SaltWire E-Edition

A mixed result

Island fishers deal with catches, prices and expenses in 2022

CODY MCEACHERN THE GUARDIAN Cody.mceachern@saltwire.com @Codyinhifi

“It was pretty smooth for the most part, and I believe that’s why it went so quickly because there was not much stress. It was a pretty fair season, and I’m quite happy with how it went.” Karrington Palmer

With global demand and lobster prices reaching record highs in Nova Scotia in the weeks leading up to P.E.I.’S spring season – around $17.50-18.50 a pound – many Island fishers were looking forward to a promising start to their season.

“Typically, it drops a bit before we start because there are more boats in the water at that time, so we didn’t expect anywhere near that price,” said Charlie Mcgeoghegan, chair of the Lobster Marketing Board.

“However, we did expect to start off where we left off last spring, which was in the $1112 range.”

When the season opened, fishers were met with a range of prices much lower than that from their buyers, he said.

“When it opened up around $8-9 per pound, we saw that as being too low for the conditions around the world,” he said.

“That combined with the price of fuel being double what it was and bait being up 30 per cent, we thought maybe once we get a few weeks in, the price will get better. That’s what it did last year.”

Instead, the prices dropped again by another $1.50 a pound, said Mcgeoghegan. He said the buyers didn’t offer a reason for the price drops, outside of the Shanghai airport in China being shut down due to COVID-19.

“That was one city in one country around the world. China is our number two export for lobster in Canada,” he said.

“The U.S. is our number one, and the U.S. restaurant business is booming right now after being shut down for two years, so we didn’t see why or how they (could cut prices.)”

Mcgeoghegan said most buyers were offering $7.508.50, with a few offering a little more. Paired with the rising cost of fuel, insurance, hired help and supplies, the price drops were felt heavily by Island fishers, he said.

“It affects the economy of P.E.I. a lot, too,” he said.

“Last year, the total catch for P.E.I. was in the 43-million-pound range, so if you take $2 a pound off 43 million pounds, that’s $86 million that has gone out of the economy. It's not just felt by the fishers, it’s felt by everyone.”

He also said the price drops can affect how fishers plan for the next season, with some not hiring as much help or even foregoing costly upgrades to their boats.

Mcgeoghegan said the drops in price are something he hopes will be discussed between fishers and the buyers in the future.

However, not all Island fishers were hit by low prices.

For Karrington Palmer’s first season as a captain, she said prices remained decent.

“I think my price was actually pretty good. I was getting, I think, a little over $10 a pound for my lobster, so I was pretty happy with the price I was getting. I’m not sure about what anyone else was getting though,” she said.

Tagging along on her father’s fishing boat since she was seven years old, Palmer branched out this year to captain her own boat and crew. Despite a slight incident where she almost lost the tip of her finger, she said the season was great.

“It was pretty smooth for the most part, and I believe that’s why it went so quickly because there was not much stress. It was a pretty fair season, and I’m quite happy with how it went.”

However, it wasn’t without its issues. Palmer said the high price of fuel saw her spending thousands to fill her boat, with her highest fill-up reaching $2,800. She said it lasted her around a week to a week and a half.

Outside of costs, she said catch rates throughout the season were down, which was discouraging.

“At the beginning of the season it was a water temperature thing, but there are a bunch of other factors that play into it, too,” said Palmer.

“We had quite a few days where there was some wind, a certain type of wind that makes the lobsters not trap.”

Mcgeoghegan said a number of harbours around the Island experienced lower catch rates due to lower water temperatures in the spring. However, many of them rebounded near the end of the season.

A change to the catch size also affected some fishers catches, as the required size was increased by 1 millimetre. However, Mcgeoghegan said that can benefit some fishers next season.

“That affects some harbours more than others. If a particular harbour catches 50 per cent or more of canners in their catch, then that minimum increase will affect them more,” he said.

“However, it will also benefit them more next year because those lobsters that were put back this year will be market size next year.”

THE ISLAND

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2022-07-05T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-07-05T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://saltwire.pressreader.com/article/281552294559937

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