The commercial lobster fishery is now going full tilt in Atlantic Canada with 35 lobster fishing areas (LFAs) opening for their respective seasons in Québec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia between April 18 and June 5.
April 18 was dumping day for LFAs 31b and 32 on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore, while 31a had to wait until April 22 due to weather conditions.
“It’s been a very sketchy, sloppy opening of the Eastern Shore,” said Stewart Lamont, managing director at Tangier Lobster.
Lamont said indications from the first landing day for LFAs 31b and 32 were positive. “About 1,000 pounds a boat from what I’m hearing from most areas, plus or minus. It’s a good sign of lobster on the Eastern Shore. We just need Mother Nature and the weather to support us.”
While the season opened at $12/pound, by April 21 the shore price had dropped to $9.
In Southwestern Nova Scotia, the six-month lobster fishery was coming to a close on May 31 in LFAs 33 and 34.
Colder than normal water temperatures and frequent winds have hampered the LFA 33 and 34 spring fishery.
“It’s been a really slow April. The weather has been a huge factor. The cold water. Overall, low catches,” said Tommy Amirault, president of the Coldwater Lobster Association.
Last spring in LFAs 33 and 34, lobster catches came on strong in late April/early May, but harvesters weren’t seeing much of an increase bylate April.
“Not from what I’m hearing is there any uptake in catches,” said Amirault. “What uptake there has been is very, very spotty. Here and there. The catches are not any sign of optimism compared to last year. There’s no comparison. Last year we were seeing some life in the traps and the price was a shade stronger.”
The drop in shore price coupled with low landings is going to make it incredibly hard for people to work on that price, said Amirault.
“I can’t see how this will work for the majority of the fleet. Some of the fleet will stick it out. For most of the fleet it’s going to be really hard to make that number work,” he said.
As for market conditions, “the traditional markets are buying as normal this week,” said Lamont, while “China was waiting for the price to go down. Well, it went down today, so within two or three days of lobsters being seasoned people may be selling to China at their prices. I’m not sure but Chinese buyers overwhelmingly like to anticipate reduction and promote lower prices. We will learn more as the week goes on.”
Lobster was Canada’s most valuable seafood export in 2024, worth $2.9 billion.
