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Fast facts: Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is the lead federal department on a wide range of activities that ensure the conservation, protection, and regeneration of Canada's fisheries and aquatic ecosystems.
DFO works with fish harvesters, coastal and Indigenous communities, and provincial and territorial partners to enable participation in the fisheries and continued prosperity from fish and seafood.
DFO's programs and services support four overarching priority areas: fisheries, aquatic ecosystems, marine navigation, and marine operations and response.
DFO and its special operating agency, the Canadian Coast Guard, also play key roles in keeping Canadian waters safe and secure by responding to maritime incidents such as search-and-rescue and environmental emergencies, and by maintaining waterways year-round so they are safely navigable by mariners and all Canadians.
The Department has approximately 15,000 employees.
In addition to the National Capital Region, DFO comprises seven regions (Arctic, Gulf, Maritimes, Newfoundland & Labrador, Quebec, Pacific, and Ontario and Prairies), with an additional four Coast Guard regions (Central, Western, Atlantic, and Arctic).
Over 83 per cent of DFO employees work outside the National Capital Region to deliver direct services to Canadians.

Marine sectors contributed $50.8 billion or 1.8 per cent to Canada's GDP in 2023.
Marine tourism and recreation was the largest contributor to GDP in 2023 at $11.9 billion. Offshore oil production contributed $8.6 billion, commercial fish and seafood industries (harvest, processing and aquaculture) contributed $8.0 billion, and marine transportation contributed $9.3 billion.
After a particularly strong year in 2021, supported by heightened post-pandemic spending, fish and seafood exports declined two years in a row as governments and central banks enacted policies to curb inflation. As inflation returned to target levels, exports grew once again. At $8.1 billion in 2024, fish and seafood continue to be among the largest single food commodities exported by Canada.
The U.S. remains Canada's largest export market, valued at $5.5 billion in 2024 (68 per cent).
In 2024, lobster ($2.9 billion), crab ($1.6 billion, mainly snow/queen), salmon ($1.2 billion, 79 per cent farmed Atlantic salmon), and shrimp ($347 million) were Canada’s largest seafood exports. These four species accounted for 76 per cent of total seafood exports by value and 57 per cent by volume.
Nationally, ocean-based recreational fisheries are much smaller and contribute 2 per cent of marine economy output, but remain a key economic driver for communities, particularly on the west coast.