Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) marine organism abundance surveys are an important source of information on the status of marine resources in the Estuary and Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. DFO scientists perform regular biomass assessments in order to ensure the sustainability of fish and macro-invertebrate stocks exploited in these waters. Surveys are carried out annually in the summer using a research vessel following standard a protocol.

The surveys objectives are:

1. To obtain abundance and biomass estimates for the main species caught, to determine their spatial distribution and biological characteristics;
2. To collect data about other taxa as part of an ecosystemic approach;
3. To quantify environmental conditions in the Estuary and Gulf at the time of the survey.