The Port Alberni Port Authority is hoping to bring fish processing back to the waterfront, and is offering a big incentive to re-open the former Port Fish facility.
Port Authority CEO Zoran Knezevic says they will contribute up to a half million dollars in matching funds to bring the building up to Canadian Food Inspection Standards so seafood processing can be restored.
He said there is a need for both fish and shellfish processing here.
With processing ships Raw Spirit and Viking Enterprise now calling Port Alberni home, there is interest in re-opening Port Fish, which closed and relocated to Ucluelet 7 years ago.
Knezevic says seafood and shellfish landed in Port is either trucked to Vancouver or facilities on the east cost of the island.
He said the location and labour availability make it a perfect place for an entrepreneur to start, or an established fish processing company to expand.
Knezevic estimates the cost of bringing the building back to CFIA standards will be upwards of $800,000, but believes it is the perfect time for the facility to be re-opened.
