A derived analysis of the full survey record: https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f9098f77-b2e1-423d-8950-eeabd7bba85b, funded under Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Marine Conservation Targets Program, this optical imagery benthic survey captured 73 drift-camera transects from September 21, 2022 to October 3, 2024 in the Southwest New Brunswick region of the lower, western Bay of Fundy, Canada. The survey area includes proposed Marine Conservation Network sites across the Head Harbour/West Isles/Passages (HH/WI/P) Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA), Passamaquoddy Bay, The Wolves Islands EBSA, and Grand Manan. High-resolution still images (n=5081; Nikon D850) were taken periodically throughout each transect along with simultaneous continuous high-definition downward- and forward-facing seafloor video (~30 hours of each). Only select still images were chosen for analysis using a 20-m spatial buffer. This dataset comprises the subset of still imagery (n=1699) analyzed for the presence and absence of 68 key taxa, along with abundance of 8 species of high conservation an commercial value, as well as general habitat description of each transect. Images were analyzed using the image annotation software BIIGLE (https://biigle.de/), resulting in 8524 occurrences (>100 000 including absences) across variable substrates. Morphotype descriptions and suggested/likely taxa are provided under "occurrenceRemarks". Encrusting sponges were the most commonly occurring taxa, followed by common seastars and brown algae. Horse mussels (Modiolus modiolus) were observed forming mussel beds in the HH/WI/P EBSA, while stalked tunicates (Boltenia ovifera) and green sea urchins (Stronglyocentrotus droebachiensis) were notably rare.
","language":"eng","homepage":"https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f9098f77-b2e1-423d-8950-eeabd7bba85b","citation":{"text":"Teed L, Lawton P (2026). Taxa and morphotype occurrences of 68 select taxa from the 2022-2024 near-seafloor optical imagery transects in proposed conservation network sites in Southwest New Brunswick, Bay of Fundy, Canada.. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Sampling event dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/ujzavk accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-10-14.","citationProvidedBySource":false},"contactsCitation":[{"key":6983728,"abbreviatedName":"Teed L","firstName":"Laura","lastName":"Teed","roles":["ORIGINATOR","METADATA_AUTHOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9375-6619"]},{"key":6983729,"abbreviatedName":"Lawton P","firstName":"Peter","lastName":"Lawton","roles":["ORIGINATOR","METADATA_AUTHOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5522-6993"]}],"lockedForAutoUpdate":false,"createdBy":"c98a8d0d-cab2-4506-8c0f-c91a5e4996b9","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-04-15T18:10:40.513+00:00","modified":"2026-04-15T18:11:42.850+00:00","contacts":[{"key":6983728,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":true,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9375-6619"],"firstName":"Laura","lastName":"Teed","position":[],"email":["laura.teed@dfo-mpo.gc.ca"],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada","address":[],"city":"Saint 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select benthic taxa","coverages":[{"scientificName":"Chromista","rank":{"verbatim":"kingdom","interpreted":"KINGDOM"}},{"scientificName":"Plantae","rank":{"verbatim":"kingdom","interpreted":"KINGDOM"}},{"scientificName":"Animalia","rank":{"verbatim":"kingdom","interpreted":"KINGDOM"}}]}],"geographicCoverages":[{"description":"Southwest New Brunswick, in benthic habitats within and surrounding Passamaquoddy Bay, Deer Island, Campobello Island, The Wolves Islands, and Grand Manan Island.","boundingBox":{"minLatitude":44.412638,"maxLatitude":45.094603,"minLongitude":-67.027428,"maxLongitude":-66.5818,"globalCoverage":false}}],"temporalCoverages":[{"@type":"range","start":"2022-09-21T00:00:00.000+00:00","end":"2024-10-03T00:00:00.000+00:00"}],"keywordCollections":[{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml","keywords":["Samplingevent"]},{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml","keywords":["Observation"]}],"project":{"title":"Coastal seabed habitat inventory and biodiversity assessment in support of bioregional conservation network planning and development of MPA monitoring programs","identifier":"https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f9098f77-b2e1-423d-8950-eeabd7bba85b","contacts":[{"type":"PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9375-6619"],"firstName":"Laura","lastName":"Teed","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5522-6993"],"firstName":"Peter","lastName":"Lawton","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]},{"type":"PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Kirk","lastName":"Phelan","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]}],"funding":"This research was funded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada as part of the Marine Conservation Targets Program under the Maritimes Region project number 691: “Coastal seabed habitat inventory and biodiversity assessment in support of bioregional conservation network planning and development of MPA monitoring programs”.","awards":[],"studyAreaDescription":"Southwest New Brunswick, specifically benthic habitats of the Fundy Isles region, containing numerous proposed conservation network sites and Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas. This includes Passamaquoddy Bay, Deer Island, Campobello Island, The Wolves Islands, and Grand Manan Island.","designDescription":"We conducted benthic imagery surveys in September and October each year from 2022 to 2024 using the FOBIS survey package operating off the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Viola M. Davidson. Seven preliminary sites sampled in 2022 formed part of field-engineering trials of FOBIS. Survey targets were selected using high-resolution (1-100-m horizontal resolution) multibeam echosounder and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) bathymetry data acquired from the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) and the Ocean Mapping Group (OMG 2007, operating out of the University of New Brunswick), visualized in ArcGIS pro v.2.8. High-resolution bathymetry enabled identification of unique features on the seafloor, such as steep slopes and shallow banks. Site selection considered several objectives; 1) to extend survey coverage beyond ~85-m depths, leveraging the 200-m depth capability of FOBIS; 2) to survey unexplored areas within the latest iteration of the MCN plan; 3) to help inform coastal management and stakeholder consultations (e.g., on commercially important taxa such as sea cucumbers); and 4) to ground-truth prior presence probability models of two biogenic habitat-forming species of interest (Modiolus modiolus and Boltenia ovifera – from Mireault et al. 2025).","relatedProjects":[],"abstract":"Funded under DFO's Marine Conservation Targets Program, this optical imagery benthic survey captured 73 drift-camera transects from September 21, 2022 to October 3, 2024 in the Fundy Isles region of the lower, western Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. The survey area includes the 'Head Harbour/West Isles Archipelago/The Passages' Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (ESBA, ~113 km2), the Wolves Islands and Grand Manan Island. High-resolution still images (n=5081) were taken periodically throughout each transect, while continuous high-definition downward- and forward-facing video (~30 hours of each) was collected simultaneously. Distance travelled and distance between still images (m) was calculated using ArcGIS tools. Field of view (FOV) was estimated by measuring the length and width of a subset of still images (n=863) in ImageJ2, using 10-cm lasers for scale. FOV was standardized for each reported altitude. Transects ranged from 133 m to 2.6 km in length (~47 km surveyed in total), collecting imagery continuously for 3 minutes to more than 1 hour at a time, surveying depths from 15 to 188 m below chart datum. Transect locations were selected based on unique bathymetric features, areas previously predicted to have high habitat suitability for vulnerable marine ecosystem species, as well as proposed areas for inclusion in the regional marine conservation network plan."},"samplingDescription":{"studyExtent":"Southwest New Brunswick, specifically benthic habitats of the Fundy Isles region, containing numerous proposed conservation network sites and Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas. This includes Passamaquoddy Bay, Deer Island, Campobello Island, The Wolves Islands, and Grand Manan Island. Imagery surveys were conducted across 15 survey days from September 2022 to October 2024.","sampling":"At each target location surveyed, a drift transect protocol was employed using the FOBIS survey package (see Teed et al. 2025a – their Figure 5) maintaining the system ~1 m above the seafloor, with a maximum allowable depth deployment of 200 m (a formal technical report detailing FOBIS set-up, protocols, and analyses is currently underway). A full frame digital camera (D850, Nikon, Mississauga, ON, Canada), oriented downwards, captured individual digital still images (generally ~25 MB, but up to 45 MP; 8256 x 5504 pixels) at periodic intervals. Target image acquisition rate was typically every 30 s; though dependent on speed over ground (SOG), in order not to generate either multiple closely-spaced images (at very low SOG), or only a few widely-spaced images (very high SOG). Primary image settings (ISO speed, aperture, focusing mode – stored in each image file’s metadata; Table 1) were generally set at the start of each annual survey period. A downward-facing high-definition video camera (1Cam Mk6, SubC Imaging, Clarenville, NL, Canada) provided continuous video imagery of the seafloor. In 2023 and 2024 (unavailable in 2022), a forward-facing high-definition video camera (HD Multi SeaCam, Deep Sea Power & Light, San Diego, CA, USA) provided additional video imagery. The forward-facing video imagery allowed the FOBIS operator to make real-time adjustment of the camera height above the seafloor, however, the forward-facing camera only transmitted composite (standard-definition) video to the surface. \n\nTable 1 Overview of still camera settings for the Nikon D850 camera deployed as part of the FOBIS survey package in Southwest New Brunswick optical imagery transects from 2022 to 2024.\nSurvey year\tTransects\tFocal length\tFocus\tISO speed\tShutter speed\tAperture\n2022\tCON002-008\t24 mm\tAuto\t800\t1/100 s\tf16\n2023\tCON029-052\t24 mm\tAuto\t500 to 800\t1/200 to 1/250 s\tf13 to f16\n2024\tCON080-121\t24 mm\tAuto\t500 to 800\t1/200 s\tf14\n\nBoth video and still image files were recorded and automatically named according to transect number (CON###), date and UTC time (e.g., CON002-20220921T124202). A VA500 altimeter (Teledyne Valeport Ltd, Totnes, UK) provided records of the height of the survey package off-bottom (once every second), and a pair of lasers (10-cm spacing) provided a means to evaluate the field of view (FOV) in both the downward video and still imagery (estimated using ImageJ2 – Rueden et al. 2017). The FOV was estimated using a subset of images and video frames for each year to account for minor system adjustments. For downward-facing video, 10-cm lasers were in view for altitude off-bottom ranging from 0.5 to 2.7 m, while for digital stills, FOV calculations were only possible when altitudes were 0.7 to 1.7 m. To generate an estimate of area covered (m2) for each transect, the average FOV from the downward-facing video across each transect was multiplied by the estimated distance travelled (m). These estimates were then summed across transects to generate overall seafloor area coverage. \n\nFor the first two years (2022-2023) of the survey, an available underwater ultra-short baseline acoustic positioning system was used (Tracklink 1500HA transceiver with Tracklink 1505B transponder; Linkquest Inc., San Diego, USA). This system proved to be unreliable, and so year one and two survey vessel geographic positions were recorded using a SeaNav 300 Global Navigation Satellite System receiver at the surface (Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, Kirkegårdsveien, Norway). The track line of each transect can be expected to correspond to the actual distance travelled by the camera package over the seafloor, although the offset of the camera system from the vessel was not defined. In year three (2024) a new underwater acoustic positioning system was implemented (uPAP 201-H transceiver/transducer, along with cNODE Micro transponders/beacons, Kongsberg Gruppen ASA, Kirkegårdsveien, Norway). The upgraded positioning system allowed for transects to be mapped according to the FOBIS position (<5-m horizontal accuracy). Year three also allowed for direct comparison of the camera system position in relation to the vessel’s position, where it was found that spatial offsets from the survey vessel ranged up to 50 m astern and 1-10 m port or starboard depending on depth and tidal influences (akin to observations from Teed et al. 2025a). \n\nReported depths (in m Below Chart Datum, BCD) corresponding to the location of the camera track were extracted from the 1-10-m multibeam echosounder and LiDAR bathymetry data (OMG 2007; Figure 3). Depths of video transect observations were categorized into the following depth classes for depth distribution visualization purposes: 10-35 m, 35-100 m, and 100-200 m, selected to reflect survey classification approaches outlined in Lawton and Teed (2026). Drift camera tracks for all transects were plotted in ArcGIS Pro (v. 2.8) corresponding to the date and time when the camera package was in a near-seafloor survey mode. The actual distance traveled (m) by the camera package over the seafloor was calculated using the z-field geometry tool in ArcGIS Pro (ESRI 2021), calculated at the transect level. The distance between still images along a transect was calculated using the “Split Line at Point” tool in ArcMap (v.10.8, Advanced licensing).","qualityControl":"A sub-set of digital still images was selected from each FOBIS drift transect, at approximately 20-m spacing, using buffer tools in ArcGIS Pro v.2.8 (ESRI 2021). This aimed to reduce the workload for annotating the presence of organisms of interest (selected a priori), along with anthropogenic debris such as fishing gear and garbage. Still images were deemed unusable and removed from the dataset if there were insufficient light levels, too much turbidity, or if the altitude off-bottom exceeded 1.9 m. This yielded 1699 still images for analysis (of the 5081 collected).","methodSteps":["Organism occurrences in selected still images were analyzed using the image annotation software BIIGLE 2.0 (Langenkamper et al. 2017; Zuroweitz and Nattkemper 2021). Annotations corresponded to a designated label of a taxa (species or higher level: genus, family, order, etc.) or a morphotype. Identifications were limited by the bottom conditions (light penetration, water, turbidity) and the image resolution, focus, and blurriness. As such, only taxa and morphotypes of interest (i.e., organisms that are easily identifiable and distinguishable in imaging surveys; often ≥2 cm in size) were annotated, mostly to the species or genus level. We report ‘taxa count’ as the number of taxa present, of the taxa selected for analysis, within analysed images. For morphotypes, labels were based on visual assessment of morphological traits, for example ‘encrusting sponges’. Taxa and morphotypes of interest were limited to sessile and mobile benthic taxa, with a few burrowing organisms (i.e., cerianthids, sandfan worms). Taxonomic names were obtained from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS 2025).\n\nAnnotations were organized as a label tree in BIIGLE (named SWNB2024), comprising a hierarchical set of groupings of taxa and morphotypes, using the 41 taxa of interest from the 2016-2017 SWNB imagery survey as a starting basis (Lawton 2022; Lawton et al. 2026). Some species and general taxa labels (where species could not be confirmed) were added to the label tree as they were encountered, including labels for fishes and commonly observed sponges in which the annotator was confident in identifying. In the prior survey, fishes were only classified as sculpins and allies (Cottoidei) or unidentified fish, while the current survey aimed to identify all fishes to the lowest possible taxonomic classification (e.g., Pholis gunnellus). As of this report, unconfirmed taxa may later be confirmed by taxonomic experts, including feedback on image examples posted on the community site, iNaturalist.org (iNaturalist 2025). Selected images of organisms were uploaded to iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/southwest-new-brunswick-imaging-surveys-dfo-science). Feedback from community members resulted in some suggested changes to identifications (namely fishes), which were then applied in BIIGLE.\n\nOverall, images were analyzed for occurrences of 68 taxa of interest assigning a ‘0’ for absent or ‘1’ for present. Taxa counts per image were binned into the following categories for visualization purposes similar to Lawton et al. (2026); 0, 1, 2-5, 6-10, and >10 taxa. For the current survey, these bins correspond to 0, 1.5, 3-7, 8-15, and >15% of all taxa analyzed (n=68), respectively. Occurrence was then reported as the number and proportion (%) of still images where a taxa or morphotype was present across a transect (Table 2). Abundance was estimated for select taxa of specific conservation priority (Boltenia ovifera, Modiolus modiolus, Gersemia rubiformis, and Pachycerianthus borealis) and commercial interest (Homarus americanus, Cucumaria frondosa, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, Placopecten magellanicus). Abundance (number of individuals visible in each image) was also converted to density by dividing the count by the still image FOV (number of individuals – ind. m-2). We compare our density estimates with other data sources for some species, however, in general we report abundance, binned into categories for visualization; 1: 1 ind. image-1 , 2: 2-5 ind. image-1, 3: 6-10 ind. image-1, 4: 11-20 ind. image-1, 5: 21-50 ind. image-1, 6: 51-100 ind. image-1, 7: 101-200 ind. image-1, and 8: >200 ind. image-1."]},"countryCoverage":[],"collections":[],"dataDescriptions":[],"dataLanguage":"eng","purpose":"A near-seafloor optical imagery survey was conducted from 2022 to 2024 at 73 locations within Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) and proposed Marine Conservation Network (MCN) sites in Southwest New Brunswick (SWNB). Here we document occurrence and abundance of select taxa and/or species of interest, characterize benthic habitats and unique bathymetric features (e.g., Wolves Bank), and update information on benthic taxa and habitats since prior surveys in 2016 and 2017. Updated camera system specifications allowed for an expanded depth coverage (to 200-m depth compared to prior ~85-m deployment capability). The new survey explored areas included in the MCN plan for SWNB, gained information to guide ocean managers and stakeholders on commercially important taxa, and provided new ground-truthing information for habitat suitability models for two conservation priority species. Over 47 km of the seafloor was surveyed (15 to 188-m depths), with an estimated area coverage of 27080 m2, resulting in over 30 hours of high-definition video and over 5800 digital still images. Full video sequences were used to qualitatively describe each transect and evaluate substrate characteristics, while a subset of 1699 images (spaced ~20 m apart along transects) were analyzed to document occurrence of select taxa and abundance of commercially important and conservation priority species. Image analysis included 68 taxa across 11 phyla, 43 of which were identified to species level. A total of 8524 occurrences were recorded, with the most common taxa including encrusting sponges, common seastars, and knotted wrack algae. The Head Harbour/West Isles/Passages EBSA was particularly diverse, containing 59 of the 68 taxa on a highly heterogenous seafloor. Horse mussel beds were common in this EBSA, while sea urchins were notably absent, when compared to 2017 imagery surveys. This survey supports the development of the MCN plan, highlighting uniquely diverse habitats across SWNB.
","introduction":"The southwestern portion of the bioregion, within the lower Bay of Fundy (off the coast of Southwest New Brunswick – hereafter SWNB) contains numerous islands that form, at least in part, broader Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs). This includes areas off of the three largest islands in SWNB: Deer Island, Campobello Island, and Grand Manan. Generally, SWNB has depths extending from the intertidal down to approximately 220 m (off Southern Grand Manan), and is characterized by strong tidal currents, persistent upwelling, heterogenous substrates, and complex seafloor topography surrounding numerous smaller islands and passages (Buzeta 2014). Various benthic habitat types exist here, supporting a high biodiversity of organisms, including areas of dense kelp and algae (dulse) beds, biogenic habitat-forming horse mussel reefs and stalked tunicate fields, bryozoan turf, cerianthid fields, and sponge communities (Thomas 1983; Buzeta 2014; E. Kenchington 2014; DFO 2015). In addition to their conservation significance domestically, several of these biogenic habitat-forming species hold international conservation priority designations (Murillo et al. 2011; DFO 2018; Kenchington et al 2019; NAFO 2024).
The horse mussel, Modiolus modiolus, is a semi-infaunal bivalve that can form dense aggregations termed “biogenic reefs” or “beds” (Wildish et al. 1998; Morris 2015). These beds or reefs are considered a priority marine habitat (OSPAR Commission 2009), with significant aggregations documented in the central portion of the Bay of Fundy (Sameoto et al. 2021; Wilson et al. 2021), and also within the SWNB region between Deer Island and Campobello Island (Mireault et al. 2025). Stalked tunicate fields (Boltenia ovifera) may occur broadly within the Bay of Fundy, increasing habitat complexity, and generating shelter for mobile epifauna and attachment sites for epibionts (Francis et al. 2014). However, the only quantitatively documented fields (i.e. geo-located along with density information) are within the passages surrounding Deer Island and northwest Campobello Island (Mireault et al. 2025). Bryozoan turf (comprised in the region mainly of Flustra foliacea that host other bryozoans, hydroids, polychaetes, and other cryptic epifauna) is also a conservation priority, as this turf is susceptible to disturbance, yet houses numerous epibionts and provides refuge for mobile epifauna (Murillo et al. 2011; E. Kenchington 2014). Tube-dwelling anemones (i.e., cerianthids – Pachycerianthus borealis) are also vulnerable to disturbance, yet they can form dense aggregations, providing complexity and structure for taxa such as fishes on otherwise featureless sandy and muddy seafloor (Fuller et al. 2008; E. Kenchington 2014). Sponge habitats in the region are known to enhance local biodiversity, creating a distinct habitat with their spicules, likely providing feeding grounds for juvenile fish (E. Kenchington 2014). Additionally, the SWNB region also accommodates extensive settling and feeding grounds for many commercially important species including lobster, scallop, groundfish, sea cucumber, and green sea urchin, making this area economically formidable for commercial fisheries and finfish aquaculture (Lawton et al. 2001; Robichaud 2010; Rozalska and Coffen-Smout 2020; DFO 2021, 2023b, c; Martin et al. 2023; Murphy et al. 2024; White et al. 2024; Government of New Brunswick 2026). This report documents benthic ecosystem characteristics in SWNB according to sessile fauna and the abovementioned biogenic habitats in the context of marine conservation planning considerations.
In 2008, a subset of areas within the SWNB region were selected as priority EBSAs for consideration within regional conservation network planning, including the “Head Harbour/West Isles/Passages” (HH/WI/P), The Wolves Islands, and the Southern Grand Manan EBSAs (Buzeta and Singh 2008). The inclusion of these areas resulted from a review prior research (e.g. diving surveys by MacKay et al. 1978a, b, c, 1979a; MacKay and Bosien 1979b; Lawton 1992; Lawton et al. 2001) and regional scientific expert contributions. Following these EBSA designations, in 2016-2017, DFO set out to generate a formal draft conservation network plan which included refinement of EBSAs and other proposed areas, resulting in slight shifts of SWNB network sites (DFO 2018, 2025; see https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/networks-reseaux/scotian-shelf-plateau-neo-ecossais-bay-baie-fundy/development-developpement-eng.html for more details). Similar to the 2008 subset, such refinement in 2016-2017 was driven by on-going oceanographic and targeted ecosystem surveys (e.g., Lawton 2022; Mireault et al. 2023). Benthic imagery surveys in 2016 and 2017 completed 150 near-seafloor transects primarily in the HH/WI/P, The Wolves, and Southern Grand Manan EBSAs, with analysis of continuous video and digital still imagery for 41 select taxa and underlying substrate characteristics (Lawton et al. 2026). While the 2016-2017 imagery surveys provided extensive spatial coverage, there was a significant gap in coverage at depths >85 m (beyond camera system operational limit; Lawton et al. 2026).
More recently, significant engagement with local researchers, Indigenous Nations, and fisheries and aquaculture stakeholders in SWNB has further refined the network plan to its current iteration (outlined in DFO 2023a, 2026). The revised MCN plan still aims to protect representative marine habitat, but has responded to stakeholder concerns to limit impacts on commercial and recreational activities. Baseline characterization is required to validate and support inclusion of the newly proposed network sites. Certain sites are underrepresented with respect to available scientific information, as prior SWNB sampling focused primarily on coastal fringe, easy-to-access sites (i.e., dive surveys; MacKay et al. 1978a, b, c, 1979a; MacKay and Bosien 1979b; Lawton et al. 2024). Given ongoing fishery pressures (Rozalska and Coffen-Smout 2020) and limited depth coverage of the prior surveys (Lawton et al. 2026), additional benthic survey effort is warranted, both to attempt to capture temporal changes in species assemblages and to characterize underrepresented areas towards overall assessment of the regional MCN plan.A DFO Maritimes Region science project funded under the DFO Science Marine Conservation Targets (MCT) program from 2021 to 2025, has generated renewed focus on using both SCUBA diving approaches and near-seafloor imaging tools to survey coastal and inner-shelf benthic habitats in support of MCN planning and for ecological monitoring (Teed et al. 2025a). This project implemented a new regional near-seafloor optical imaging system capable in its initial configuration of surveying to depths of 200 m. The camera system (hereafter FOBIS survey package, for Fibre Optic-Based Imaging System) comprises underwater components (cameras, lighting, frame, etc.), a fibre optical cable-based deck winch system, and surface operations consoles, and is transportable for installation on different coastal and inner-shelf survey vessels (e.g., as in Teed et al. 2025a). This dataset outlines the first major benthic survey efforts from 2022 to 2024 with the FOBIS survey package within proposed MCN sites in SWNB.
Our approach, following Lawton et al. (2026), of documenting occurrence of a restricted set of taxa, with a subset selected to also document abundance, contrasts with other benthic diversity assessment approaches such as a full taxa assemblage analysis (e.g., Paulin et al. 2025; Teed et al. 2025b). A complete suite of taxa prevalence could potentially better inform on regional species assemblages, however, searching for select species or taxa saves significant time in image annotation. Additionally, taxa selected a priori ensure annotator confidence in specified taxa identification, and in the case of the current study, meets requirements for gathering scientific information to inform on the SS-BoF MCN plan in a timely manner.
","gettingStarted":"Image analysis: BIIGLE
Image field of view calculations: ImageJ2
This dataset include the occurrence (presence and absence) of 68 select benthic taxa, with abundance (count) data for 8 species (of the 68) of commercial and conservation importance in the region. These occurrences are from a subset of imagery (>5000 still images, in which 1699 were analyzed). Primary substrate is also provided.
","acknowledgements":"We would like to acknowledge Kirk Phelan and Nelson Rice for the development of the near-seafloor optical imaging system, as well as Torben Brydges, Pat Mowatt and Katie Thistle for field support. Thank you to the captains and crew of the CCGS Viola M. Davidson that provided the surface vessel platform and experienced seamanship to be able to operate the camera system in sometimes challenging sea conditions. Furthermore, we would like to thank Claude Nozères, Javier Murillo, Claire Goodwin, and fellow scientists on iNaturalist for their feedback on species identifications. This research was funded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada as part of the Marine Conservation Targets Program under the Maritimes Region project number 691: “Coastal seabed habitat inventory and biodiversity assessment in support of bioregional conservation network planning and development of MPA monitoring programs”.
","pubDate":"2026-04-15T00:00:00.000+00:00","maintenanceUpdateFrequency":"NOT_PLANNED","maintenanceDescription":"","license":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode","dwca":{"coreType":"http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/Event","extensions":["http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/Occurrence"],"modified":"2026-04-15T18:11:42.613+00:00"},"approximateCounts":{"occurrenceCount":115532}}