Three recipients of the Quebec Fisheries Fund receive nearly $3 million to help workers and drive innovation in Quebec's fishing industry

News release

December 13, 2024

Québec, Quebec - Quebec’s fish and seafood industry needs to adapt to an ever-changing market. Working together through the Quebec Fisheries Fund (QFF), the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec are helping the industry to innovate and encourage the use of new technologies and processes to support the sustainable development of the sector.

Today, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament Stéphane Ste-Croix for André Lamontagne, Quebec’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, announced nearly $3 million in funding from the QFF to fund three projects in the Gaspé Peninsula. The Government of Canada is contributing $2,066,740 to these projects, while the Government of Quebec is contributing $885,745.

A large portion of this amount will go to ACPG Innovation, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Association des Capitaines Propriétaires de la Gaspésie. The contribution will enable fleets in Quebec's maritime regions to acquire innovative equipment and adapt their boats for the redfish fishery.

Funding will also be allocated to Atkins et Frères Inc. to help the company market a new product, fish sausage, and Lelièvre, Lelièvre et Lemoignan Ltd. to improve its lobster tanks.

Launched in 2019, the QFF supports innovation-driven projects in the areas of commercial fisheries, aquaculture, seafood harvesting and processing, and science partnerships. The funding announced today will help create opportunities and enhance the market value of high-quality, sustainable fish and seafood in Quebec.

Quotes

“Our support for Gaspésie fish harvesters and the fish industry in Quebec is essential to ensure its competitiveness and sustainability. The funding announced today will enable our fish harvesters to adapt to many of the challenges of an ever-changing market, and to equip them with the tools they need to resume the redfish fishery. Today, we are taking an important step towards a sustainable and prosperous fishery for Quebec's maritime communities through significant investments for our fish harvesters."

The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"The year 2024 marked the reopening of the redfish fishery after a moratorium of nearly thirty years. This resumption offers business opportunities to be seized, and this is especially the case in the context of the recovery of international markets. I am pleased with this financial support, which will allow our fish harvesters and processors, thanks to their unique know-how and capacity for innovation, to benefit from the resource."

André Lamontagne, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and Minister responsible for the Centre-du-Québec Region

"The revival of the redfish fishery is excellent news. This project is not just about supporting our fish harvesters; it represents an opportunity for economic diversification and the revitalization of coastal communities. I am proud that this initiative meets the expectations of harvesters. Innovative projects, such as those of Atkins et Frères Inc. and Lelièvre, Lelièvre et Lemoignan Ltd., demonstrate the potential of our region to position itself as a leader in the maritime sector."

Stéphane Sainte-Croix, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Gaspé

Quick facts

  • To date, 179 projects have received a total of $29.5 million from the Quebec Fisheries Fund.

  • The ACPG Innovation project is the first major redfish project following DFO's announcement in January 2024 of the resumption of the redfish fishery.

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Contacts

Andrew Richardson
Acting Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
andrew.richardson@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Media Relations
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Quebec Region
418-648-5474
media.qc@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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