Fiona funds: Ottawa earmarks $100 million for lost fishing gear, repair to harbours

The money will come from the $300 million Ottawa set aside for fishers, communities and companies affected by the storm

CITYnews halifax \ Canadian Press

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COVEHEAD, P.E.I. — The federal government says $100 million from its hurricane Fiona fund will be earmarked for the recovery of lost fishing gear and the repair to small-craft harbours across Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec.

The federal Fisheries Department says in a news release the money will come from the $300 million Ottawa set aside for fishers, communities and companies affected by post-tropical storm Fiona, which made landfall on Sept. 24.

It says the money will be used to clean up, dredge and to begin repairing infrastructure damaged by Fiona’s hurricane-force winds.

More than 130 of the 180 small-craft harbours managed in the region by the Fisheries Department were in the path of the storm, and many suffered serious damage, including to their breakwaters, wharfs, and mooring and electrical systems.

The Fisheries Department says many areas need to be dredged because of sediment and “extreme coastal erosion” due to the storm.

It says 538 units of fishing gear, more than 30 metres of net and more than 10,000 metres of rope have been reported lost.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2022.

The Canadian Press