Feds announce funding for Port de Grave harbour

by Olivia Bradbury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Fisheries Minister Joanne Thomspon was in Ship Cove on May 8 to highlight a $957 million investment in small craft harbours – including upgrades to Port de Grave – over the next five years as announced in the federal Spring Economic Update.

 The strategic investment in Ship Cove will see the removal of the existing finger pier and marginal wharf, and the construction of a new finger pier and marginal wharf on the same property, in a different location than the current one. This new construction will provide additional berthage and protection for the harvesters.

“Port de Grave is one of the harbours that tells the story of our province. The new finger pier and marginal wharf at Ship Cove will give the crews here additional berthage and better protection from the weather, and that means a harbour ready for whatever the fishery brings next,” Thompson said, adding that Port de Grave has been a working fishing community for centuries with local families involved for generations.

Canada’s commercial fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood processing sectors support nearly 65,000 jobs — including more than 42,900 commercial fish harvesters — from coast to coast to coast. In 2025, Canada’s fish and seafood exports totaled $8.47 billion.

The Ship Cove wharf is more than 60 years old and was condemned for safety reasons in recent years. The Harbour Authority of Port de Grave has been advocating for the wharf’s upgrade for more than 15 years.

Ivan Batten, vice president of the Harbour Authority, said the project was not simply wanted, it was desperately needed and long overdue.

“The Ship Cove wharf plays a vital role in our community. It supports the livelihoods of local fishermen, more than 250 plant workers—countless people depend on the fishing industry each year,” Batten said.

 “This new wharf will help protect jobs, strengthen our local economy, improve safety for harvesters and workers, and ensure the fishing industry can continue to thrive for generations to come.”

Avalon MP Paul Connors said that the upgrades will increase capacity, ease pressure on the main harbour and help keep fish harvesters working close to home.

“It will also create the right conditions for new private investment, strengthening the local seafood sector, supporting good jobs, and delivering lasting economic benefits for the region.

Thompson stated the five-year funding announcement to support and maintain nearly 950 federally-owned small craft harbours across the country marks the single-biggest investment in Canada’s small harbours.

The new funding will allow the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to undertake repairs, upgrades and dredging as small craft harbour facilities across Canada that will make harbour infrastructure more resilient when it comes to changing environments and extreme weather events.

Thompson grew up in the city but spent her summer weekends in the fishing community of St. Mary’s Bay, where her grandfather lived and worked.

“I constantly think of my grandfather, who would be so proud,” she said of the announcement.