Canada's Oceans Strategy

Dr. Joseph MacInnis, author, explorer and marine conservationist describing his encounter with a 50 Tonne bowhead whale off the coast of Alaska:

"...It was at that moment that I got the sense of how old the ocean was and how old creatures are. And that we, humans, for all our vaunted technology are just trespassers. We're temporary, we belong to the land. And so, that was a moment of great understanding of the oldness and size of this thing we call ocean."

An ever-increasing number of demands are being placed on our oceans and their resources. Aquaculture, oil and gas exploration and development, and eco-tourism have joined traditional fishing and marine transportation as significant ocean industries.

The challenge is to support this growth in activity, which support jobs and gives Canada an important economic boost, with a strong commitment to maintaining and enhancing the well-being of our marine environment.

Canada's Oceans Strategy will help Canada to meet this challenge by:

• Moving to an integrated, comprehensive vision for ocean management
  
• Taking advantage of economic opportunities while integrating social and environmental goals, and
  
• Giving Canadians an opportunity to become engaged in decisions affecting Canada's three oceans.

The sustainable development and integrated management of our oceans requires the help and ideas of local communities, industries, Aboriginal peoples, provinces and territories, environmental groups and other interests. Canadians across the country have demonstrated a high level of commitment to the conservation, protection, and responsible management of Canada's oceans. Canada's Oceans Strategy will assist in strengthening this collaborative effort.

The Strategy's accompanying document, the Policy and Operational Framework for Integrated Management of Estuarine, Coastal and Marine Environments in Canada, is a working document for Canada's oceans community. It is intended to foster discussion about Integrated Management approaches. It sets out policy in the legislative context, along with concepts and principles that will underpin the implementation of new integrated management approaches to oceans governance.

These two documents provide a means for Canadians to work together to protect and manage our oceans for both present and future generations.

We have provided a form for Canadians to tell us how they see themselves working together to improve the management of Canada's oceans resources.