Fishermen undecided on best start date for lobster season

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

When it comes to the opening day of the fall lobster fishery off southwestern Nova Scotia, fishermen seem trapped in a debate of whether the industry would be better off to stick with the status quo and open the last Monday of November, or push back the opening to Dec. 1.

The reason for the debate is the last Monday of November falls on Nov. 24, giving fishermen a full week of fishing at the end of the month, whereas in other seasons the last Monday has been further back in the calendar.

Last year the lobster fishing area (LFA) 34 lobster fishery off Yarmouth County, and parts of Shelburne and Digby counties, got off to a late start, not because of when the last Monday of the month fell on the calendar, but because of the weather.

At an LFA 34 management board meeting in Yarmouth on Sept. 23, lobster fisherman Trent Shaw said most of the people he’s talked with feel last year’s delay actually helped with the price fishermen received for their catches.

“A lot of people aren’t so keen on going Nov. 24,” he said. “I think we’re going to put ourselves in a position that whatever control we’re going to have on price is lost.”

In other words, many fishermen worry an earlier opening will translate into lower prices. On the flip side, others see the early opening as giving them more time on the water during the fall when catches are usually at their highest.

The issue of when to open the LFA 34 lobster fishery came up for discussion in June at a meeting of the LFA 34 advisory committee, which included DFO officials. After a debate around the table – where some port reps admitted it was difficult to speak on behalf of those they represent, since they hadn’t had a chance to talk to them about the issue – a majority of the port reps opted for the Nov. 24 opening, to which DFO area director Ian Marshall said this will be one less decision that will need to be made about the season later on.

“So we will have no discussion in September or November on what to do,” he said.

At the more recent meeting in Yarmouth, fishermen questioned whether the decision really is cast in stone, even though not everyone in the room was in agreement over whether a Nov. 24 or a Dec. 1 opening is best.

Ashton Spinney, a chair of the management board, said if a majority of fishermen think the opening should be changed, the port reps will take that message back to DFO.

But would DFO be up for opening the discussion again?

Marshall said they would revisit the issue, but he added that making any change to the opening date would have to be backed by a very strong consensus.