Small Craft Harbours

Fishers (and recreational boaters) have access to a national system of harbours. The facilities are safe and accessible, and range from isolated mooring buoys to large, full service facilities.

Through its Small Craft Harbours (SCH) program, Fisheries and Oceans Canada maintains this national system of harbours. Most harbours, however, are operated and administered by local users or communities.

Eligibility Criteria

Commercial fishers.

Summary

SCH operates under the authority of the Fishing and Recreational Harbours Act and the Federal Real Property and Federal Immovables Act.

The mandate of SCH is to keep harbours critical to the fishing industry open and in good repair. The three main strategies to achieve this mandate are:

1. Maintain a network of core harbours.
2. Promote the formation of Harbour Authorities to ensure local control over management of commercial fishing harbours.
3. Dispose of non-essential harbours by:
   1. transferring all recreational harbours to local communities,  
   2. reducing the number of derelict and low activity fishing harbours.

SCH is a decentralized program; national coordination is provided by the Headquarters in Ottawa, and program operation is managed by five regional offices:

• Pacific (includes the Yukon territory)
• Central and Arctic (includes Nunavut and the Northwest Territories)
• Quebec
• Maritimes and Gulf
• Newfoundland and Labrador

SCH is currently responsible for 996 fishing harbours and a remaining 193 recreational harbours. Together these harbours include almost 6 000 structures valued at over $3B.

SCH Harbours are often the only federal presence in small coastal communities, and provide the most direct and visible link between the communities and the federal government.

Note: the SCH program SHOULD NOT be confused with other government programs such as the Transport Canada ports programs, which include divestiture of large commercial harbours.

New Brunswick Contact(s):
Jackey Richard
A/Regional Director
Small Craft Harbours
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
343 University Street
P.O. Box 5030
Moncton, New Brunswick  E1C 9B6
Telephone: 506-851-6581
Fax: 506-851-2428
Web site: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/home-accueil_e.htm

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National Contact(s):
Mr. Robert Bergeron
Director General
Small Craft Harbours
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
14th Floor
Station 14N 173, Centennial Towers
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0E6
Telephone: 613-993-3011
Fax: 613-952-6788
E-mail: schinfo@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/home-accueil_e.htm
Hours of operation: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday (Eastern time).