Description

The purpose of this dataset is to describe seasonal and spatial variations in Calanus prey and potential feeding habitats for North Atlantic Right Whales in Canadian and United States waters over the 1999–2024 period, using species distribution models (SDM). The SDMs were constructed using zooplankton data from oceanographic monitoring programs in Canada and the United States, covering the Labrador Shelf as far as New England, including the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Scotian Shelf and the Gulf of Maine. Generalized additive mixed models (GAMM) have been developed separately for each Calanus species (C. finmarchicus, C. hyperboreus, C. glacialis). These models use the abundance (individuals m-2) of copepodites stages IV to VI, as they are similarly sampled between the two programs and have a larger energy potential than stages I to III. The models include temperature in the 0-50 m layer, minimum temperature in the water column, bathymetry and the spatial climatology of salinity as a proxy for seascape connectivity. These indicators are extracted from GLORYS12v1 provided by the EU Copernicus Marine Service Information (https://doi.org/10.48670/moi-00021) on a monthly scale. The abundances of the three Calanus species were predicted on a monthly/annual temporal scale using the spatial grid of GLORYS12v1 (0.083 x 0.083 degrees). These predictions are then converted to biomass to account for the size differences between the three species. A bioenergetic Right Whale feeding model was used to calculate the mean energy balance of pregnant females (Enet). The Enet is reported at the depth layer where the Enet was maximized. The models were validated for residuals homogeneity. The models were also recalculated 100 times using 70% of the original data and predictions were compared with observations. The monthly/annual averages of regional predictions and observations were compared. The uncertainty in the predicted total abundance of the three Calanus species was estimated using a simulation approach combining parameter uncertainty and the variance of the monthly predictions. Considering the monthly and regional validation scales, the authors strongly suggest interpreting and using the model outputs at this scale. This dataset reports January–December monthly dry weight (mg m-2) predictions of the CIV-CVI stages of C. finmarchicus, C. hyperboreus, C. glacialis and their sum (Calanus spp.) for each year from 1999 to 2024. The maximum energy density (kJ/10 m3) of Calanus spp. CIV-CVI and the depth (m) of their energy density in the layer where the Enet is maximized are calculated on 10 m layers. Finally, the energy balance of pregnant female right whales is reported. The dataset should be cited as: Plourde, S., Lehoux, C., Roberts, J.J., Johnson, C.L., Record, N., Pepin, P., Orphanides, C., Schick, R.S., Walsh, H.J., Ross, C.H. 2024. Describing the seasonal and spatial distribution of Calanus prey and North Atlantic Right Whale potential foraging habitats in Canadian waters using species distribution models. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Res. Doc. 2024/039. v + 71 p.

Resources

Name	Format	Description	Link
Calanus Data	CSV		https://api-proxy.edh-cde.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/catalogue/records/a3a116b5-ed88-4223-9dbd-97409bb2f5bd/attachments/Data_Donnees_Calanus.zip
Data dictionary calanus	CSV		https://api-proxy.edh-cde.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/catalogue/records/a3a116b5-ed88-4223-9dbd-97409bb2f5bd/attachments/DictionnaireDonnees_DataDictionary_Calanus.csv
Map service Calanus	Ersi REST		https://egisp.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/arcgis/rest/services/open_data_donnees_ouvertes/calanus_monthly_biomass_narw_habitat_biomasse_mensuelle_bnan_habitat/MapServer
Map service Calanus	Ersi REST		https://egisp.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/arcgis/rest/services/open_data_donnees_ouvertes/calanus_monthly_biomass_narw_habitat_biomasse_mensuelle_bnan_habitat/MapServer

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