Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP) DFO Maritimes region plankton dataset (OBIS Canada)

The key element of the AZMP sampling strategy is the oceanographic sampling at fixed stations (every two weeks, conditions permitting) and along sections (1–3 times per year). Field sampling and laboratory analyses are carried out following well-established common protocols.

As part of AZMP, the Maritimes Region is responsible for three fixed stations that are sampled once to twice monthly during ice-free season: Shediac Valley, in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Halifax Station 2, on the central Scotian Shelf, and Prince-5, in the western Bay of Fundy. Four sections are sampled twice yearly (spring and fall): Cabot Strait Line, Louisbourg Line, Halifax Line, and Brown’s Bank Line.