Coastline fetch estimates for Pacific Canada

Fetch is a proxy for wind-wave action and exposure. Estimates of fetch over a total of 39,938 km of the BC coastline were calculated at 50 m intervals, yielding 799,220 near shore fetch points. Fetch was calculated for five regions in Pacific Canada: Haida Gwaii (HG), North and Central Coast (NCC), Queen Charlotte and Johnstone Straits (QCS), Salish Sea (SoG), and West Coast Vancouver Island (WCVI). For all regions, a bearing interval of 5 degrees was used to generate fetch lines for each point along the shoreline, resulting in 72 fetch lines per point. A maximum fetch distance of 200 km was used to ensure the barrier effect of Haida Gwaii was captured.

Supplementary information provided includes the fetch geometry calculator script and user guide (Gregr 2014) and a report on the fetch processing objectives, process, and results (Gregr 2015).

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field	Value
Last Updated	April 17, 2026, 18:32 (UTC)
Created	April 17, 2026, 18:32 (UTC)
contact_email	DFO.PACScienceMSEAData-DonneesEASMSciencePAC.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
contact_person	{"en": "Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Pacific Science/Ecosystem Science Division/Marine Spatial Ecology and Analysis Section", "fr": "Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Science Pacificque/Division des sciences des écosystèmes/Section d’écologie et d’analyse spatiale marine"}
criticality_level	[]
data_dictionary	EPSG:4326,https://epsg.io,
geographic_scope	[]
open_canada_collection	fgp
open_canada_date_modified	2025-12-23 00:00:00
open_canada_date_published	2018-12-20 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords	{"en": ["Fetch", "Waves", "Exposure", "Coastal zone", "Ocean energy", "Habitats", "Coasts", "Wind"], "fr": ["Fetch", "Vagues", "Exposition", "Zone côtière", "Énergie marine", "Habitat", "Littoral", "Vent"]}
open_canada_subject	["nature_and_environment"]
sensitivity_level	unrestricted
title_fr	Estimations du fetch côtier pour la région du Pacifique du Canada
update_frequency	as_needed