The Institute of Ocean Sciences is one of a network of nine major scientific facilities across Canada operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.  Located in Sidney, approximately 30 km from Victoria, the Institute is home to scientists, technicians, support staff and ships' crews whose common interests are the coastal waters of British Columbia, the Northeast Pacific Ocean, the Western Arctic and navigable waters east to the Manitoba, Saskatchewan border.

IOS overlooks Patricia Bay, at the west end of Victoria International Airport.  The town of Sidney, at the east end of the airport, is approximately 30km north of Victoria, about 75km across the Strait of Georgia from Vancouver, and about 100km across Juan de Fuca Strait and Puget Sound from Seattle, Washington, USA.  Swartz Bay, a few kilometers north of IOS and Sidney, is the place where the Vancouver car ferries berth.  This makes IOS easily accessible by land, air or sea.

Science divisions at IOS include:

• Canadian Hydrographic Service

• Salmon and Freshwater Ecosystems

• Ocean Sciences

Other Departments and organizations at the IOS facility include:

• GSC Pacific - Sidney Pacific Geoscience Centre
• Canadian Wildlife Service
• Canadian Coast Guard
• North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES)
• IOS Staff Association