483 Habitat Mapping and National Seafloor Mapping Strategies in Canada *R.A. Pickrill and V.E. Kostylev Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), Natural Resources Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 4A2, Canada *Corresponding author, E-mail: dpickril@nrcan.gc.ca Pickrill, R.A., and Kostylev, V.E., 2007, Habitat mapping and national seafloor mapping strategies in Canada, in Todd, B.J., and Greene, H.G., eds., Mapping the Seafloor for Habitat Characterization: Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 47, p. 483-495. Abstract Recognizing the need for improved management of Canada’s oceans, the Canadian government enacted Canada’s Oceans Act (1996). This legislation lays the framework for precautionary, sustainable management of our offshore lands, encapsulating the principles of conservation and ecosystem-based management, and laying the foundation for systematic marine habitat mapping. Demonstration projects from 1997 to 1999 in the Gulf of Maine proved the benefits of new seafloor mapping technolo- gy to ocean management, and led to the development of a national program to map Canada’s offshore lands. Many of the underlining principles guiding seafloor mapping and research directions within Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) have been developed through the last decade. In 2002, research in NRCan was reorganized to improve alignment with government priorities; the resulting Geoscience for Oceans Management Program (GOM, http://www.gom.nrcan.gc.ca) acknowledged the role that seafloor mapping can con- tribute to habitat characterization and environmental stewardship. In the federal budget of 2005, funding was secured through the Canada’s Oceans Action Plan to develop a national mapping strategy and extend mapping to priority areas across the country. With one of the world’s largest offshore territories, a relatively small population base, and a severe marine environment, Canada faces challenges in the implementation of integrated and sustainable management of our offshore lands. Through a series of stakeholder workshops, priority areas of national importance have been identified, and new stan- dards for digital marine map products and a new marine map series have been approved. A habitat-mapping strategy has been developed to optimize program outputs that incorporate five different approaches to mapping. In response to each particular challenge, the actual approach applied to any particular area is being driven by the mapping scale, the ability to collect new data, the environmental constraints, and the time frame and stakeholder needs, yet always build- ing toward a national framework.