The Board's principal responsibilities include: enhancement of safe working conditions for offshore petroleum activities; protection of the environment during offshore petroleum activities; management of offshore petroleum resources to ensure that operators provide for maximum economic recovery and avoid waste; review of industrial benefits matters relating to petroleum activities offshore Nova Scotia so as to ensure that Canadians, with first consideration given to Nova Scotians, have a full and fair opportunity to participate on a competitive basis in the supply of goods and services to be used in any offshore petroleum activities; issuance, in a controlled and fair manner, of licences required to carry out petroleum exploration and development activities offshore Nova Scotia. The Board also maintains a public registry of licences, curates samples and geological and geophysical information (which is made available to the public following a statutory confidentiality period), and compiles and develops informa