Book 1, Tab B3 - Regional Profiles (Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Canadian Coast Guard)

On this page

• DFO Administrative Regions
• DFO – Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Region
• DFO – Maritimes Region
• DFO – Gulf Region
• DFO – Quebec Region (QC)
• DFO – Ontario and Prairie Region
• DFO – Arctic Region
• DFO – Pacific Region
• Coast Guard – Atlantic Region
• Coast Guard – Central
• Coast Guard – Western Region
• Coast Guard – Arctic Region

DFO Administrative Regions

Description:

The Arctic Region is inclusive of the Yukon North slope, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and Hudson and James Bay. This boundary is inclusive of Inuit Nunangat.

The Pacific Region consists of British-Columbia and Yukon, minus the Yukon slope.

The Ontario and Prairie Region consists of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The Quebec Region consists of Quebec, minus the Nunavik region in northern Quebec.
The Gulf Region extends from the New Brunswick-Quebec border to the northern tip of Cape Breton.

The Maritimes Region extends from the northern tip of Cape Breton to the New Brunswick-Maine border

The Newfoundland and Labrador Region consists of Newfoundland and Labrador, minus the Nunatsiavut region in Labrador.

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

18 Conservation & Protection (C&P) detachments and satellite offices

The region has 706 employees and an operating budget of $182.4 million (current 2022/23 all votes). 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.

• Province of NL has 29,000 km of coastline and ~18% of Canada’s total ocean area
• Three Marine Protected Areas and 11 Marine Refuges towards Marine Conservation Targets
• 317 small craft harbours and approximately 4,000 active fishing vessels
• Approximately 17,500 individuals employed by the fishery and aquaculture sectors.
• Total landed value of the commercial fishery was $1.1 billion in 2021; expected to be in a similar range in 2022.
• Top commercial species include Snow crab, shrimp, and lobster.
• Total value of aquaculture in 2021 was $189 million.

DFO – Maritimes Region

Regional HQ

• Dartmouth, NS

Three Area Offices

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

Two Research Institutes

• Bedford Institute of Oceanography (Regional HQ)
• St. Andrews Biological Station

+ 19 C&P sites, two biodiversity facilities

The region has approximately 986 employees and an operating budget of $101.8 million. It accounts for 40% of the total landed value of Canada’s commercial fisheries (2020).

• Eastern and southwest Nova Scotia, and southwest New Brunswick
• Three MPAs: The Gully; Musquash Estuary; and, St. Anns Bank + Two Areas of Interest (AOI) and an advanced bioregional conservation network planning process
• 172 small craft harbours and 3,650 active vessels
• Approximately 11,495 fish harvesters and a total landed value of ~$1.64 billion (2021, preliminary)
• Top three species:
• lobster ($1 billion (2021, preliminary));
• snow crab ($171 million (2021, preliminary));
• scallop ($153 million (2021, preliminary))
• Total value of finfish aquaculture production (2020): $205 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

+ 8 C&P Detachments & 11 Sub-detachments

The region has 550 employees and an operating budget of $79 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
• 114 SCHs and approximately 3,900 registered fishing vessels
• One MPA: Basin Head

• Approximately 11,959 fish harvesters and a total landed value of $1.04 billion (2021)
• Top species: lobster ($683 million); snow crab ($314 million)
• Total value of shellfish aquaculture production (2020): $49.7 million. The Gulf Region is the predominant region for shellfish aquaculture production in the Maritime provinces. PEI shellfish aquaculture represents 60% of the national production.

DFO – Quebec Region (QC)

Regional HQ

• Quebec City, QC

Three Area Offices

• Sept-Îles
• Gaspé
• Cap-aux-Meules

+ five district offices in Côte-Nord and Gaspésie

One Research Institute

• Maurice Lamontagne Institute

The region has 633 employees and an operating budget of $109M. It manages the Quebec Fisheries Fund.

• Province of Quebec and a large part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence
• 94 SCHs, where 90% of region’s commercial fisheries are landed (2021)
• One MPA: Banc-des-Américains
• Approximately 1,000 active fish harvesters and a total landed value of $447 million (2021)
• Top three species: lobster ($207 million); snow crab ($184 million); shrimp ($25 million)
• Total value of aquaculture production (2019): $12.3 million

DFO – Ontario and Prairie Region

Regional Offices

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

Local Offices

• Edmonton, Regina, Sault Ste. Marie

Three Research Institutes

• Canada Centre for Inland Waters
• Freshwater Institute
• Great Lakes Forestry Centre

The region has 710 employees located in four provinces and in the north, with an operating budget of $117.1M. It has a focus on freshwater and protecting aquatic biodiversity.

• 18% of world’s freshwater
• 63% of Canada’s GDP
• 57% of pop’n
• 63% of First Nations and 65% of Metis populations in Canada
• 155 small craft harbours, supporting commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishing
• 46% of DFO’s total^{Footnote 1} Fish and Fish Habitat Protection files; numerous major projects (e.g., Baffinland iron ore mine; Keeyask hydroelectric generating station); 55 SARA-listed species; AIS prevention/control
• Total value of aquaculture production (south, 2017): $45 million
• Direct expenditures attributable to recreational fishing (2015): over $1.4 billion
• Total landed value of commercial fishing (2018): $74 million (Great Lakes - $42M; FFMC - $32M)
• Canadian hydrographic services is a national program but staff report to the region.

DFO – Arctic Region

Regional HQ

• Rankin Inlet, Nunavut

Additional Offices

• Iqaluit, NU
• Yellowknife, NWT
• Hay River, NWT
• Inuvik, NWT
• The region consists of the Yukon North Slope, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and Hudson and James Bay

The region has 85 employees and an operating budget of $25 M - both expected to more than double in the coming year^{Footnote 2}. Staff in the NWT, Nunavut, and the south. Strong push for additional offices in Nunavik and Nunatsiavut.

• ~175,000 km of coastline
• Creation of region advances reconciliation
• Co-management under land claims

• Three MPAs:
• Anguniaqvia niqiqyuam
• Tarium Niryutait
• Tuvaijuittuq

• 4 small craft harbours
• 2 new harbours in design/ construction
• Support for 2 new TC harbours

• Total landed value of commercial fishing (2018): ~$194 million
• Top species: Greenland Halibut and shrimp (2018): combined value of $188 million
• Subsistence fishing is culturally and economically important.
• Species: Arctic char; seal; walrus; beluga; narwhal.

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

The region has 2,244 employees, an operating budget of $284 million, a capital budget of $125 million and a grants and contributions budget of $198 million. It manages the BC Salmon Restoration & Innovation Fund and oversees the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative.

• 27,000 km of coastline + 105 river systems (Old Crow flats in Yukon to southern tip of Vancouver Island)
• 101 SCHs
• 3 MPAs: Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents, SG̲áan K̲ínghlas-Bowie Seamount, and Hectate Strait

• Approximately 4,975 commercial harvesters and a total landed value of $334 million (2020)
• Top wild species (2020): crab ($93 million); geoduck ($36 million); halibut ($35 million); hake ($33 million)
• Landed value of aquaculture (2020): $669 million (90 per cent from Atlantic salmon)
• The recreational fishing sector (including tidal and freshwater) generated over $1 billion in total revenues in 2016. Recent information indicates that the tidal and recreational fishery alone generated roughly $600 million in total revenues in 2021.

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.

The region has 2,207 employees and an operating budget of $275 million.

Regional Assets:

• 22 large vessels
• 6 small vessels
• 18 SAR lifeboats
• 8 helicopters
• 2 operational bases
• 2 Integrated Service Centres
• 16 SAR stations
• 9 seasonal inshore rescue boat (IRB) stations
• 5 marine communication & traffic service (MCTS) centres
• 5 staffed environmental response (ER) depots
• 1,597 fixed aids
• 5,245 floating aids
• 24 staffed lighthouses

Coast Guard – Central

Regional Office

• Montreal, QC

The region currently covers the five Great Lakes and their connecting channels, as well as the St. Lawrence River to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Source: Central Region Five year plan
The region has approximately 1,511 employees and an operating budget of $188 million.

Regional Assets:

• 8 large vessels
• 12 small vessels
• 19 SAR lifeboats
• 7 helicopters
• 2 hovercrafts
• 11 operational bases
• 15 lifeboat stations
• 13 inshore rescue stations
• 4 MCTS centres
• 4,641 floating aids
• 2,300 fixed aids 

Coast Guard – Western Region

Regional Office

• Victoria, BC

The region spans the entire BC coastline, and includes Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba; the region continues to support operations on the Mackenzie River in conjunction with the Arctic Region.

The region has 1,370 employees and an operating budget of $152 million for fiscal year 2021/22 ($20 million designated for OPP). It sees 53 per cent of all marine communications and traffic services (MCTS) in Canada and an annual average of 3500 SAR cases, 1200 pollution cases, with the reviewing of 350 VOC cases last year.

Regional Assets:

• 6 large vessels
• 16 small vessels
• 18 SAR vessels
• 7 helicopters
• 2 hovercrafts
• 2 emergency tow vessels
• 7 operational bases
• 15 SAR stations (2 more being built)
• 4 IRB stations
• 2 MCTS centres
• 5 ER depots
• 3,856 aids to navigation
• 27 staffed lightstations

Coast Guard – Arctic Region

Regional Office

• Yellowknife, NWT
• The region consists of the Yukon North Slope, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and Hudson and James Bay. Seasonal operations are provided for the Mackenzie River, NWT.
• Fully responsible for the delivery of all CCG programs and services within the boundary of Arctic Region as of April 2021.

The geographical boundaries for the Arctic Region were announced on March 5, 2021 and includes all of Inuit Nunangat. The region has 122 employees, and an operating budget of $23.5M. Increasing capacity and employment opportunities in the region continues to be a key priority.

Available Assets:

• 7-9 icebreakers
• 2 seasonal buoy tenders
• 6 ER vessels
• Up to 8 helicopters
• 1 operational base
• 1 Arctic Marine Response station
• 1 MCTS seasonal centre
• 2 staffed & 2 unstaffed ER depots
• 20 caches of ER equipment – with small response vessels
• 1 rapid air transportable
• 1,997 aids