Census of Environment: The value of selected ocean and coastal ecosystem services, 2023
Released: 2026-01-21
Canadians received ecosystem services from oceans and coastal areas valued at $7.1 billion in 2023. This new release from the Census of Environment helps to understand the value of benefits that oceans provide to society and the economy.
In 2023, ocean and coastal ecosystems provided services such as carbon sequestration valued at $5.5 billion, harvested wild fish and seafood valued at $1.2 billion, and nature-based tourism valued at $458 million.
These estimates introduce experimental valuation of ecosystem services in monetary terms following the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting—Ecosystem Accounting.
Monetary values published, along with physical values, can provide a clearer assessment of the importance of ecosystems to human and economic activity. This release expands on the ocean and coastal ecosystem extent and condition accounts, already developed as part of the Census of Environment, and highlights the links among these accounts.
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Measuring the physical benefits from ocean and coastal ecosystems
In 2023, just under 640 kilotonnes of wild fish and seafood was commercially harvested from Canada's oceans, down by almost one-quarter (-23.3%) from 2016. Tracking biomass provisioning in physical terms over time provides important information to understand nature's contributions to people, as well as to assess sustainable use of natural assets.
Blue carbon sequestration is the biological processes by which ocean and coastal ecosystems capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in vegetation, water and sediment. It is essential for global climate regulation and is another important benefit provided by these ecosystems.
In 2023, an estimated 22,098 kilotonnes of carbon fixed by phytoplankton in the ocean was ultimately stored in the deep ocean for long periods. This carbon sequestration is impacted by ocean conditions, such as sea surface temperatures that affect marine food webs.
In addition, coastal ecosystems such as seagrass meadows, salt marshes and kelp forests sequestered 858 kilotonnes of carbon in 2023, out of which 497 kilotonnes were sequestered in the Arctic, 222 kilotonnes in the Pacific and 139 kilotonnes in the Atlantic oceans.
Nature provides recreation services, including contributions to tourism
In 2023, an estimated 64 million nature-based tourism days were related to ocean and coastal ecosystems, up nearly 1 million days (+1.4%) from 2018. In the coastal regions of the Arctic, nature-based tourism rose from 0.3 million days in 2018 to 0.5 million days in 2023, representing a 66.7% increase over the period.
Nature-based tourism is an aspect of the ecosystem recreation services. These services include the opportunities that ecosystems provide for recreation and leisure activities, such as hiking, sightseeing or sea kayaking, which contribute to human well-being and enjoyment.
Coastal recreation services also benefit local communities. In 2021, 982,179 Canadians lived within one kilometre of a salt marsh, seagrass meadow or kelp forest, up from 927,823 in 2016.
Expanding protected ocean and coastal areas in 2024
The share of Canada's ocean area that is protected or conserved rose from 14.6% in 2023 to 15.5% in 2024, due to the creation of a large Marine Protected Area. This new protected area accounts for roughly 2.3% of all protected and conserved ocean area nationally.
Canada has committed to conserving one-quarter of its oceans by 2025 and is working toward conserving 30% by 2030.
Note to readers
Statistics Canada's Census of Environment reports on ecosystems in Canada and provides information to help Canadians make informed decisions in support of healthy ecosystems and the sustainable use of natural capital. It tracks natural capital assets, including the size and health of ecosystems, and measures the ways they contribute to Canadians' well-being.
New data for ocean and coastal ecosystem services in physical and monetary terms are now available in tables 38-10-0189-01, 38-10-0190-01, 38-10-0190-02 and 38-10-0190-03. Data on protected and conserved ocean and coastal ecosystem extent account have been updated in table 38-10-0157-01, allowing for historical comparison of ocean conservation efforts. This release also includes new analysis in "Ecosystem spotlight—oceans" and an infographic "How oceans benefit Canadians."
Monetary values of ecosystem services are experimental. These estimates reveal values embedded in market transactions and are limited to a subset of ocean and coastal ecosystem services. The estimates were compiled in line with the United Nations System of Environmental-Economic Accounting—Ecosystem Accounting, which provides guidelines on accounting for ecosystem services in monetary terms.
This compilation of ocean and coastal ecosystem accounts illustrate ongoing efforts to measure ecosystem extent, condition and their contributions to benefits enjoyed by people. Efforts will be made to improve and expand these accounts and statistics over time as new data and methods become available.
For more information, see "Canadian System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounts."
Products
The study "Ecosystem spotlight - oceans" is now available in EnviroStats (16-002-X).
The infographic "How oceans benefit Canadians" is now available in the series Statistics Canada – Infographics (11-627-M).
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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