Water temperatures remained cold well into April in Southwestern Nova Scotia, much to the chagrin of lobster fishers in lobster fishing areas (LFAs) 33 and 34.
“The water is still cold. The weather hasn’t been great. It’s mid April and not what we’re used to. It seems like everything is pushed back,” said Tommy Amirault, president of the Coldwater Lobster Association.
“It’s been pretty slow. People are trying their best to make it work, trying to make it work like it historically did. Some guys are just doing ok. Where expenses are so high, if they can catch crabs or bait on something that will keep their expenses down, they are trying it,” said Amirault.
In the spring, a lot of LFA 34 fishermen fish closer to shore, which helps with the cost of diesel, but it’s still high, added Amirault.
As for landings, Amirault said fishermen are averaging about “a pound to a pot depending on how long you soak them. It’s not perfect but they are a pretty resilient bunch. Some guys are doing better than others.”
The shore price in LFA 33 and 34 dropped from $16 to $12 on April 13 and with other districts opening, it will likely drop even more, predicted Amirault. The LFA 33 and 34 commercial lobster fishery closes on May 31. “Another six weeks it will be in the books,” said Amirault.
As for market conditions going into the summer, “overall the lobster market is nervous due to ongoing geopolitical concerns, tariff uncertainty and higher costs for energy and food. It remains to be seen how all of this will impact demand and prices for Canadian lobster in 2026,” said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada.
On the live lobster front, given the removal of the additional 25 per cent tariff and drop in available spiny lobster from Vietnam, industry participants expect Chinese buyers to be once again interested in Canadian lobster this spring, said Irvine.
“With respect to the U.S. market, much of the additional live lobster exported there in 2025 was eventually shipped to China. With the current tariff situation now favouring Canadian lobster (U.S. is at a 17 per cent tariff and Canada is at seven per cent), we expect lower exports to the U.S.A., but this could change with an improvement in the economic situation should the Middle East war end and the American economy has a chance to adjust. Europe, the Middle East and the rest of Asia demand remain in question given the harsh impacts of the Middle East war on the economies of those regions. Inventory levels are predicted to be typical for this time of year,” Irvine said.
“The processing sector stepped up in 2025 and took high volumes of lobster into their plants for processing, especially from southwestern Nova Scotia, that could not be sold into the live market. This should send a strong message to the southwestern Nova Scotia harvesting industry that they need to make changes to their harvesting plan to achieve higher economic value from a dwindling stock. Trying to sell this type of product into the live market also does damage to our brand image which is not acceptable and causes significant losses for our live shippers,” advised Irvine.
“Demand for lobster meat (claws, knuckles) was strong in 2025,which also meant higher volumes of tails entering the market which moved slower and caused prices to drop, especially in larger tails that used to achieve a significantly higher price. The price premium for larger tails has evaporated due to high volumes from Québec and a drop in consumer demand as people trade down. Demand for whole in-shell was good in Europe but weak in China, so it remains to be seen how that market will play out in 2026. The processed sector is concerned about the human resource demand to manage the new traceability required by the European Union and we hope that exporters will not forego sales in the E.U. The Middle East market remains in turmoil due to the ongoing war, so we hope that exports to that new and growing region will resume after hostilities end in the coming weeks,” said Irvine.
Looking ahead, Irvine said the Lobster Council of Canada is in the process of developing its marketing strategy for 2026–2027 that will include activities in China, Europe, the Middle East and North America.
