length frequency, and biological information for fish caught during the annual September research vessel trawl surveys in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (NAFO Division 4T). Abundance indices and spatial distribution patterns of commercial and non-commercial groundfish. The catch data that appear in this dataset SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR ECOLOGICAL ANALYSES INVOLVING CATCH RATES. Important factors such as vessel, fishing gear and diurnal periods must be accounted for to use these data in analyses. Please contact the data custodians if you are interested in using this data for any kind of ecological analyses involving catch rates. PARAMETERS COLLECTED: abundance estimates (ecological); distribution (ecological); species counts (ecological); gear (fishing); vessel information (fishing); point (spatial) NOTES ON QUALITY CONTROL: Scientific names listed in the survey species list have been mapped to recognized standards - marine taxa have been mapped to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) using their online taxon match tool. All sampling locations were plotted on a map to perform a visual check confirming that the latitude and longitude coordinates were within the described sampling area. In 2003, because of a fire aboard the Alfred Needler, the Wilfred Templeman was used for the survey. However, no comparative fishing experiments have been conducted between the Alfred Needler and the Wilfred Templeman. We are therefore unable to integrate the indices derived for 2003 to the remainder of the survey time-series. SAMPLING METHODS: Sampling Method: Consult the "Protocols for research vessel cruises within the Gulf Region (dermersal fish) (1970-1980)" report, link provided in the citations list. USE LIMITATION: To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

The standardized NEFSC Sea Scallop Survey began in 1980 and has covered an area from Cape Hatteras to Georges Bank. The survey aims to determine the distribution and abundance of scallops and associated fauna utilizing two sampling devices: the 8-foot wide New Bedford style dredge, standardized sea scallop dredge and the stereo-optic towed camera array (HabCam). Fifteen minute dredge hauls are made at stations that are randomly selected using the NEFSC shellfish strata to provide unbiased abundance measurements. The HabCam is conducted using transects across bathymetry lines in the same area as the dredge tows. Various vessels have served as a platform for the survey, including NOAA vessels: FRV Albatross IV, FRV Oregon II, FRV Chapman, FV Tradition and currently, the UNOLS vessel RV Hugh R. Sharp.

Prawn abundance, distribution and size structure from fishery-independent surveys throughout Spencer Gulf, South Australia since 1982.

This dataset derives from a series of beam trawl tows conducted during several research surveys in coastal areas of the St. Lawrence Estuary, between Portneuf-sur-Mer and Pointe-des-Monts, and between June and October of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. It contains catch data for fish and invertebrates (occurrence and catch weights by species), in trawl tows conducted at depths ranging from 10 to 50 meters. Data were collected in various cruises: • June 28th to July 5th 2019 (NGCC Leim) • September 30th to October 9th 2019 (NGCC Leim) • October 1st to October 10th 2020 (NGCC Leim) • April 22nd to May 5th 2021 (NGCC Perley) • October 15th to October 24th 2021 (NGCC Perley) • June 24th to July 15th 2022 (NGCC LEIM) The beam trawl used to generate this data set consists of a frame (width of 2.8 m, height of 0.8 m) equipped with a 6.5 m long net with 40 mm diamond mesh, which is lined with a net (skirt) of square mesh (5 mm) at the cod-end (length 2 m) and a protective apron (75 mm mesh) on the ventral portion. Three skid chains are linked at the base of the skates. Each station corresponds to a 5 to 10 minutes tow along an isobath at a speed of about 2 knots. At each haul, the trawl catch was placed on a sorting table on the deck and the organisms were sorted and identified at the best possible taxonomic resolution. Most taxa were independently weighed. Some invertebrates taxa were subsampled, counted and weighted in order to estimate their contribution (weight and number) to the total catch. Additionally, the first 30 fish of each species were measured and weighed individually. Taxonomic names were verified on the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) to match recognized standards. The WoRMS match has been put in the scientificNameID field in the occurrence file. Data quality control was performed using the R packages obistools and worrms. All sampling locations were plotted on a map to perform a visual check confirming that the latitude and longitude coordinates were within the described sampling area. Data acquired during the research surveys additionally included: 1) occurrence data on epibenthic invertebrates and submerged aquatic vegetation in photo samples from a drop camera system, 2) occurrence data on fish and invertebrate taxa in video samples collected using a baited underwater video system (BUV), 3) substrate classification based on drop camera photo samples, 4) oceanographic measurements of the water column from Seabird 19plus V2 profiling CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth, photosynthetic active radiation, pH, dissolved oxygen), 5) nutrients (NO2, NO3, NH4, PO4, SiO3) and dissolve organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, and 6) current speed and direction from tilt meters. The first two items are available as independent data on the OBIS portal. To obtain data from items 3-6 and/or biological data collected on fish and invertebrate taxa, please contact David Lévesque or Marie-Julie Roux. The research surveys were undertaken by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada as part of the baseline program of the Ocean Protection Plan. This initiative aimed to acquire environmental baseline data contributing to the characterization of important coastal areas and in support of evidence-based assessments and management decision-making for preserving marine ecosystems. Which contribute to the elaboration of conservation objectives based on an ecosystem assessment approach for fishery stock assessment requires the development of sampling methods to maximize the data collection on the ecosystem, while minimizing the impact on organisms and the marine environment. This project aims at characterising the coastal ecosystem of the St. Lawrence Estuary between Portneuf-sur-Mer and Godbout (QC), including the physico-chemistry of water, phytoplankton, zooplankton, submerged vegetation, benthic habitats as well as assemblages of fish and invertebrates. Sampling was performed by combining conventional methods such as CTD profiling,

Sampled marshes and ponds along two transects within the intermediate and brackish marsh zones of Breton Sound, Louisiana, from May 7-11, 2001. Sampling followed several planned releases of freshwater from the Caernarvon diversion structure during the winter of 2000 and spring of 2001 as part of a larger study to examine the ecological effect of pulsed freshwater releases on the ecosystem.

In the spring of 2003, California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) personnel began quarterly sampling of Salton Sea fish at fourteen stations around the sea, as the basis of a long term monitoring program. To allow comparison of current and future monitoring efforts by CDFG to past results, the protocol was adapted from those previously used by researchers at the Salton Sea. Each quarter, if conditions allow, this protocol will produce about 816 net-hours of sampling. To date data collection was started in the spring of 2003, continuing quarterly. Data collection is ongoing as of 2008. Two seasons were missed due to unavailability of launch sites: Fall 2007 and Winter 2007. *Note: This dataset should be viewed with the Quarterly Water Quality Surveys - Salton Sea [ds429] dataset. Methods: The 11 sampling sites comprise three broad habitat types: pelagic (3 sites), near-shore (8 sites), and estuarine (3 sites). The pelagic sites are in the approximate middles of the north basin, south basin and inter-basin areas of the Sea. The near-shore sites are spaced widely apart, four each, near the west and east shores, to capture as much breadth of habitat as possible. The estuarine sites are in the body of the Sea, close enough to the mouths of the New, Alamo, and Whitewater Rivers, to be under the influence of their outflows. Sampling takes place during each of the putative seasons, as follows: spring- April and May; summer- July and August; fall- October and November; winter- January and February. We attempt to compress the total sampling period into as few days as possible, to the extent that the weather, equipment maintenance, and personnel scheduling constraints allow. Nets are typically set at one or two sites in the morning, and hauled in after approximately 24 hours. The exact number of hours set is recorded for each net, to the nearest quarter-hour. Fish are sampled by deploying multi-panel monofilament gill nets with 6 X 30 foot panels of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 inch mesh. Two nets are set at all sites at the waters surface. The nets are set far enough apart to allow room for maneuvering a boat during setting and retrieval, usually 100-200 meters. The nets at near-shore and estuarine sites are set in 2.5 to 4.5 meters of water, typically 200-300 meters from the shore. Two additional nets are set at the bottom of water column at the three pelagic sites. The conditions fish experience at the bottom in deep water is different enough from the surface water, in dissolved oxygen, light, food availability and temperature, that this can be considered a discrete habitat, and thus we sample it as though it were a separate site. At the time of each set and retrieval, water depth, water temperature, conductivity, salinity, and dissolved oxygen are measured and recorded. When nets are pulled in the following day, all fish are removed and immediately stored on ice. Data are collected from these fish as soon as possible, almost always the same day they are hauled in. All fish are identified to species level and counted. For the four sport fish in the Salton Sea, (tilapia, Gulf croaker, orangemouth corvina and sargo) weights, lengths (fork length), sex, physical condition, and reproductive status are recorded. Fish above five pounds are weighed to the nearest ounce. Fish below five pounds are weighed to the nearest half ounce. Lengths of fish under 50 centimeters are recorded to the nearest millimeter. Lengths of fish over 50 centimeters are recorded to the nearest centimeter. The sex of adult fish is determined by dissection. A sample of at least ten fish of each species is also dissected to determine physical condition and breeding status. Changes to Protocol after Year One: For previous researchers, deep water habitats provided some low level of productivity for the fisheries, and were important habitat components to sample. During the first year of sampling, however, the three deep water sites (north basin, south basin and inter-basin)

Fish captured in trawls by the SWFSC Fisheries Resources Division during surveys for coastal pelagic species. Most tows were targeted for sardine using a Nordic trawl on the surface at night. The database includes identification to various taxonomic levels depending on species, length frequencies, biomass data, and some age data for sardine based on analysis of otoliths.

Little information has been produced since the mid 1970s about the roundscale spearfish Tetrapturus georgii (Lowe, 1840). The most complete species description was based on examination of four individuals from the eastern Atlantic. On the basis of detailed laboratory examination of 16 specimens, as well as fishery observer information and biological samples from an additional 49 individual specimens, we update morphological descriptions and key identification characteristics of this species for the western North Atlantic. Key characters include lateral scale morphology and position of the anal opening the scales having rounded and broad anterior bases with usually multiple posterior points, and the anal opening located a distance between 0.48 and 0.81 the height of the first anal fin.