The Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) first implemented annual, standardized groundfish surveys (now referred to as ecosystem surveys) in the summer of 1970. These surveys consist of research vessel survey data collected to monitor the distribution and abundance of fish and invertebrates throughout the Scotian Shelf, Bay of Fundy and Georges Bank. The surveys follow a stratified random sampling design, and includes sampling of fish and invertebrates using a bottom trawl. These survey data are the primary data source for monitoring trends in fish species distribution, abundance, and biological conditions within the region. “Spring” cruises occur in January, February, March and April, and focus on Georges Bank. “Summer” cruises occur in May, June, July and August and these focus on the Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy. A vessel change occurred in 1982 when the A.T. Cameron was replaced by the Lady Hammond and in 1983 when the Alfred Needler became the principal survey vessel. Now the Captain Jacques Cartier, built in 2019 and delivered in 2020, will serve as the primary offshore fishery science vessels in the Maritimes Region.
Also as part of these surveys, physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic observations are collected as part of the Atlantic Zonal Monitoring Program (AZMP). AZMP sampling is conducted according to standard procedures (see https://cat.fsl-bsf.scitech.gc.ca/record=b3951030~S6) and includes the collection of CTD profiles and water samples for the determination of physical (e.g., T, S), chemical (e.g., nutrients, oxygen, pH), and biological (chl a) variables and vertical ring net tows. The data collected are synthesized into two annual reports on the physical and chemical/biological changes in the Maritimes Region. AZMP aims to detect and track climate change and variability in the northwest Atlantic, evaluating changes in the physical, chemical and biological ocean properties and predator-prey dynamics of marine resources, thereby enhancing Canada's ability to understand, describe, and forecast the state of the marine ecosystem”. This record includes only hydrographic/CTD data collected during the spring and summer ecosystem surveys, conducted between 1998 to present.
