Through research and education, the HMSC will enhance knowledge and provide the leadership necessary to achieve sustainable development and effective management of the coastal environment by:
Developing and transferring relevant science and technology to the private sector;
Contributing to the training and education of future generations of scientists and technologists through the provision of unique research and teaching facilities to universities and other institutions;
Pioneering marine education for elementary and secondary students and teachers and the general public in order that they may better understand and appreciate the importance of the coastal and marine environment; and
Providing knowledge and service in the identification and classification of cold water fishes and other marine organisms through the maintenance and expansion of its internationally recognized Atlantic Reference Centre
The HMSC is a registered not-for-profit charitable institution that is governed by a Board of Directors and has an Advisory Board. The campus is located in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick, Canada which is on the shore of the St. Croix estuary, on the lower part of the Bay of Fundy.
Members include Fisheries and Oceans Canada