The production of natural gas and petroleum in eastern Canada declined sharply in 1973. A total of 9,727,300 Mcf of gas and 816,323 bbl of oil was produced. This represents a decrease of 23% gas and 8% oil from 1972.

In the Hudson Platform region, exploratory drilling was limited to a single 1,729-ft exploratory test on the south margin of the Moose River basin.

In southwestern Ontario, 51 exploratory tests and 56 development wells were drilled during 1973, a decrease of 33 exploratory and an increase of 9 development wells from 1972. Silurian exploratory drilling, both onshore and in Lake Erie, underwent a moderate decline, but Silurian development drilling increased slightly. The overall drop in exploratory drilling is reflected in a 25% decrease in total footage drilled. Four of the 5 gas discoveries were made in Lake Erie. A gas-bearing Silurian patch reef, discovered off Kent County in Lake Erie, and a Cambrian oil discovery in Ekfrid Township were the most significant discoveries in southwestern Ontario in 1973.

In Quebec 3 dry exploratory tests were drilled, and 5 crew-months of geophysical work were completed.

In the Atlantic Provinces, 3 dry exploratory tests were drilled onshore, in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. Offshore drilling was increasingly active, with 29 completions, 12 more than last year. Four of these were extensions to the Sable Island oil and gas discovery of 1971. Of the 25 wildcat wells, 2 found encouraging shows of hydrocarbons, and one, considered an oil discovery, is presently suspended. A total of 29.5 crew-months of geophysical work was completed in the offshore region. The area under permit for oil and gas exploration in the offshore is virtually unchanged from the previous year.