Biological data of Arctic cod larvae and juveniles in Beaufort Sea: CASES 2002-2004

Sampling expeditions were conducted between September 2002 and 2004 in the southeastern Beaufort sea, onboard the CCGS Radisson, CCGS Amundsen, and CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier icebreakers. Additional sampling of newly-hatched Arctic cod was realized under the ice at two stations on a weekly basis from early February to the end of May 2004. The under-ice sampler consisted of a rectangular metal frame carrying side by side two 6-m long, 1-m2 mouth aperture, square-conical nets with 750 um mesh. This Double Square Net (DSN) was towed at 1 m s-1 between two holes in the ice separated by a distance of 300 m, using a Bombardier BR180® tractor. The DSN deployed under the ice in winter was deployed at least once at all the open-water stations in a double oblique tow down to a depth of 47 ± 8 m (mean ± standard deviation), at a ship speed of 1 m s-1 (2 knots) and a cable angle of 60º on the horizon. The datasets comprise larval and juvenile cod morphometric measurements, hatch dates, growth, and stomach content.