The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Newfoundland and Labrador Region, has undertaken stratified-random multi-species surveys in portions of Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) subareas 2 and 3 since the early 1970’s. The current survey design covers an expansive spatial area, spanning six NAFO divisions (2HJ3KLNO) and 515,000 km2 in the autumn and four NAFO divisions (3LNOP) and 324,000 km2 in the spring. The survey aims at determining the distribution and abundance of commercial and non-commercial fish and invertebrate species with respect to position, depth, and temperature, and to collect biological samples.
In 1989 DFO developed a shock-absorbing CTD sled containing a Seabird model SBE-19 CTD that could be mounted on a trawl, which is now the primary instrument used to collect physical oceanographic data (e.g., T, S) during multi-species surveys in NL region. The package attached to the trawl head-ropes records time, water pressure, temperature, and conductivity for the duration of the fishing set. In the event of instrument failure an expendable bathythermograph (XBT) is deployed.
In addition, this survey samples the high-frequency station, Station 27, in collaboration with the Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP).
This record includes only hydrographic/CTD data collected during the spring and autumn multi-species surveys, conducted between 1995 to present.
