Benthos monitoring

The objective of benthos monitoring is to know the state of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in rivers according, in particular, to the composition of the substrate and the type of flow. Information on benthic macroinvertebrate samples collected at benthos monitoring stations is classified according to the benthos health index: iSBG for coarse-substrate streams and iSBM for soft-substrate streams. The Benthos Health Index (ISB) is a multimetric index based on benthic macroinvertebrates that assesses the biotic integrity of shallow streams.

The benthos monitoring dataset includes a layer of sampling stations sampled between 2003 and 2023 and a layer of drainage areas for each of the types of substrate, either coarse or loose. The drainage area attribute table also provides a compilation of land use by category for the last year available at the time of data production, i.e. the year 2020.This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated April 17, 2026, 17:37 (UTC)
Created April 17, 2026, 17:37 (UTC)
contact_email infocoursdeau@environnement.gouv.qc.ca
contact_person {"en": "Government and Municipalities of Québec; Government and Municipalities of Québec; Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs", "fr": "Gouvernement et municipalités du Québec; Gouvernement et municipalités du Québec; Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs"}
criticality_level []
data_dictionary EPSG:102100,EPSG,unknown
geographic_scope []
open_canada_collection fgp
open_canada_date_published 2018-02-19 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords {"en-t-fr": ["BQMA", "Benthique", "Organic", "Water", "HackQC18", "HackQC20", "HackQC22", "ISB", "Macroinvertebrates", "Government information"], "fr": ["BQMA", "Benthique", "Biologique", "Eau", "HackQC18", "HackQC20", "HackQC22", "ISB", "Macroinvertébrés", "Information gouvernementale"]}
open_canada_subject ["form_descriptors", "nature_and_environment", "science_and_technology"]
sensitivity_level unrestricted
title_fr Suivi du benthos
update_frequency P1Y