Our place in DFO

CHS is in the Science Sector of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). It operates from a Headquarters in Ottawa and five regional locations; Sidney (British Columbia), Burlington (Ontario), Mont Joli (Québec), Dartmouth (Nova Scotia), and St. John's (Newfoundland and Labrador). Although the Service is highly decentralized, the CHS program is clearly recognized as a national program with a national planning framework and national priority setting.

CHS is responsible for charting Canada's 243,792 kilometres of coastline (the longest of any country in the world) and 6.55 million square kilometres of continental shelf and territorial waters (the second largest in the world) and an extensive system of inland waterways. Canada borders on the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans. The Canadian merchant fleet in Canada totals 1200 vessels with another 22,000 coastal and inland commercial vessels and Canadians take to the water in almost 2 million pleasure craft. This requires a safe and efficient national marine navigation system.

This site is maintained by the Canadian Hydrographic Service.