The federal government has announced new funding for upgrades at Central Port Mouton Small Craft Harbour in Queens County.
The project includes reconstruction of the floating dock system along with analysis work related to breakwater infrastructure at the harbour.
The announcement was made Wednesday in Port Mouton by Joanne Thompson alongside South Shore–St. Margaret’s MP Jessica Fancy-Landry.
The harbour is home to 54 vessels and primarily supports the lobster fishery.
Thompson said the upgrades are badly needed and will help support both fishers and the local economy.
“It was obvious the work is well overdue,” Thompson told reporters following the announcement. “This is a busy harbour.”
She also pointed to the importance of floating dock systems for harvesters using the facility.
“When you’re taking heavy buckets and fish back and forth, it works,” she said, noting floating wharves adapt more easily to changing tides and vessel sizes.
The Port Mouton project is part of a $957.8 million federal investment into the Small Craft Harbours Program over five years.
The funding was included in the federal government’s 2026 Spring Economic Update and is being described as the largest investment ever made into the program.
The federal government says the broader funding will support repairs, dredging, new construction and climate-resilient infrastructure projects at small craft harbours across Canada.
Fancy-Landry said harbours like Port Mouton are essential infrastructure for coastal communities.
“These are the factories and how this industry thrives,” she said while speaking about the role fishing harbours play in Nova Scotia’s economy.
According to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, roughly 90 per cent of Canada’s fish and shellfish harvest is landed through small craft harbours.
