Language selection

Search

Maritimes Regional Oceans Plan

DFO has developed a Regional Oceans Plan to provide a consistent approach to its Oceans Program in the Maritimes Region. The plan serves as an important source of information, guidance, and support for DFO priority setting and decision making associated with oceans and coastal management. The plan also fulfills DFO’s responsibility under the Oceans Act to develop and implement integrated management plans for marine areas and activities.

The Regional Oceans Plan is composed of three related documents:

The plan represents an evolution of previous oceans management efforts within the Maritimes Region, including that of the Eastern Scotian Shelf Integrated Management (ESSIM) Initiative, which concluded in 2012. The plan draws on evaluations and lessons learned from ESSIM, as well as other initiatives in the Maritimes and beyond. The plan builds on this experience and focuses on the actions DFO will take to support Government of Canada, departmental, and interdepartmental priorities for oceans and coastal management.

Key priorities of the Regional Oceans Plan include:

The ocean is a shared resource and there are many visions of how marine space should best be used. Spatial planning – the process of analyzing ocean areas and planning for their use and conservation – is an important aspect of managing marine activities. Informed planning and decision making requires current information on the ocean ecosystem and the activities that occur there. State of the ocean reporting takes a detailed look at the ecosystem, human activities, and emerging issues for defined ocean areas. OCMD collaborates with other government and non-government partners on State of the Ocean Reports for the Scotian Shelf and the Gulf of Maine. The State of the Scotian Shelf and State of the Gulf of Maine reports provide readers with an overview of the area and information on key issues through a series of theme papers. The aim is to provide information on important ocean issues and trends to a broad range of audiences in a format that is current, accessible, and easy to understand.

More Information: Human Use Atlas

Date modified: