Ecologically and Biologically Significant Marine Areas in Canada

Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) are geospatial polygons identifying marine zones of special biological or ecological importance within Canada's oceans. The dataset is produced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada through formal scientific assessments incorporating species data, physical conditions, and traditional knowledge. It was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Identify areas with high 'Uniqueness' or 'Naturalness' scores for prioritizing Marine Protected Area (MPA) network design.
• Route submarine cables or plan marine infrastructure by avoiding polygons flagged for high 'Aggregation' of species or 'Fitness consequence' as spawning grounds.
• Assess regional human impact by analyzing the 'Naturalness' criterion across different Large Ocean Management Areas (LOMAs).
• Model species distribution by correlating EBSA boundaries with underlying data on fish, marine mammals, seabirds, and marine productivity.

Strengths

• Polygons are defined using five nationally-established science-based criteria (Uniqueness, Aggregation, Fitness consequence, Naturalness, Resilience).
• Identification process incorporates traditional knowledge from community members and harvesters to complement scientific data.
• Data is served in multiple standard geospatial formats including SHP and ESRI REST.

Limitations

• Spatial coverage is incomplete, as EBSAs have been identified only for large portions, not all, of Canada's oceans.
• The assessment relies on 'existing knowledge', indicating potential data gaps for some regions.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Collection Method

Identified through a two-phase process: compiling scientific data and traditional knowledge, then assessing against five national criteria.

Freshness

Updated March 2026.

Geography

Canada's oceans, including five Large Ocean Management Areas (LOMAs) and twelve marine bioregions.