We are a team of dedicated and dynamic professionals looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our community of thousands of talented and diverse employees in BC and the Yukon. Our employees make a difference in the lives of Canadians by bringing a range of skill and experience to the work they do.
Are you an employee of a provincial or municipal government, or in a field related to the work we do? Learn about how you can apply for a temporarary assignment with us through the Interchange Canada Program.
What we do
We manage Canada’s fisheries and safeguards its waters by:
ensuring that our national network of harbours is open and in good repair
ensuring Pacific fisheries, including aquaculture, are protected, managed sustainably and support Indigenous participation
engaging in sound science and in collaboration with Indigenous communities
By joining our team you can work on engaging and important initiatives such as our Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative which aims to protect and restore iconic Pacific salmon stocks. Learn more about how you can contribute to the work we do in BC and the Yukon:
Wide-ranging career opportunities - Whatever your passion or interest, we may have what you’re looking for. Protecting Oceans? Reconciliation and Partnerships? Canadian Coast Guard?
Work-life balance – flexible work arrangements, personal days, family-related leave, and options such as leave with income averaging.
Continuous learning and career development - including in-house and Government of Canada learning, education subsidies, mentoring, and extensive professional networks.
An attractive salary, comprehensive health, dental and defined benefit pension plans, and substantial maternity and parental leave benefits. Learn more about our pay, pension and benefits.
Make a difference every day and be recognized for your work – we celebrate exceptional achievement in a variety of categories, including service delivery, people management, policy, innovation, and Unsung Heroes (to name a few).
We are committed to building and celebrating a healthy, representative, and inclusive public service that reflects the diversity of Canada. Learn more about Canada's work towards:
Working in the Pacific region lets you take advantage of an amazing outdoor playground. From the Yukon, to the peaks of the Rocky Mountains and down to the Sunshine Coast, there is an endless amount of adventures to be had. A paradise for sports enthusiasts, there are plenty of opportunities to ski, snowboard, jet ski, paddle board, surf, dive, hike, camp, mountain bike, hunt, fish. With our offices and outposts all along the Pacific coast and the Fraser river, you could work in one of BC’s beautiful and friendly cities.
Vancouver
Victoria
Whitehorse
Nanaimo
BC Interior
North Coast
Vibrant and diverse, Vancouver is one of Canada’s most visited cities. Glass architecture gives a modern and shiny aura to the city which strives to become the Greenest City in Canada. There are hidden green spaces to be discovered all over the city; any of them a perfect place for a midday coffee. Coupled with Vancouver’s diverse and award-winning food scene, the amazing shopping on Robson Street and the fun and casual atmosphere of Granville Island, it will take you years to sample all of what Vancouver has to offer.
Known as the Garden City, Victoria boasts a profusion of colour from spring to late fall. Built to resemble a European city, with its old-world charm and numerous parks, Victoria is a perfect place to enjoy a leisurely stroll. This beautiful city is home to a CCG Base, and just 30 km from our Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS) where our scientists, researchers, technicians, and ship’s crews are dedicated to providing up-to-date information on oceanography, including fisheries and ocean research, environmental science, hydrography, and patrolling BC waters to keep boaters and marine animals safe.
Stunning and wild, Whitehorse is the biggest city in Northern Canada. One of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights, and with the midnight sun shining all summer long, the Yukon sky provides an ever-changing canvas made up of colour and light. The Yukon River and its tributaries are an important habitat for spawning salmon, and in the summer, you can visit the migrating salmon at the Whitehorse Fish Ladder. Whitehorse is perfect for people looking to live and work surrounded by nature.
Nestled on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Nanaimo is a cozy coastal town with a lot to offer. With the most personal trainers and yoga instructors per capita than any other BC city, Nanaimo radiates peace and health. Nanaimo is home to the oldest fisheries research center on the Pacific Coast, the Pacific Biological Station (PBS). Research at PBS responds to stock assessment, aquaculture, marine environment, habitat, ocean science and fish productivity priorities. With a dual focus on research and wellness, living in Nanaimo encourages a healthy work-life balance.
Starting from the Pacific Ocean, follow Pacific Salmon up major river systems and discover the region known as the BC interior. Often built at the crossroads of two rivers, cities and towns like Kamloops in the BC Interior emphasize community and gathering. From the semi-arid desert in the south to the mountainous regions of the norths and with hundreds of lakes in between, there is no shortage of incredible communities to be a part of. Filled with wildlife, redwood forests, and vineyards, there is so much to discover in BC’s interior.
Remote and awe-inspiring, there is no better place to commune with nature than BC’s North Coast area. Being the transportation gateway to the north, Prince Rupert is accessible by road, air, rail and ferry. Home to amazing flora and fauna, Prince Rupert is perfect for viewing wildlife like bears, eagles and whale. Located just off shore is Haida Gwaii, an archipelago of 450 islands, which has earned the moniker of Canada’s Galápagos due to the unique wildlife found there. Dramatic scenery, abundant wildlife, affordable living and a welcoming community make the North Coast of BC a great place to build your future.
Videos
A career in science, an inspired choice
Transcript
Narrator: For International Women's Day, we wondered... What inspires women to choose a career in science?
Fabiola Akaishi: My decision was based on my biology teacher in high school.
Amélie Rondeau: I followed my passion of scuba diving.
Diane Amirault-Langlais: A spot on T.V. They were talking about the swift fox, and how it had disappeared from the prairies. It really inspired me to do my part.
Fabiola Akaishi: The feeling of being useful to the society.
Amélie Rondeau: I can go to meetings, working groups, participate in committees. But I can also go on a fishing boat, on a research vessel.
Narrator: Our scientists dreamed big. What about you? We want to hear about your greatest ambitions!
Fabiola Akaishi: Don't let go. Don't give up on your dreams. We are capable of doing everything that we want to do.
Amélie Rondeau: Dig deep into yourself to make it happen, to find a career that will stimulate you, that will nourish that passion.
Diane Amirault-Langlais: I have had a career of over 20 years and I have never seen being a woman as an obstacle.
Fabiola Akaishi: My name is Fabiola Akaishi and I am a biologist for the species at risk program.
Diane Amirault-Langlais: Diane Amirault-Langlais. I am an aquatic species at risk biologist.
Amélie Rondeau: Amélie Rondeau. I'm a biologist and I work at Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Narrator: Let's keep the conversation going!
#ChooseScience
#IWD2017
#BeBoldForChange
Careers at Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Transcript
What motivated me to join Fisheries and Oceans Canada was pretty much my love for the outdoors, for the wilderness and for fish.
It’s very rewarding to be able to have that in my life every day. My most memorable job experience working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada has been my work at Inch Creek Hatchery because I’ve had the chance to get up close and personal with almost all the life history of these salmon every little step of the way and care for these little guys and watch them grow and then release them and feel like you’re participating in something.
My advice to someone interested in joining DFO would be to go for it. You find there’s a lot of different job opportunities and a lot of different areas within DFO. As long as you have motivation, enthusiasm and willingness to learn, you’ll find there’s a lot of rewarding niches within the department.
When I got my first job, I worked as a co-op student and I was amazed. I got paid to hike every single day, and count salmon in these beautiful, beautiful wilderness areas. Later, when I worked some other programs, I rafted and counted fish by raft. There’s times where you get to use your brain in the office and some analytical skills when it comes to data. There’s a little bit of everything, so if you’ve got the passion, this is the job for you.
I am a sailor
Transcript
So growing up, I was super curious I had this desire of going and exploring, I wanted to do something unique.
I joined the Coast Guard.
In this job, there's a new adventure every day.
Icebreaking, science. You always get to help people.
Going up north for the first time, I’m not going to hide it, I was terrified.
It was like going in to the wilderness, going into the unknown.
When I got up on that helicopter, I landed in a place where there was nothing around us.
And I saw the ship and I told myself there is no going back, so that was my limit but at the same time it was the best experience I've ever had.
My name is Alexandre Missi and I’m a sailor.
Our Students – Institute of Ocean Sciences
Transcript
I didn't really know what to expect when I came to work for the Canadian Hydrographic Service but I've come to realize that it's a really big responsibility.
I'm Cassandra Bosma. I attend the University of Victoria and I'm working as a summer student at the Institute of Ocean Sciences.
As a co-op student here with the Canadian Hydrographic Service, I am working as a geomatics technician to aid hydrographers in collecting and processing bathymetric data to prepare it for chart production.
Bathymetric data is the depth of the ocean, basically the topography below the sea level, and it's used to create charts for safe navigation along our coasts.
Some days I am on the boat collecting data with a MINOS that collects water column data from the top to the bottom to help calibrate our multi-beam echo sounder. Some days I am on the beach doing tide levels to process our tide gauges. And other days I'm in the office working with GIS software to process our collected data.
I have to say the coolest part of the job is being able to feel like I'm accomplishing something on a day-to-day basis, like something that I am producing is going to be useful; as well as going out on the ships and collecting the data.
The kind of opportunities you get through cooperative work is something you just can't gain in classes. I get to work with some of the best senior hydrographers in Canada and I get full access to all of their knowledge, so any questions I may have, they're able to answer and help me along on my learning journey.
