Gaspé stands at the heart of regional life in the Gaspé peninsula, and is a major Quebec fishing centre. Therefore, much of the Centre's activities involve inspecting fishing vessels over their entire life, including their manufacture in shipyards around the peninsula. A few of the larger ports handle general cargo.

The following services are available at Gaspé:

- Certification of Canadian vessels
- Pollution prevention and monitoring
- Inspection of foreign ships under Harbour Control
- Monitoring of transport of dangerous goods
- Application of occupational safety and health measures and inspection of ship's tackle