Near-seafloor imagery survey benthic taxa occurrences in 2016 and 2017 of three Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas in Southwest New Brunswick, Canada (Head Harbour/West Isles/the Passages, The Wolves Islands, and Southern Grand Manan)

Near-seafloor imagery surveys were conducted in 2016 and 2017 across three coastal Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) in Southwest New Brunswick, including the Head Harbour/West Isles/Passages (HH/WI/P) EBSA, The Wolves Islands EBSA, and the Southern Grand Manan EBSA. Objectives were to document key benthic taxa occurrences and associated substrates in coastal EBSAs, report abundance of select conservation priority and commercially important species, and compare occurrence using two techniques: continuous video and digital still imagery. Target locations were selected based on available bathymetry data and limited by the ~85-m deployment capability of the camera system. A total of 150 transects were completed, covering a distance of 79 km, across depths ranging from 5 to 89 m, resulting in over 48 hours of high-definition video and 5047 digital still images. Both video and still images were analyzed to document occurrence and abundance of select taxa (n=41) across 8 phyla (9 biotic groups). Video was subdivided into 30-s increments, where occurrence of taxa and overall visibility was reported once for every 30-s interval. Seafloor substrates were also analyzed as the dominant cover in each still image and video interval. A total of 19216 and 16827 taxa occurrences (excluding absences) were recorded in the video intervals and still images respectively, predominately on fine grain and pebble substrates. Common taxa include unknown sponges, ascidians, algae, sea scallops, Cancer crabs, anemones, and sea stars. The HH/WI/P EBSA was particularly diverse, with an average of 15 and 17 taxa in the video intervals and still images respectively. Boltenia ovifera and Modiolus modiolus were observed forming biogenic fields and reefs within this EBSA, while sea urchins were also observed in sporadic high abundances.

Citation: Teed L, Lawton P (2026). Near-seafloor imagery survey benthic taxa occurrences in 2016 and 2017 of three Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas in Southwest New Brunswick, Canada (Head Harbour/West Isles/the Passages, The Wolves Islands, and Southern Grand Manan). Version 1.0. Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Samplingevent dataset. https://ipt.iobis.org/obiscanada/resource?r=near-seafloor_imagery_surveys_in_2016_and_2017_of_three_ebsas_in_southwest_new_brunswick_canada&v=1.0

Published: April 14, 2026 at 18:45

First registration: April 14, 2026 at 18:47

License: To the extent possible under law, the publisher has waived all rights to these data and has dedicated them to the Public Domain (CC0 1.0)

URL: https://ipt.iobis.org/obiscanada/resource?r=near-seafloor_imagery_surveys_in_2016_and_2017_of_three_ebsas_in_southwest_new_brunswick_canada