Technical Report (English, PDF)

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Publisher-reported update

2026-03-24

The Science Branch of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) region has been conducting multispecies research vessel (RV) surveys using a stratified random survey design since the early 1970s. The DFO RV survey dataset represents the longest time series of species data in the NL region, making it ideal for mapping the average relative densities of species over time. Average relative density maps depict the interpolated densities (calculated from kg/tow) of fish species or functional groups. These densities are averaged over each time series (Engel and Campelen) and include data from all available seasons, so they represent persistent areas of relatively high and low densities for that species or functional group for the duration of the time series, independent of season. These maps are well suited as decision support tools related to conservation areas and marine spatial planning. These maps can also inform other processes that require information on areas important to marine fish, such as environmental assessments. Spring, fall, and winter data from the DFO RV survey between 1981 and 2017, inclusive, were used for the analysis. Due to a gear…

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