$400M Atlantic Fisheries Fund is now open for business, accepting proposals

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – A $400-million federal fund to foster innovation in Atlantic Canada’s fish and seafood sector is now accepting applications.

['Miminegash lobster fisherman Darren Ellsworth replaces the sizzle twine on his lobster traps in preparation for a new lobster fishing season. While his lobster traps will last for approximately seven years, the sizzle twine is a built-in safety and conservation feature to prevent ghost-fishing. The biodegradable twine is designed to fail within a year so that lobsters that get into a lost trap will be able to escape. Fall lobster fishermen in Prince Edward Island’s Lobster Fishing Area 25 will set their gear on August 8. Many of them have already started hauling gear to south side wharves.']

Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Atlantic Fisheries Fund will focus on growing opportunities and increasing market value for sustainably sourced, high-quality fish and seafood products from the region.

Investments flowing from the fund aim to position the sector for long-term sustainable growth and provide consumers with high-quality, sustainably sourced Canadian fish and seafood products.

The AFF is now accepting applications from proponents in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. The commercial fisheries and aquaculture industry, Indigenous groups, universities and academia and industry associations and organizations, including research institutions, may apply.

In the coming weeks and months, the Government of Canada and Atlantic provincial governments will engage with industry participants, Indigenous groups, non-government organizations and the science and academic communities. This engagement will continue throughout the life of the program and will inform investment priorities and identify opportunities and potential partners.

Further information on eligibility, project criteria and application forms can be found on the Atlantic Fisheries Fund Secretariat website: atlanticfisheriesfund.ca

To be eligible, projects must focus on:

• Innovation – to support research and development of new innovations that contribute to sustainability of the fish and seafood sector, and to create partnerships and networks that aim to promote and encourage innovations in the sector

• Infrastructure – to adapt new technologies, processes, or equipment to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the fish and seafood sector

• Science partnerships – fisheries and aquaculture industry based partnerships with academia and institutions to enhance knowledge and understanding of the impacts of changing oceanographic conditions and sustainable harvesting technology