Funding for Innovative Seafood Projects
From left, Kris Vascotto, Executive Director, Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance; Ryan Robicheau, MLA for Clare; Alain d'Entremont and Nick D'Eon of Innovative Fishery Products; Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Kent Smith; and Geoffrey Jobert, owner of Lobster Hub Inc. gather following today's funding announcement in St. Bernard, Digby County. The announcement highlighted investments in three innovative seafood projects across Nova Scotia. (Province of Nova Scotia)
The Province is investing in three seafood businesses to help them adopt new technology, increase productivity, expand processing capacity and create more value from Nova Scotia seafood.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Kent Smith announced the projects receiving support through the Nova Scotia Seafood and Agriculture Strategic Investment Fund today, July 14, at Innovative Fishery Products Inc. in St. Bernard, Digby County.
The company received $870,228 for a new large-scale oyster hatchery and nursery, designed to safely grow young oysters.
“Our seafood sector is one of Nova Scotia’s greatest economic strengths, supporting thousands of jobs and driving activity in communities across the province,” said Minister Smith. “Through this fund, we are helping businesses modernize, grow and create more value here at home, while positioning Nova Scotia seafood to compete in markets around the world.”
The other recipients are:
- Cedar Bay Grilling Company, Blandford, Lunenburg County – $950,000 to install a salmon filleting and processing line
- Lobster Hub Inc., Meteghan Centre, Digby County – $900,000 to support a new freezing and concentration process that will turn lobster byproducts into a concentrated lobster stock product, ready for export.
The $4.7-million Nova Scotia Seafood and Agriculture Strategic Investment Fund supports innovative seafood and agriculture projects that boost productivity, strengthen competitiveness and help businesses respond to changing markets. By investing in projects with measurable economic outcomes, the program helps create long-term value for Nova Scotia’s seafood and agriculture sectors.
This announcement builds on the Nova Scotia Seafood Sector Strategy announced in June, which focuses on growth and innovation, market and product diversification, operational efficiency and creating more value from Nova Scotia’s high-quality seafood.
Quotes:
“We have long believed in the potential of Nova Scotia’s oyster industry, and we had already identified the opportunity to put Innovative’s hatchery infrastructure back to work. SASI has allowed us to accelerate those investment plans at a time when reliable, locally produced oyster seed is more important than ever. Our ambition is to build a world-class hatchery that helps Nova Scotia growers succeed and positions our province as a leader in oyster aquaculture.”
— Nick D'Eon, Vice-President Finance, Mersey Seafoods Group of Companies
“This announcement represents a critical investment, at a critical time, for the future of oyster aquaculture in our province. The diseases MSX and dermo have cut off historical seed sources for Nova Scotia’s oyster sector. Investments like this one in Innovative Fishery Products’ new oyster hatchery and nursery facilities represent another important step in taking meaningful action on a secure, reliable seed supply to help stabilize and grow the oyster sector.”
— Jeff Bishop, Executive Director, Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia
“Today’s announcement represents the first of many deliverables of the new seafood sector strategy. Each investment made under the Seafood and Agriculture Strategic Investment Fund will increase domestic production, support new products desired by global consumers and increase the GDP of the sector here at home while helping us do more with the resources that surround our shores.”
— Kris Vascotto, Executive Director, Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance
“The quality of the applications made this an exciting program for us to administer. The fund had a lofty mission to select initiatives that would move the needle for the province's economy and find solutions for real world problems. The seafood sector absolutely stepped up to address both.”
— Lynne Godlien, CEO, Perennia
Quick Facts:
- today’s announcement includes projects that have completed the review and approval process; additional recipients may be announced as remaining applications are processed
- the seafood sector submitted 28 applications to the program
- funded projects must be completed by January 2027
- the fund is managed by Perennia, a provincial development agency with a mission to support growth, transformation and economic development in Nova Scotia’s agriculture, seafood and food and beverage sectors
- in 2024, Nova Scotia exported $2.4 billion in seafood and remained Canada’s top seafood exporter
Additional Resources:
News release – Funding for Transformative Agriculture Projects: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2026/07/13/funding-transformative-agriculture-projects
News release – New Fund to Support Growth in Agriculture, Seafood Sectors: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/07/22/new-fund-support-growth-agriculture-seafood-sectors
Nova Scotia Seafood and Agriculture Strategic Investment Fund guidelines: https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/NS-SASI-Guidelines.pdf
Nova Scotia Seafood Sector Strategy: https://novascotia.ca/seafood-sector-strategy/
Perennia: https://www.perennia.ca