On the heels of a major upgrade at its Fish Pier, the Ventura Harbor Village Marina, operated by the Ventura Port District, is making another large investment as one of the most active commercial fishing ports between San Pedro and Morro Bay.
In 2017, a total of some 27 tons of fish was offloaded at the Ventura Harbor Village Fish Pier. The value of this activity was $31 million. The majority of this was California market squid.
Commercial fishing is vital to the local economy. In April, the Ventura Port District invested $430,000 into the resurfacing of the Fish Pier and other improvements of the essential offloading facility for large and small commercial fishermen.
Next, an extensive Ventura Harbor Village Marina Dock Improvement Project will increase the availability of larger slips. Commencing in mid-May, the sweeping project is scheduled for completion in September.
Both projects align with the Ventura Port District goal of positioning the harbor marina as a world-class commercial harbor.
Seven years in the planning, the dock improvement project will cost an estimated $4.6 million as part of the Ventura Port District’s Capital Improvement Program aimed at upgrading the utilities and the infrastructure of the dock systems, including fire suppression.
The new dock systems will accommodate the harbor’s ever-expanding fleet of commercial vessels.
“Our tenant population is and will continue to be primarily commercial fishing vessels,” said Harbor Village Marina manager Dave Werneburg, “along with our other existing commercial entities including dive boats, hospitality offerings and Island Packers Cruises.”
Werneburg noted that the new infrastructure will support “not only our existing commercial needs but the upcoming Shellfish Enterprise (offshore mussel farms), which will become integral to our harbor in the next few years.”
Infrastructure improvements include the replacement of environmentally unfriendly foam dock floats with cement docks, and the upgrade of electrical pedestals in each slip.
The Ventura Port District, home to the Channel Islands National Park, provides a safe and navigable harbor and a seaside destination that benefits residents, visitors, fishermen and boaters, allowing them to enjoy Ventura Harbor’s exceptional facilities, events and services. The Ventura Harbor is a 274-acre multiple-use recreational and commercial fishing small-craft harbor managed and operated by the special district in Central Coast California.