Smooth sailing not expected for season

Like most commercial lobster seasons, there’s a lot of uncertainty over what lies ahead

Southwestern Nova Scotia’s largest employer is gearing up for the start of another season, however, the upcoming commercial lobster fishery comes with much uncertainty over what lies ahead for harvesters and the industry.

Lobster shore prices have been down in other fishing districts ahead of the opening of this next commercial season while the cost of diesel and fuel prices, along with other needed expenses, is up.

Lower prices for the catch, coupled with higher expenses to catch it, is not a great combination to be on the minds of fish harvesters as a new season gets underway.

Weather permitting, the commercial season in south

western Nova Scotia and along the province’s south

shore begins on the last Monday of November, which this year is Nov. 28.

Last year strong winds saw the season opener delayed by two days.

DFO is allowing up to two days of flexibility for the season opening in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) 33 and 34, meaning the fishery could open as early as Nov. 26 if the weather forecast for Nov. 28 is unfavourable. If the season doesn’t open on Nov. 28, or earlier, it will open on the next best available date as identified by DFO and industry.

LFA 34 – which takes in all of Yarmouth County and much of Digby and Shelburne counties – has the most licence holders of any commercial lobster fishery in the Atlantic provinces, with around 980.

Combined with about another 635 licences in LFA 33, the two fishing districts – whose six-month seasons run to

May 31 – easily make up the country’s largest commercial lobster fishery.

With all of the regular crew, and the added extra crew for the season start, more than 5,000 fishers will be aboard the boats in the two fishing districts at the start of the season.

Safety is a major concern when any season gets underway, as lobster vessels, heavily loaded with traps and gear, head to the fishing grounds on what is referred to as dumping day.

Fishing crews share in the responsibility for their safety. The most important piece of safety equipment aboard any fishing vessel is the personal floatation device (PFD).

But given the risky nature of the season start, sometimes boats and crews need more help than they are equipped to provide.

Therefore, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, with its Coast Guard, DFO and military partners, will have assets tasked throughout the region on dumping day in case vessels and crews run into problems.

“The safety of mariners and the protection of the marine environment are the top priorities for the Canadian Coast Guard,” says Stephen Bornais, DFO communications advisor. “As always, DFO will continue to work with the Canadian Coast Guard, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre and other partner agencies to monitor fishing activity. We wish all harvesters a safe season.”

Harvesters, obviously, are also hoping for a lucrative season.

Or, at the very least, one in which they can turn somewhat of a profit.

But there are a lot of challenges facing this upcoming season and it’s looking like it’ll be a big adjustment from last season, which price-wise for fishers was one of the best on record.

“It might not be a disaster, but it’s definitely not going to be any kind of record breaker in a good way,” says Tommy Amirault, president of Coldwater Lobster Association, about the season ahead. “I hope I’m wrong. I hope the markets come back. I think it’s going to take some sharp pencils to make this season work for most fishermen.”

The export markets are obviously something that there is always a huge focus on every year.

It’s an area that also sees many challenges from year to year.

“Demand is generally suffering due to economic factors, along with a looming recession worldwide, higher interest rates and the impacts of the war in Ukraine on market behaviour,” says Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada.

A recent red-listing of the lobster industry by an American group suggesting the industry is responsible for the entanglements and deaths of right whales wasn’t helpful.

Plus, it was a false acrossthe-board narrative, the Lobster Council says, noting, in particular, this has not been an issue in LFAs 33 and 34, where the season doesn’t see right whales and/or measures have been taken with gear

– or, if needed, temporary area closures – to address the whale situation.

Still, there has been damage control has from the red-listing. Some US restaurants, for instance, pulled lobsters off of their menus as a result of it.

“We are producing a video, offering webinars to customers who wish to go into greater detail around the North Atlantic right whale measures and encouraging exporters to use a fact sheet when explaining how Canada is approaching this important issue,” Irvine says.

Yet while industry has to concentrate on different areas and challenges, overall, Irvine says, the goal of marketing is always, “to drive demand for Canadian lobster for the long term.” He says they have had

market success in doing this in the past and continue to hope for the same in the future.

Harvesters, the industry and industry-related researchers, meanwhile, also continuously strive for the best quality of product available, and ways to improve on this as well.

The lobster industry is the largest economic driver in southwestern Nova Scotia. Aside from the direct and indirect employment the industry provides, which is in the thousands, there are countless businesses and suppliers that depend on the lobster fishery.

The local economy is heavily impacted by the industry revenue that is recirculated in its communities. Both good and bad years are felt, respectively.

According to preliminary DFO statistics, the LFA 34 fishery saw a landed value of $401,764,520 during the 2021-2022 season. In LFA 33, the landed value of lobster was $165,881,243.

“It might not be a disaster, but it’s definitely not going to be any kind of record breaker in a good way.” Tommy Amirault Coldwater Lobster Association, president