Phytoplankton production and distribution were examined over a 2-yr period in the Burrard Inlet system, which includes a true fiord (Indian Arm), a shallow blind inlet (Port Moody Arm), and a turbulent narrows region that is contiguous to the Port of Vancouver. Greatest annual production occurred in Port Moody Arm with a mean of 532 g C∙m−2∙yr−1while the lowest values were in Indian Arm and the Narrows region, averaging about 260 g C∙m−2∙yr−1. Nitrate and zooplankton grazing were the main factors limiting phytoplankton production in Indian Arm, while flushing and poor light conditions influenced phytoplankton growth in the Narrows and outer Burrard Inlet. Most of the discharges of domestic and industrial wastes have been diverted to the Fraser River, and Vancouver Harbor can be considered relatively clean and pollution-free because of strong tidal mixing and seaward flushing. The only sign of eutrophication in the inlet is in Port Moody Arm where sufficient nutrients from sewage discharges and a relatively stable mixed-layer depth create near optimal conditions for phytoplankton growth. Daily production here is among the highest recorded in the literature for Pacific coastal marine waters.Key words: Phytoplankton, primary production, coastal marine embayment, fiord, phytoplankton succession and distribution, chlo