How oceans benefit Canadians

Release date: January 21, 2026

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Infographic: How oceans benefit Canadians — Description: How oceans benefit Canadians

The Census of Environment organizes data on ecosystems, like those found in oceans, through natural capital accounts. This helps us to understand how nature, society and the economy are interconnected and to examine the costs and benefits of conservation, development and use of resources.

Natural capital accounts provide information on the extent and condition of ecosystems, the services they provide and their value.^{Note 1}

**Extent:** Canada has 5.8 million km² of ocean area.

**Condition:** Canada’s oceans have warmed since 1982.

**Ecosystem services:** In 2023, 638 kilotonnes of wild fish and seafood were harvested commercially from Canada’s oceans.

**Estimated value:** Commercial fishing, carbon sequestration and nature-based tourism—three ecosystem services provided by oceans—were valued at $7.1 billion in 2023. Commercial fishing represented $1.2 billion of this amount.

Changes in the extent and condition of ocean ecosystems can impact the services they provide to humans.

Ecosystems like seagrass meadows provide shelter and nursery habitats for marine wildlife such as fish, crustaceans and mollusks. They also sequester carbon in coastal sediment.

Table 1 Table summary
The information is grouped by Marine bioregion (appearing as row headers), , calculated using (appearing as column headers).

Marine bioregion Seagrass meadow (km²) Average 10-year ocean warming since 1982 (°C)

Note *

Covers the period from 1982 to 2014.

Return to note * referrer

Note **

A statistically significant trend could not be identified based on the available data.

Return to note ** referrer

Strait of Georgia 163 0.36

Southern Shelf 70 0.13

Offshore Pacific 0 0.15

Northern Shelf 251 0.19

Arctic Archipelago 0 ^{Table 1 Note **}

Western Arctic^{Table 1 Note *} 1 0.13

Arctic Basin 0 ^{Table 1 Note **}

Eastern Arctic^{Table 1 Note *} 1 0.19

Hudson Bay Complex 254 0.18

Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves 16 0.33

Scotian Shelf 279 0.53

Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence 527 0.33

Warming oceans can affect fish and seafood **directly** (e.g., decreased reproduction) and **indirectly** (e.g., changes to their habitat). This could impact their future contribution to the economy and food supply.

Harvested fish and seafood, 2023 Table summary
The information is grouped by Province (appearing as row headers), , calculated using (appearing as column headers).

Province Amount in kilotonnes Estimated value ($ million)

Newfoundland and Labrador 193 338

Prince Edward Island 28 168

Nova Scotia 223 327

New Brunswick 51 128

Quebec 43 124

British Columbia 100 89

**Sources:** Statistics Canada, 2026, “Ecosystem spotlight—Oceans,” *EnviroStats*, Catalogue no. 16-002-X; Statistics Canada, 2025, “Census of Environment: Ocean condition account,” *The Daily*; Statistics Canada, table 38-10-0153-01 – Ocean and coastal ecosystem extent account; table 38-10-0171-01 – Ecosystem services, biomass provisioning services by ecosystem type and type of product; table 38-10-0190-03 – Ocean and coastal ecosystem services: Experimental monetary measures, provinces and territories.

Footnote

Footnote 1.

In this infographic, extent refers to the size and location of ocean and coastal ecosystems, condition is an indicator of an ocean ecosystem’s health, ecosystem services provide information on the direct contributions of oceans to humans and the economy, while estimated value indicates the direct economic value of each ecosystem service in dollars.

Return to note 1 referrer

Table 1 Table summary
The information is grouped by Marine bioregion (appearing as row headers), , calculated using (appearing as column headers).
Marine bioregion	Seagrass meadow (km²)	Average 10-year ocean warming since 1982 (°C)
Note * Covers the period from 1982 to 2014. Return to note * referrer Note A statistically significant trend could not be identified based on the available data. Return to note  referrer
Strait of Georgia	163	0.36
Southern Shelf	70	0.13
Offshore Pacific	0	0.15
Northern Shelf	251	0.19
Arctic Archipelago	0	^{Table 1 Note **}
Western Arctic^{Table 1 Note *}	1	0.13
Arctic Basin	0	^{Table 1 Note **}
Eastern Arctic^{Table 1 Note *}	1	0.19
Hudson Bay Complex	254	0.18
Newfoundland-Labrador Shelves	16	0.33
Scotian Shelf	279	0.53
Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence	527	0.33

Harvested fish and seafood, 2023 Table summary
The information is grouped by Province (appearing as row headers), , calculated using (appearing as column headers).
Province	Amount in kilotonnes	Estimated value ($ million)
Newfoundland and Labrador	193	338
Prince Edward Island	28	168
Nova Scotia	223	327
New Brunswick	51	128
Quebec	43	124
British Columbia	100	89

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Copyright

Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

Ottawa

Date modified:: 2026-01-21

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How oceans benefit Canadians