Canada's newest environmental accounts show different trajectories for crops, fisheries and forestry, with important differences in the years measured.
Field-crop output reaches a high
Canadian field-crop production reached 109.3 million tonnes in 2025, an increase of 11% from the previous year, according to Statistics Canada's Census of Environment release of November 2, 2026. The agency credited favourable growing conditions for stronger yields. Saskatchewan produced 42.7 million tonnes, Alberta 28.4 million and Manitoba 15.7 million, records for all three provinces. Field crops include grains, oilseeds and pulses. Across crops, hay, vegetables, fruit and honey, Canada's agricultural ecosystems supplied 146.6 million tonnes of harvested biomass during 2025.
Fruit and vegetable production shifts across provinces
Canada produced 8.2 million tonnes of vegetables in 2025. Quebec, Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island together accounted for 86% of that amount. Alberta's production climbed from 0.7 million tonnes in 2002 to 1.6 million tonnes in 2025, representing more than half of the national increase over that period. Quebec's fruit harvest rose from 116,000 tonnes in 2002 to 326,000 tonnes in 2025, as its share of Canadian production increased from 20% to 36%. These are multi-decade comparisons, not one-year growth rates.
Fisheries and forestry volumes move lower
The same report identified a different trend at sea. Commercial sea fisheries landings declined for the fifth straight year in 2024, reaching 613,000 tonnes, the lowest total since 2002. Fisheries landings in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec also reached their lowest level since that year. Forest ecosystems supplied 118.4 million tonnes of harvested timber in 2024, or 46% of total commercially harvested ecosystem biomass, down from more than 70% in 2002. British Columbia accounted for one-third of timber harvesting in 2024 and has seen volumes decline by about half since 2002.
Why the reference years matter
These figures belong to different measurement years: the crop data reflect 2025 harvests, while the fish and timber figures describe 2024. Statistics Canada's environmental accounts measure commercial harvesting and exclude subsistence, recreational and cultural harvesting, including Indigenous food, social and ceremonial activities. The agency updated methods for estimating pollination and pasture forage, so comparisons need to account for revisions. The data offer an overview of the resources Canadian ecosystems supply, not a direct forecast for food prices or proof of a single cause behind changes in any industry.
Sources & transparency
Statistics Canada: Census of Environment, November 2, 2026Original CDN News coverage. Sources are linked for reference.
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