2026 Economic Contributions of BC Small Craft Harbours

Canada’s coasts and oceans are an integral part of the country’s culture, identity, environment, and economy. The Small Craft Harbours (SCH) program of Fisheries and Oceans Canada is responsible for overseeing the administration and maintenance of a federally-owned system of fishing and recreational harbours in British Columbia, with the fishing harbour component delivered largely in partnership with local client-run Harbour Authorities. These harbours provide communities access to oceans, supporting commercial, recreational, and indigenous fisheries, marine recreation and tourism, aquaculture, and a variety of other uses that directly and indirectly contribute to Canada’s economy, supporting livelihoods in coastal communities and throughout the province. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) requires accurate and up-to-date information describing the contributions of Small Craft Harbours (SCH) to British Columbia's coastal livelihoods and economy. The objective of this contract is to update and expand upon previous studies of Small Craft Harbours in British Columbia, using current data and repeatable methodologies, to: 1.2.1 Quantify the direct, indirect, and induced economic contributions of the SCH network to British Columbia; 1.2.2 Develop and apply a method for estimating commercial fishing attributable to each Small Craft Harbour based on landed value by city and other available data; 1.2.3 Assess the benefits of SCH infrastructure to commercial fisheries, aquaculture, Indigenous communities, marine tourism, recreational boating, and other coastal economic activities; 1.2.4 Identify and characterize communities, regions, sectors, and user groups that are highly dependent on SCH infrastructure; 1.2.5 Recommend practical methodologies and indicators that can support future monitoring and repeatable economic assessments by DFO; 1.2.6 Identify data gaps, limitations, and opportunities to improve future harbour-level economic analyses.