Harpoon swordfishery opening this week

By Tina Comeau

SOU'WESTER

NovaNewsNow.com

The harpoon swordfishery off the coast of Nova Scotia is set to open on July 1.

This year’s fishery includes a quota of 100 tons, with a borrowing provision to take 36 tons from next year’s quota. “The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is supportive of it, I thought there for a while they wouldn’t be,” said Patrick Gray, president of the Harpoon Swordfish Association.

The fishery will be monitored daily. “And when we reach 70 per cent we will be closing it down to evaluate the catches,” said Gray.

This is similar to how the fishery ran last year. But having all the boats come in at the same time last year did cause some frustration among fishermen. For some it meant they only got one trip in, or maybe a trip and a half as the season was over in two weeks. And some buyers complained that having everyone bring in their catch at the same time created a glut on the market.

Asked if he sees those concerns, Gray said even before the season opened the price of swordfish was low, around $4 a pound. “I know it doesn’t help matters because if 100 tons of fish shows up on the market in a week the U.S. buyers will automatically use that for leverage to put the price down, saying there is a glut, but really we don’t have much choice,” Gray said. “We’re a competitive fishery, which the fishermen are asking for,” he said, adding eventually the quota will run out. When it does people can’t be still fishing.