Results indicate a number of perceived opportunities for SEA, including improved regulatory efficiency, better regional base- lines and planning practices, an opportunity to assess cumulative effects, more meaningful project-based assessment, and greater certainty for industry stakeholders. There were also a number of perceived risks, including potentially foregoing anticipated development opportunities, the loss of flexibility in decision making, adding another layer of bureaucracy, and the added uncertainties of a novel approach. Based on the results, there are a number of important policy and practice implications for SEA offshore in Canada’s western Arctic, many of which translate to other offshore areas.