Atlantic Fisheries Fund
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Who actually receives this funding
806 awards on record since 2017. Typical award: $69.4K. Half of all awards fall between $39.7K and $135.3K. The advertised maximum is $400M — most awards land closer to $69.4K. 86% of recipients are for-profit businesses. Top provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador 46% · New Brunswick 19% · Nova Scotia 18%. Covers: DFO Atlantic Fisheries Fund contributions — direct to Atlantic fishery/aquaculture businesses and related organizations. Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure data · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · Data through Q4 2026.
The typical Atlantic Fisheries Fund award is $69.4K — the median of 806 awards since 2017, even though the program advertises up to $400M.
Named recipients
Recent recipients of the Atlantic Fisheries Fund include Cape Bald Packers Ltd (Cap-Pele, NB, 2025), Captain Dan's Inc (Richibouctou-Village, NB, 2025) and B A Richard Ltd (Sainte-Anne-de-Kent, NB, 2025).
- 2025Cape Bald Packers Ltd
- 2025Captain Dan's Inc
- 2025B A Richard Ltd
- 2025Seafood 2000 Ltd
- 2025Universite Sainte-Anne
- 2025North Lake Fisheries (2013), Inc.
- 2025Prince Edward Island Shellfish
- 2025Sweet Oyster Company Inc
- 2025North Atlantic Aquaponics Ltd.
- 2025Hodder's Shellfish Inc.
Show 29 more recipients
- 2025Malpeque Bay Oyster Farms Ltd
- 2025DMJ Enterprises Limited
- 2025W.M.J. Newell Enterprises Ltd.
- 2025Sea Voyager II Ltd.
- 2025Cape d'Or Sustainable Seafoods Inc.
- 2025Patey & Spence Limited
- 2025Mi'Kmaq Commercial Fisheries Inc.
- 2025Allen's Fisheries Limited
- 2025Victoria Co-op Fisheries Limited
- 2025W & R Fisheries Ltd
- 2025Atlantic Aqua Farms Ltd
- 2024Cascumpec Bay Oyster Company
- 2024North Taste Flavourings Inc.
- 2024L'Association Cooperative des Peche
- 2024McGraw Seafood (2008) Inc
- 2024Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd.
- 2024Federation Regionale Acadienne des
- 20243274876 Nova Scotia Limited
- 2024Clark's Harbour Seafood Limited
- 2024Scotia Harvest Inc.
- 2024Perennia Food and Agriculture Inc
- 2023Dalhousie University
- 2023Atlantic Groundfish Council
- 2023Fisheries Council of Canada
- 2022Fur Institute of Canada
- 2022Canadian Assoc of Prawn Producers
- 2021Musgamagw Dzawada'enuxw Fisheries Group Limited Partnership
- 2021Sechelt Fishing Limited Partnership
- 2021A-Tlegay Fisheries LP
Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure
What Atlantic Fisheries Fund winners won next
Among the 38 Atlantic Fisheries Fund winners who went on to win a different program, 14 (37%) won Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) Funding next, typically 2 to 3 years later. That is about 13x its rate across all the funding sequences in this data.
Other programs the same group won next
- Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program (FACTAP) No longer running13 (34%), about a year later
- Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) Funding is open to businesses in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island only.
- Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program (FACTAP) is no longer running. Those wins happened while it was open.
Of 49 winners of this program who later won something else, 11 won a program excluded from this view (Canada Summer Jobs). Shares here are out of the remaining 38.
Counts winners of this program who later won a different program, using public government recipient disclosure. It describes businesses that went on to win again, not every past winner: recipients who never won a second program are not a path, and federal disclosure only lists awards above $25,000, so smaller first awards are invisible here. Timing is recorded by year only. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Non-repayable contributions covering up to 75-80% of admissible project expenses for commercial fish harvesters, aquaculturists, seafood processors, industry associations, Indigenous groups, and research institutions in Atlantic Canada. The largest fisheries-specific fund in Canada with over $400 million over 7 years (2017-2026), jointly funded 70% federal and 30% provincial. Three priority streams: innovation (new products, technologies), infrastructure modernization (equipment, processing upgrades), and science partnerships (industry-academia collaboration). Extended to March 2026 with approximately $35M remaining. Federal government has signaled intent to negotiate renewal.
Eligibility Requirements
- Commercial fish harvesters, aquaculturists, and seafood processors in Atlantic Canada (NL, NS, NB, PE)
- Industry associations and not-for-profit organizations supporting the fish/seafood sector
- Indigenous groups and organizations engaged in fish and seafood activities
- Universities, academic researchers, and research institutions (partnering with industry)
- Provincial Crown corporations involved in fisheries
- Supply and service sector companies focused on fish and seafood
- Must be located in and deliver benefits to Atlantic Canada
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $400MUp to 75-80% of admissible expenses depending on organization size (no fixed per-project maximum). $400M+ over 7 years total.
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 80% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Sunset — the jointly contributed fisheries funds were scheduled to sunset March 31, 2026; DFO has initiated renewal discussions with the provinces, but no renewed intake exists.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Accessible — straightforward requirements
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Moderate — standard requirements
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipEquipment modernization projects (infrastructure stream) have the highest approval rates — new processing lines, cold storage upgrades, automated grading systems, and vessel monitoring technology are proven winners.
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
Everything you need to win Atlantic Fisheries Fund
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 11-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 10-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 5-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 11
Eligible Expenses 15
Ineligible Expenses 11
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
- 9 more application steps
- 9 more required documents
- 15 eligible expenses
- 11 ineligible expenses
- Intake periods
- Deadline notes
- Ineligible organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskHow Atlantic Fisheries Fund Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Atlantic Fisheries Fund