Throughout history, the ocean has played an integral role in shaping the identity of Atlantic Canadians. It was the mainstay of the first people on this land, the natives; it brought the first Viking explorers, as well as later adventurers, to our shores; it lured the first Western European settlers here with its rich bounty of fish. Even today, the people of this region use the ocean as a source of transportation, recreation, employment, and food; not to mention as a source of inspiration for our songs, stories, poems, paintings and carvings. If you go to any fishing village along our coastline you will see, hear and taste the impact this rich resource has on our lives. No other force has shaped this region's culture and people as much as the ocean. The oceans sector continues to be a great contributor to the economy of Atlantic Canada. Activities such as commercial fishing, oil and gas exploration, tourism, and shipping rely on the ocean directly or indirectly and contribute to our Gross Domestic Product. It is estimated that these activities and other ocean-related industries injected over 3.3 billion dollars into Atlantic Canada's economy in 1996 alone! This strong lure of the sea has lead Atlantic Canada to become a leader in oceanography, the study of the oceans. This website is designed to highlight some of the vast research that is taking place, and to introduce the careers of the people involved in this research.