In 2021, the Canada Coast Guard (CCG) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) updated its administrative boundaries following the creation a new Arctic region.There are now 7 administrative regions in DFO (Pacific, Arctic, Ontario and Prairie, Quebec, Gulf, Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador). DFO and Coast Guard Arctic Regions developed these regions in partnership with the people they serve; this important decision will lead to stronger programs and services to better meet the unique needs of our Arctic communities.DFO and CCG operations and research cover Canada's land and waters to the international boundaries (EEZ) and are in no way limited to the boundaries drawn in the map.

Evaluation reports The department periodically conducts evaluations of Global Affairs Canada priorities, programs and projects. Evaluation serves as a practical management tool for reviewing performance of programs and activities. The information gathered through an evaluation helps improve the design as well as the implementation of upcoming programs and initiatives. A report is generated for each evaluation conducted.

The Fish and Wildlife Stewardship regional boundaries divides the province into three areas: Northeast, Northwest and South. The areas were created using the existing boundaries of Wildlife Management Units (WMUs). These boundaries are to be used to determine juridiction between each Fish and Wildlife Stewardship Region.

The spatial planning framework for Canada's national network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is comprised of 13 ecologically defined bioregions that cover Canada's oceans and the Great Lakes. Note that the geographic boundaries for the bioregions are fuzzy and may change based on ecosystemic conditions. Detailed descriptions and discussions on the federal network of marine bioregions can be found in: - DFO. 2009. Development of a Framework and Principles for the Biogeographic Classification of Canadian Marine Areas. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2009/056 (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/publications/sar-as/2009/2009_056-eng.htm); - DFO. 2010. Proceedings of a National Science Advisory Process to Provide Guidance on the Development of a Framework and Principles for the Biogeographic Classification of Canadian Marine Areas; 15-16 June 2009. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Proceed. Ser. 2009/039. (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas-sccs/publications/pro-cr/2009/2009_039-eng.htm); and - National Framework for Canada's Network of Marine Protected Areas (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceans/publications/mpanf-cnzpm/page01-eng.html).

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) statistical unit areas (also referred to as unit areas) are smaller portions of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Subareas, Divisions, and Subdivisions defined in the Convention on Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (2020). The spatial representation of boundaries defined by NAFO has recently been updated to address inconsistencies and errors in earlier versions, which is available here: https://open.canada.ca/data/dataset/59af1c96-fc8f-4fa0-b398-d65e953eadaa#comment-41855. Unit areas are used by DFO for a variety of purposes including, but not limited to stock assessments, privacy screening of fisheries maps, and statistical analyses. Unit areas were originally defined throughout the 1940s and 1950s. Subsequently, several revisions and alternate versions were created by DFO in various regions leading to inconsistencies in spatial extent and naming conventions. These changes have not been formally documented. The datasets often have topological errors such as gaps and overlaps, especially along diagonals and coastlines. In addition, inconsistencies have arisen from conflicting interpretations of the NAFO divisions, where not all land points are defined by coordinates. Therefore, DFO, with input from the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS), has created an updated version of the DFO unit areas file to address inconsistencies and errors among previous versions. The recently updated NAFO divisions were used as the basis for an updated DFO unit areas file. This version of the DFO unit areas must not be used for legal purposes. Legal descriptions of fishing area boundaries can be found in the Atlantic Fisheries Regulations, Maritime Provinces Fishery Regulations, and DFO License Conditions.

Three marine spatial planning areas are delineated in Eastern Canada to define the spatial extents of marine spatial plans being led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO): the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL), the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Shelves, and the Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy. The EGSL planning area includes the St. Lawrence River estuary from northeast of Île d’Orléans, Quebec, the Saguenay River estuary, and the entire Gulf of St. Lawrence as far north as the Strait of Belle Isle (NAFO Divisions 4RST). The NL Shelves planning area includes areas off southern, eastern and northern Newfoundland, part of the Churchill River and Lake Melville, as well as off the Labrador coast to the extent of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) (NAFO Divisions 2GHJ and 3KLNOP). The Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy planning area includes DFO Maritimes’ administrative region off the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia to the extent of the EEZ, the Bay of Fundy and the Canadian portion of the Gulf of Maine (NAFO Divisions 4VWX, 5Ze, and the Canadian portion of 5Y). The French EEZ for St. Pierre et Miquelon is excluded from the three planning areas. These planning areas are derived from Federal Marine Bioregions (https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/23eb8b56-dac8-4efc-be7c-b8fa11ba62e9) that were developed by a Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat process using ecosystem-based management principles to define 13 ecological bioregions that have informed but not directed DFO implementation of marine spatial planning.