To fish or not to fish, that is the question

There was a time in the not too distant past when most P.E.I lobster fishermen headed out on the water every day of the season with the exception of Sundays and inclement weather.

However, in an era of rising fuel and bait prices, Ronald Caissie said most fishers now ask themselves a basic question when they wake up in the morning namely, ‘Do I have a reasonable chance of making some money today?"

Caissie fishes in Area 25 (the fall lobster fishery along the south coast of P.E.I.) with Egmont Bay as his homeport.

When The Sou’Wester caught up with him Aug. 20, it was one of those days when the answer to that vital question was no.

"It is blowing hard here and we just decided to stay in port," said Caissie, who is also president of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association.

Most fishermen in his homeport also came to the same conclusion that particular day. Caissie said he is seeing people staying in port this year who used to go out no matter what. He said their counterparts across the Northumberland Strait in New Brunswick have been practicing such selective fishing for some time now,

"I think it is helping them to keep their cost down."

Caissie said the first two weeks of the season were reasonably good, adding there is traditionally a slowdown in mid-to-late August as the lobsters moult. Overall, the association president estimated his catches are up approximately 30 per cent from last year.

However, even that good news is relative.

Catches on the province’s south shore had been declining for some time and last year was the first sign of a turnaround. Caissie is hoping catches will improve in September.

He is less optimistic about an increase in prices. Island fishers are receiving $4 a pound for canners and $4.50 for market size lobsters. Caissie explained, "There wasn’t an increase in the spring, and I don’t see things changing much for us either."

He wonders just how long many fishermen can go on at those prices. He said there is little likelihood the cost of either bait or fuel will come down significantly anytime soon. But he is convinced the non-fishing community has a great deal of sympathy for the challenges facing the industry, since everybody is dealing with bigger bills to heat their homes and drive their cars.

"However, most people haven’t seen a decline in wages and that is essentially what has happened to us with declining catches for several years," he said. "There is certainly no magic solution but I think the days where you go out every day of the season are going – you just can’t afford to do that anymore."