Canadian federal fishing-harbour owner, asset programme and harbour-authority partner

Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Small Craft Harbours

Aerial overview of breakwaters, wharves, floating access and fishing vessels at a generic Canadian small craft harbour

IMWO profile illustration for Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Small Craft Harbours

Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Small Craft Harbours programme is the federal owner and asset manager for a decentralized network serving commercial fish harvesters and other harbour users.

Organization overview

Canadian federal fishing-harbour owner, asset programme and harbour-authority partner

Geographic footprint: Americas, Canada, Atlantic Canada, Arctic Canada, Pacific Canada, Quebec, and Ontario and Prairies. Core marine roles: National fishing-harbour asset owner and maintainer, Core and non-core harbour portfolio management, Wharf, breakwater and shore-protection capital works, and Harbour and access-channel dredging.

Project records 22 Last reviewed 14 August 2026

Type

Canadian federal fishing-harbour owner, asset programme and harbour-authority partner

Active regions

Americas, Canada, Atlantic Canada, Arctic Canada, Pacific Canada, Quebec, Ontario and Prairies

Marine works roles

National fishing-harbour asset owner and maintainer, Core and non-core harbour portfolio management, Wharf, breakwater and shore-protection capital works, Harbour and access-channel dredging, Floating-dock, gangway and mooring infrastructure, Harbour-condition monitoring and repair planning, Major and minor repair funding, Federal real-property custody under the Fishing and Recreational Harbours Act, Local harbour-authority support and operating partnership, Non-core harbour divestiture and environmental cleanup, Climate-resilience and northern-harbour capital planning, Project procurement through PSPC where assigned

Role in marine infrastructure

Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Small Craft Harbours programme is the federal owner and asset manager for a decentralized network serving commercial fish harvesters and other harbour users. The portfolio covers close to 950 harbours and more than 10,000 structures valued at approximately CAD 7.1 billion: roughly 690 are core harbours and 260 are non-core. About 700 harbours are operated locally by volunteer harbour authorities, involving more than 5,000 volunteers each year. DFO remains responsible for keeping core fishing harbours open and in good repair, while harbour authorities manage day-to-day operations under agreements and non-core properties may move through repair, environmental work and divestiture. Capital delivery spans wharves, breakwaters, dredging, floating access, shore protection and climate-resilience work. Regional DFO offices may use Public Services and Procurement Canada for procurement, but the controlling tender, award and contract documents determine the actual client, contractor, price, scope and delivery state for each package.

Related records 22

Sources used 8

Source collections