The provinces of Atlantic Canada – Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island – along with Newfoundland, the Quebec north shore of the St. Lawrence River, and the Gaspé Peninsula, constitute a rich and diverse maritime habitat for wildlife.

The climate is dominated by the ocean, being influenced by the moderating Gulf Stream that flows north from the Caribbean and by the southward flow of icy waters, often bearing icebergs, from the Canadian Arctic.

The terrain of the eastern Canadian coastline varies from rocky headlands to soft, sandy beaches. Both sea and land mammals inhabit this coast, as do hundreds of species of seabird.