Regional OBIS Node:

OBIS Canada 

An ongoing collaboration of dedicated marine scientists and data managers striving to ensure that Canada’s biodiversity data  are: 1) Authoritative- describing specimens and observations using reliable species names and hierarchical classifications. 2) Discoverable- listing data collections and their characteristics in a searchable catalogue system. 3) Accessible- serving data as part of a global geo-referenced ocean information system on marine species. 4) Interoperable- visualizing and analyzing data from several different sources.

Host Organization:

Centre for Marine Biodiversity (CMB) 

A non-profit society and was established in the Fall of 2000 in order to enhance scientific capacity in support of the protection of marine biodiversity, with a focus on the Northwest Atlantic.

Partner Institutions:

Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO), Canadian Dept of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)

Canada's largest center for ocean research and first major federal center devoted to oceanography. Four government departments, inhabiting its 40 acre campus, perform targeted research mandated by government or in partnership, advise on marine environments including fisheries and offshore hydrocarbon resources, provide navigational charts for waters from Georges Bank to the Canadian Arctic, and respond to environmental emergencies.

Atlantic Reference Centre (ARC), Huntsman Marine Science Centre (HMSC)

A unique independent not-for-profit scientific institution; with a mission of education, research, and technology transfer to industry. Located near the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, in eastern Canada, the HMSC is perfectly positioned to access one of the world's most biologically diverse marine ecosystems.

Funding Source:

Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

Datasets included:

Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre
Atlantic Reference Centre
Electronic Atlas of Ichthyoplankton on the Scotian Shelf of North America
Eastern Canadian Benthic Macrofauna
DFO Scotian Shelf Summer Trawl Surveys
Grand Manan Basin Benthos*
Gulf of Maine Biodiversity Discovery Corridor**
Gwaii Haanas Invertebrates
Gwaii Haanas Marine Plants
Canadian Museum of Nature – Fish Collection
Marine Invertebrate Diversity Initiative
Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History - Marine Birds, Mammals, and Fishes
Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) **
DFO Pacific shrimp and tanner crab trawls/traps **
Resolute Passage Copepod Collections*

* New, ** Under development

Spatial Coverage:

Arctic Ocean,

NW Atlantic Ocean,

NE Pacific Ocean

Temporal Coverage: from 19th century to the present

Services offered:

CMB and OBIS Canada together provide general information concerning marine biodiversity, biographies of scientists and students working in the field of marine biodiversity, scientific reports of these projects as well as projects taken on by the Centre, reference lists, spectacular photos, databases, relevant links and much more. Although the CMB has an initial focus on the Northwest Atlantic, there is some information concerning both the Pacific and Arctic environments.

Team Composition:

Jerry Black (DFO), Lesley Carter (EC), Richard Eisner (DFO), Mary Kennedy (DFO), Dan Ricard (DAL), Jennifer Smith (WWF), Lou Van Guelpen (HMSC), Tana Worcester (DFO)