The six-month commercial lobster fishery in lobster fishing areas (LFAs) 33 and 34 wrapped up with a whimper on May 31.
Cold water temperatures and foul weather added up to low landings for many lobster fishermen in Southwestern Nova Scotia this season.
“It was a trying season. It seems like every year it gets a little trickier,” said Tommy Amirault, president of the Coldwater Lobster Association.
Some fishermen called it a wrap early, landing their gear in advance of the May 31 season closure. “They’re not trying to stretch the season out any longer that’s for sure, me included,” said Amirault. “I’m spacing my hauls to get the most I can for the crew. When it ends it ends. Even the high price in late winter, early spring was not enough to offset what we’re seeing this spring.”
Low landings prevailed throughout the season for many fishermen.
“Weather played a factor during the months of January and February and even the early part of March, keeping many of the boats tied to the wharves,” said Heather Mulock, executive director of the Coldwater Lobster Association.
“Captains were hopeful for a bountiful spring, but this has not transpired. Catch rates are slowly picking up in some areas throughout the district but they’re nowhere near what we experienced last season where many captains and crew were boasting of record spring catches. This experience, however, was not shared with those who fish in St. Mary’s Bay, where out-of-season fishing has greatly impacted the lobster catch, forcing most boats to steam further and further from their traditional fishing grounds, adding to their fuel cost.”
The cold water temperatures presented challenges for LFA 34 lobster fishers, said Mulock. “Lobsters generally don’t crawl much or have an interest in entering the traps to feed when bottom temperatures drop below the mid-30s (Fahrenheit),” adding by late April, depending on the water depth, the bottom temperature was beginning to rise slowly. Small, female Jonah crab were noticeably abundant during the first few weeks of the season but their numbers have greatly dissipated and appear to have moved on as we entered the spring months of our season — to much applause from the fish harvesters themselves,” said Mulock.
The opening shore price in LFA 33 and 34 was set at a record $11.50 a pound. The price climbed to $15, where it stayed most of the winter and early spring. Going into the last week of the season, the shore price was $8.25.
“At best we’re treading water this season,” said Kris Vascotto, executive director of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance.
“The incredible strong landings that we had last year, April to the end of May, is the polar opposite this year. The water temperature started out cold and has stayed cold throughout the entire region, which has kept the landings low which has actually done very good with aligning with markets. The live trade is heavily impacted by the global economic situation. We have fluctuating tariffs that are changing trade relationships on a regular basis. The global economic slowdown has meant weaker markets all around. If you look at the dominate live markets, the U.S. and China, they are both extremely cautious right now. Operators on shore are being cautious as well under heavy risk with high inventory,” said Vascotto.
With lobster fisheries still underway throughout Atlantic Canada “there is still a lot of season left where things could change, but right now we seem to be in a pretty good space of matching what we’ve landed and a place to put it as reflected in the price. It’s been relatively stable for the last little while and if all these things hold true moving forward it should be able to hold. We’re in a far better place than where I thought we would be about two months ago,” said Vascotto.
