Fishermen watching the price as lobster season gets set to open

By Sherry Martell

FOR THE SOU’WESTER

CAPE JOHN, N.S. – Fishermen are anxiously watching lobster prices in southwest Nova Scotia and are concerned prices will be lower here than last year on opening day.

Cape John fisherman Keith Heighton said he expects to be paid less for the lobsters he lands on May 1 than what he received last season.

“It’s definitely not going to be as high,” said Heighton.

“Prices are down at the other end of Nova Scotia.”

Fishermen were receiving $5 per pound for the smaller canner-sized lobsters and $6 per pound for the larger market-sized lobsters for their first haul last year.

Heighton said this year they are anticipating prices of about $4.50 and $5.50 respectively.

“If there is a lot of fish, we may even get less,” said the fisherman.

“It won’t be very good for any of us because fuel is up, and bait is up.

“It doesn’t make any sense. Everything else keeps going up and the price keeps going down.”

Fishermen feel a high value Canadian dollar, rising food costs and record high fuel prices will leave people closely guarding their money to cover the costs of life’s many necessities and not spending it on luxury items such as lobster.

Mike MacInnis, executive director of the P.E.I. Seafood Processors Association, would not speculate on the price Northumberland Strait fishermen would be paid for their catches but said there are a number of factors to consider as fishermen and processors agree on a price.

“It’s tough all around,” said MacInnis.

“There’s only so much that the processors can spend for raw product.”

He said there are rising processing costs, as well as rising costs for fishermen and he hopes both industry partners can work together for sustainability.

In southwest Nova Scotia lobster fishermen are receiving about $6 per pound for markets, and do not fish the smaller canner-sized lobsters.

“As landings pick up prices could drop to $5.50 a pound,” said Denny Morrow, executive director of the Nova Scotia Fish Packer’s Association.“It is supply and demand. It’s never just one region that determines that, you have to put it all together. So much of this industry fluctuates from day-to-day.”



(Sherry Martell is a journalist with Transcontinental Media and a contributor to the Sou’Wester. This story appeared in the New Glasgow Evening News.)