Overview of departmental regions

Significant regional presence

• DFO (seven regions and NCR)
• Coast Guard (four regions and NCR)
• Over 75 per cent of employees work in the regions delivering services directly to Canadians; often the main or only federal presence in coastal communities
• In 2018, DFO and Coast Guard established new Arctic regions to advance Indigenous reconciliation and to reflect the Arctic’s economic and environmental importance to Canada

Note: boundaries for the new Arctic regions are being determined.

DFO – Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) region

Regional HQ & Lab facilities

• St. John’s, NL

Three area offices

• Grand Falls-Windsor
• Corner Brook
• Happy Valley-Goose Bay

plus 14 satellite offices, Conservation & eight Protection (C&P) detachments

Key priorities:

• Rebuilding Northern Cod to support a sustainable and commercially viable fishery
• Implementing a Precautionary Approach for Snow Crab in consultation with industry
• Advancing Marine Spatial Planning in collaboration with the Government of NL

The region has 625 employees and an operating budget of $78.7 million. Responsibilities include part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and three international boundaries: Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Regulatory Area; Saint-Pierre et Miquelon (France); and, Greenland.

• 29,000 km of coastline and 2.5 million square km of continental shelf
• Three marine protected areas (MPAs): Eastport; Gilbert Bay; and, Laurentian Channel
• 337 small craft harbours and approximately 4,300 active fishing vessels
• Approximately 15,882 individuals employed by the fishery and aquaculture sectors and a total landed value of $789 million (2018)
• Top species: snow crab and shrimp (combined value of $544 million)
• Total value of aquaculture (2018): $204 million (94 per cent from salmon)

DFO – Maritimes region

Regional HQ

• Dartmouth, NS

Three area offices

• Sydney, NS
• Yarmouth, NS
• St. George, NB

Two research institutes

• Bedford Institute of Oceanography
• St. Andrews Biological Station plus 19 C&P detachments, two science facilities

Key priorities:

• Advancing rights, treaty recognition and reconciliation through a coordinated strategy
• Advancing marine spatial planning
• Promoting partnerships and collaboration on ocean research and management
• Delivering the $400 million Atlantic Fisheries Fund

The region has approximately 867 employees and an operating budget of $88.5 million. It accounts for 37% of the total landed value of Canada’s commercial fisheries.

• Eastern and southwest Nova Scotia, and southwest New Brunswick
• Three MPAs: The Gully; Musquash Estuary; and, St. Ann’s Bank plus two Areas of Interest (AOI) and an advanced bioregion conservation network
• 178 small craft harbours and 3,110 active vessels
• Approximately 12,500 fish harvesters and a total landed value of $1.4 billion (2018)
• Top three species: lobster ($818 million); snow crab ($70 million); scallop ($40 million)
• Total value of aquaculture production (2017): $356 million

DFO – Gulf region

Regional HQ

• Moncton, NB

Three area offices

• Tracadie, NB
• Antigonish, NS
• Charlottetown, PEI

Three research facilities

• Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre
• National Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory
• Federal facility for live aquatic animal health research plus eight C&P Detachments & 11 Sub-detachments

Key priorities:

• Balancing the protection of endangered North Atlantic right whales (NARW) with stakeholder relationships
• Advancing negotiations/dialogue with Indigenous communities to improve fisheries access

The region has 489 employees and an operating budget of $50.6 million. It has one of the country’s most productive marine areas with 30 commercially fished species.

• 7,000 km of coastline, and includes waters adjacent to New Brunswick’s eastern coast, the Northumberland Strait coast of Nova Scotia, western Cape Breton Island, and Prince Edward Island
• 120 SCHs and more than 4,000 registered fishing vessels
• One MPA: Basin Head
• Approximately 11,263 fish harvesters and a total landed value of $663 million (2018)
• Top species: lobster ($409 million); snow crab ($209 million)

DFO – Quebec region (QC)

Regional HQ

• Quebec City, QC

Three area offices

• Sept-Îles
• Gaspé
• Cap-aux-Meules plus five district offices in Côte-Nord and Gaspésie

One research institute

• Maurice Lamontagne Institute

Key priorities:

• Balancing NARW protection measures with stakeholder relationships
• Implementing marine protected areas (MPAs) in partnership with the QC government 
• Negotiating/implementing rights-based reconciliation agreements with Indigenous Peoples

The region has 575 employees and an operating budget of $73.9 million. It manages the Quebec Fisheries Fund.

• Province of Quebec and a large part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence
• 91 SCHs, where 90% of region’s commercial fisheries are landed
• One MPA: Banc-des-Américains
• Approximately 7,000 fish harvesters and a total landed value of $342 million (2018)
• Top three species: snow crab ($169 million); lobster ($116 million); shrimp ($28 million)
• Total value of aquaculture production (2016): $11 million

DFO – Central and Arctic region

Regional offices

• Sarnia, ON
• Burlington, ON
• Winnipeg, MB

Eight local offices

• Edmonton, Regina, Sault Ste. Marie, Iqaluit, Yellowknife, Hay River, Inuvik

Three research institutes

• Canada Centre for Inland Waters
• Freshwater Institute
• Sea Lamprey Control Centre

The region has 775 employees, an operating budget of $90.6 million. The focus is on fisheries and marine conservation in the north; and preserving biodiversity in the south.

• Four provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario) plus Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the North slope of the Yukon
• 167 SCHs
• Three MPAs: Anguniaqvia niqiqyuam; Tarium Niryutait; and, Tuvaijuittuq
• Approximately 3,891 fish harvesters and a total landed value of $272 million (2017)
• Top species (north): Greenland Halibut; Northern Shrimp; Whitefish and Lake Trout (for the Great Slave Lake fishery)
• Total value of aquaculture production (south, 2017): $45 million

DFO – Pacific region

Regional HQ

• Vancouver, BC

Four area offices

• South Coast
• Fraser and Interior
• North Coast
• Yukon and Transboundary

Three research institutes

• Institute of Ocean Sciences
• Pacific Biological Station
• Cultus Lake Salmon Research Lab

Key priorities:

• Supporting recovery of wild salmon and steelhead trout
• Mitigating potential impacts of Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) through the Oceans Protection Plan (OPP)
• Advancing Indigenous Reconciliation through consultations, treaty negotiations, and collaborative development

The region has 1,530 employees and an operating budget of $154.7 million. It manages the BC Salmon Restoration & Innovation Fund and the Salmon Enhancement Program.

• 27,000km of coastline plus 105 river systems (from Old Crow flats in Yukon to the southern tip of Vancouver Island)
• 104 SCHs
• Three MPAs: Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents; SG̲áan K̲ínghlas-Bowie Seamount; and, Hectate Strait
• Approximately 5,462 commercial harvesters and a total landed value of $410 million (2017)*
• Top three wild species: halibut ($59 million); salmon ($55 million); and crab ($51 million)
• Total value of aquaculture production (2017): $768 million (90 per cent from Atlantic salmon)
• The recreational and sport fishery generates over $1 billion each year in economic value

* This excludes First Nations communal commercial licenses and recreational harvesting licenses (over 340,000)

Coast Guard – Atlantic region

Regional office

• St. John’s, NL

The region spans NB, NS, PEI, and NL, with a Search and Rescue (SAR) zone extending halfway across the Atlantic.

Key priorities:

• Enhancing connectivity for all Coast Guard Atlantic region 
• Supporting key partners (e.g., Indigenous communities, scientific community)
• Infrastructure investments to support an engaged workforce, enhanced service, and program delivery

The region has 1,840 employees and an operating budget of $135.9 million.

Regional assets:

• 15 large vessels
• 12 small vessels
• 15 SAR lifeboats
• 9 helicopters
• 3 operational bases
• 14 SAR stations
• 9 seasonal inshore rescue boat (IRB) stations
• 5 marine communication & traffic service (MCTS) centres
• 5 staffed environmental response (ER) depots
• 1,599 fixed aids
• 5,076 floating aids
• 24 staffed lighthouses

Coast Guard – Central and Arctic region

Regional office

• Montreal, QC

The region covers the St. Lawrence River, Gulf of St. Lawrence (Northern Area), Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and the Arctic coast up to Alaska.

Key priorities:

• Recruitment, outreach, and reconciliation
• Long-term planning, ROI analysis, and project management conception application
• Ensuring levels of service are attained in waterway management and icebreaking

The region has 1,370 employees and an operating budget of $122.2 million. It will continue to deliver programs and services along the Arctic coast until the Arctic region’s boundaries are defined.

Regional assets:

• 6 large vessels
• 15 small vessels
• 18 SAR lifeboats
• 7 helicopters
• 2 hovercraft
• 11 operational bases
• 15 SAR stations
• 13 IRB stations
• 5 MCTS centres
• 4,614 floating aids
• 2,187 fixed aids

Coast Guard – Western region

Regional office

• Victoria, BC

The region spans the entire BC coastline, and includes Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba and the McKenzie River in the NWT.

Key priorities:

• Implementing the OPP
• Building Indigenous partnerships with 60 plus coastal First Nations 
• Supporting key partners (e.g., industry, Indigenous communities, US Coast Guard)

The region has 1,164 employees and an operating budget of $93.4 million. It sees almost 50 per cent of all marine communications and traffic services (MCTS) in Canada.

Regional assets:

• 5 large vessels
• 13 small vessels
• 13 SAR vessels
• 6 helicopters
• 2 hovercrafts
• 7 operational bases
• 13 SAR stations
• 4 IRB stations
• 2 MCTS centres
• 5 ER depots
• 2,100 fixed aids
• 1,756 floating aids
• 27 staffed lightstations

The Arctic region

• DFO and Coast Guard Arctic regions were announced in October 2018 in collaboration with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and other Arctic leaders
• Working with partners to co-develop the priorities, programs, and geographical scope of the new region
• Arctic region is taking the lead on several key priorities

DFO

• Regional HQ: Rankin Inlet, NU
• Budget: $2M (request for long-term funding under development)
• Staffing: 11 FTE plus 7 casual

Key priorities

• Ongoing development of the Region (e.g., boundaries delineation, governance, staffing)
• Co-development of the Nunavut Fisheries Regulations
• Marine conservation
• Baffinland environmental assessment

Coast Guard

• Regional Office: Yellowknife, NWT
• Budget: $5 million
• Staffing: 40 FTE plus 14 seasonal FTE for Arctic operations

Key priorities

• Ongoing development of the region’s boundaries
• Increasing capacity & employment opportunities
• Strengthening relationships & service delivery in the North
• Advancing Northern Low-Impact Shipping Corridors
• Expanding the Coast Guard Auxiliary and Indigenous Community Boat Volunteer Program
• Expanding the Inuit Marine Monitoring Program (IMMP)