Northwest Atlantic Background

• Main Author: The Abundance
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bedford; Canada; Hudson; Hudson Strait; Northwest Atlantic; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.577.4569; http://www2.mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/rap/internet/SSR_1996_041_E.pdf

geographic distribution of many fish and shellfish stocks vary in response to environmental change. Therefore, to help understand the cause of observed fluctuations in fish and shellfish resources and eventually predict future changes, we seek to describe and understand the ocean climate and its variability. Catches of most major fish and shellfish species off eastern Canada have centered on offshore banks but most of the continental shelf, including estuaries and embayments, from Hudson Strait to the Gulf of Maine are commercially exploited. In addition, the habitat of anadromous (e.g. salmon) and catadramous species (e.g. eels) extend from the inland river systems to the deep open ocean at different times of the year. Climate summaries of the physical oceanographic conditions (mainly water temperature and salinity) within this broad geographic area are gathered from standard monitoring stations, regional resource surveys, process-oriented research studies, ships-of-opportunity, fishing vessels. and satellite imagery. Additional data on hydrological, meteorological and sea ice conditions are collected or gathered from various government departments. All of the hydrographic data are edited and archived in Canada's national Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) data base. A working copy is maintained in a zonal data base at the Bedford Institute of