BackgroundCommercial aquaculture employs roughly 19 million workers globally, yet research on aquaculture occupational safety and health is extremely limited, including in developed countries like Canada. Analyses of injury and fatality compensation claims data from Scandinavian countries, Australia, the United States, and Brazil reveal aquaculture is a high-risk industry, associated with multiple hazards and high injury and fatality rates. Marine aquaculture takes place on Canada's east and west coasts. It is expanding in Atlantic Canada where it consists mainly of salmon and shellfish production. This paper presents results from a descriptive analysis of data on accepted compensation claims for injured Atlantic Canada marine aquaculture workers. MethodsWorkers' compensation in Canada falls under provincial jurisdiction. Anonymous claims data between 1996 and 2017, provided by four Atlantic provincial compensation boards, captured injury claims broadly specific to the aquaculture industry, supporting a descriptive analysis of incidence rates and injury characteristics. ResultsAcross provinces, lost time injury rates among aquaculture workers fluctuated over time, but exceeded recent overall average provincial rates from 2010 to 2016. Consistent across provinces, almost half of all marine aquaculture injuries were caused by bodily reaction and (over)exertion (mean = 15.0%; SD = 6.4%), falls (14.4%; SD = 2.3%), or being struck by or against an object (mean = 13.7%; SD = 2.2%). Roughly half of the injuries were of three types: traumatic injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints (mean = 33.0%; SD = 3.7%), open wounds (mean = 10.1%; SD = 2.5), and surface wounds and bruises (mean = 10.0%; SD = 5.2%). The back, including spine and spinal cord was the body part most commonly affected by workplace injuries (mean = 17.2%; SD = 1.4%), followed by leg(s) (mean = 10.8%; SD = 0.5%), and finger(s)/ fingernail(s) (mean = 10.4%, SD = 4.4%). ConclusionFindings indicate marine aquaculture workers are suffering from similar injuries (injury event, nature and source of injury, body parts) across provinces and these are similar to aquaculture sector injury claims patterns in Norway, Finland, Australia, and the United States. The high incidence rates are a strong signal that marine aquaculture in Canada, as elsewhere, is a hazardous sector. Compensation claims rates exceed overall provincial averages and have not declined. Ongoing surveillance, hazard assessments, and identification and implementation of prevention strategies could help this expanding industry reduce rates of injuries and illnesses.