Distribution of Fishing Boats Off Nova Scotia

Abstract

Abstract : The Historical Interim Temporal Shipping (HITS) database contains ship densities on a seasonal or monthly basis for five classes of vessels: super tanker, large tanker, tanker, merchant, and fishing. A new version of the database was recently created and included new fishing vessel densities for selected areas derived from recent United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports. As part of a noise model validation effort, more detail about the fishing vessels in the area off Nova Scotia was required, and this report presents the results of that study as well as documents the process required to derive fishing boat densities. The study determined how many boats of different sizes are fishing in a given location off Nova Scotia in different seasons. The study largely consisted of obtaining, analyzing, distilling, and quantifying information on individual species and the boats that catch them. Nearly all the information used to determine the seasonal distribution of fishing boats off Nova Scotia was obtained from the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). The study found nearly 5000 boats fishing in the region, with nearly 94% less than 45 ft long, and provides the geographic distribution of fishing vessels for 15 species of fish.