Efforts to relocate commercial fishing facilities from the Port of Hueneme to Ventura Harbor are moving forward with the help of a $16 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency’s Port and Freight Infrastructure Program, the seaport announced Aug. 1.
The Ventura Port District and the port can now begin the next phase of its Commercial Fish Landing Modernization Project, which would move commercial fishing facilities from the port to free up space for cargo and build a new facility at the harbor that would “improve and increase the squid landing capacity including absorbing the fish offloading activities transitioning from the port,” according to the announcement.
The port and district said they plan to use that money for environmental review and engineering design services.
“We are poised to embark on a transformative journey by improving goods movement at the Port of Hueneme and enhancing Ventura Harbor’s role as a vital component of California’s maritime industry,” Oxnard Harbor District president Celina Zacarias said.
The port has seen increased demand for containerized cargo since the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, port CEO and Director Kristin Decas thanked the team that pulled project together.
“Both agencies fully embraced this vision for a project that was mutually beneficial,” she said.
