DFO Maritimes Region Cetacean Sightings

Study Extent

The Species at Risk Group has designed and implemented a Whale Sightings Database for the Maritimes Region. The vast majority of data comes from the Scotian Shelf and Gulf of Maine area, but some sightings from other areas along the east coast of Canada are included. This database allows us to input sightings records from a variety of sources including: whale watchers, researchers, fishermen and the at-sea observer program. The database is compatible with other whale databases in the U.S and Canada as well as with other DFO databases.

Sampling

Observations archived in a regional database. Here are the caveats that are supplied to users who request records from the source database (similar caveats should be applied to the OBIS dataset): 1. The data may contain some erroneous or duplicate records. 2. The certainty of species identification and number of animals is sometimes unknown. Many sightings could not be identified to species but are listed to the smallest taxonomic group possible. Many sightings were collected on an opportunistic basis and may come from contributors with different levels of experience and accuracy will vary with visibility, sea state, weather conditions, and other factors. 3. Sighting coordinates most often refer to the location of the observer and not the animal. There are observations from shore, but these should not be interpreted as sightings on land. 4. Most sightings have been gathered from vessel-based platforms. The inherent problems with negative or positive reactions by cetaceans to the approach of such platforms have not been factored into the data. 5. Effort associated with collection of sightings has not been quantified in this database and cannot be used to estimate true species density or abundance for an area. Effort is not consistent among months, years, and areas. Lack of sightings within a particular area/time do not necessarily represent lack of species present but could reflect lack of or limited effort. Seasonal and distribution information should not be considered definitive. 6. Comments originally submitted in French were translated using Google Translate, and so may not be accurate.

Quality Control

Scientific names listed in the source database species list have been mapped to recognized standards - marine taxa have been mapped to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). The respective codes(WoRMS AphiaIDs) have been included in this resource in the scientificNameID field as LSIDs.

Method steps

1. Whale sighting observations were archived in an Oracle database instance by Fisheries and Oceans at the St. Andrews Biological Station (SABS). The database table space name was 'whalesitings'. This database was moved to the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in 2016. The basic table structure remains the same.
2. A view of the DFO Oracle database is shared regularly with OBIS Canada. Mapping to DwC fields and assignment of default values was a collaborative effort between the DFO data custodian and the OBIS Canada data management team. This is the 9th version of this OBIS dataset (published June 2024).
3. Credit: We wish to acknowledge the people and industries involved for contributing and making this project possible.

Whale Sightings Database (whales, dolphins, and porpoises)

1. Mammalia
   rank: class

North Atlantic to North Pacific