The first thing I noticed when I met Carly and Keith Cull was their unbridled enthusiasm.
They always seem to be smiling, ready to work and always willing to talk lobster fishing. What makes this hard-working lobster fishing couple different than others? Well, they represent a new wave of younger, dedicated group of fishermen that are trying to take advantage of newer technologies and access to social media.
Carly and Keith reside in Deep Cove, Nova Scotia and fish out of New Harbour, in lobster fishing area (LFA) 33. Keith grew up in Newfoundland and Labrador and has been fishing for 20 years. Starting as a deckhand in Grand Manan, he moved on to work at a local salmon farm before running another lobster boat and then finally making the commitment to purchase the boat they have now.
Carly grew up in the Blandford area of Nova Scotia and loves the community.
Both Carly and Keith see the opportunity that hard work and a solid connection to modern technology has to offer. They have invested in quality gear with the hopes that it will pay off in quality returns.
Keith spends a great deal of his time researching available technologies in order to further improve his chances of a better catch. They invested in a TimeZero bottom plotter and found it to be a great asset, as well as a cold chill system so they can hold lobster in a controlled environment for longer periods of time.
They own their wharf and holding building, which allow them to keep costs down and better control their sales. They strive to market themselves as a hard-working family that delivers a quality product.
The “boat to table” approach only succeeds when the product is consistently of high quality. Currently they sell just over 25 per cent of their catch locally, but feel they can increase that percentage substantially with some hard work and clever marketing.
Lobster is the main source of income, but Keith does fish halibut in the summer and the pair sell their merchandise whenever possible.
Hot Lobster is not only the name of their boat, but their brand. They offer merchandise as well as lobster and want people to shop locally to support the community. Branding in today’s age of AI and social media can be challenging at the best of times, but Carly has studied what others have done and is working to enhance Hot Lobster Fisheries on multiple platforms. Soon they will have all the bases covered — website to social media.
Keith and Carly are what some might call a power couple. They feed off each other and outwardly respect what the other brings to the table. They firmly believe that if you work hard, you can play hard and when they aren’t fishing you can find them hiking, camping, skiing or boating in some manner.
And if that’s not enough, they all play hockey with Keith coaching. The kids love soccer as well and yes, Carly coaches as well. Their young children are keen to help out in the off season, be it painting buoys or dragging line across the yard. It’s a true family affair.
Their work ethic is admirable — they put their heads down and work hard during the lobster season. Keith fishes and Carly markets the lobster locally. She also maintains their social media posting all while being a very active mom to the two kids. To quote Keith, “I work hard so that my family will have something for the future.”
They are both hopeful the kids will see the benefit of working in a family-based business but understand it might not be in the cards.
The future looks bright for this dynamic couple.
Ian Proctor is a freelance photographer residing in Seabright, Nova Scotia.
