Port officials have approved the next phase of a new working waterfront project at Port Canaveral aimed at supporting the local commercial fishing industry.
The port's board of commissioners at a July 1 meeting authorized the selection of Titusville, Fla.-based Rush Construction Inc., to handle uplands improvements for the project, following a previously announced 16-slip commercial fishing dock that will be built by Rush Marine LLC.
Plans call for 125 feet of dedicated bulkhead space with the 16-slip dock, along with uplands improvements including a large open-air pavilion with fish-cleaning stations, office and restroom buildings, and truck and trailer parking and storage facilities.
Port Canaveral, on Florida's East Coast, serves a vibrant commercial fishing fleet.
According to the port, the new facility will help ensure a reliable supply of locally caught seafood for on-port processors, who handle roughly 4 million pounds of fresh fish that is processed and shipped nationwide each year.
Two of the port's seafood businesses, Wild Ocean Seafood and Seafood Atlantic, buy and process fish landed by the local commercial fleet at their own on-port docks.
The new facility, currently in the design phase, represents a $5.2 million investment by the port.
The project is part of a broader plan to revitalize the port's southwest waterfront ahead of the future Cruise Terminal 4 and is meant to preserve dedicated commercial fishing access as cruise and cargo operations continue to grow.
"Once this project is built, commercial fishers will be able to move over all of the entities that are part of the Canaveral Fishing Alliance into this completed facility," Bill Crowe, an engineer on the project, told Florida Today.
The facility will be managed by a commercial fishing alliance serving as an intermediary between commercial fishers and the Port Canaveral, according to Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO.
“Port Canaveral began as a commercial fishing port in 1953, and our decades-long legacy with this industry continues to this day,” Murray said in a statement. “This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to support this important resource that delivers vital economic benefits to communities locally and nationally.”
Construction is expected to be completed in early 2027.
