Cape Breton Lobster Fishermen in Dire Straits

When asked this question by Mira, I sought out the answers from Bernice: the price determines how long the lobster stay in the cars. When the price is between 4-6 a pound most fishermen sell that same day. A few years back the fishermen could not sell their lobster for a decent price, so they were kept in crates in the holding area in the lobster cars until there was a stable price. Some fishermen held them 5-6 weeks for a better price.

This is exactly what is happening right now in Cape Breton. There are risks when they do this:

• The quality of the water in the dock is not good;
• Some lobsters are weak and do not make it. In these cases, the fisherman looses.

As there is an incredible “supply glut” the lobster buyers in Cape Breton are doing whatever they can to keep thousands of lobsters alive until prices improve. When this happened in Pubnico in 2011-2012, the fishermen got together to try to open new markets and last year the price stablized.

Lobster fishermen families, and all fishermen families relate intimately to what is happening right now in Cape Breton. As Bernice says, “Nova Scotia fishermen [work very hard] trying to do a days work to be able to survive. They have no control on the price they will be getting and it is very hard to survive if this is your business.” Then she adds: “When all is well, it is very good, but it can change on a dime.” Right now, in Cape Breton, the prices have dropped to 4 dollars a pound.

The lobster fishermen in Cape Breton will still have the same expenses, regardless of the return: make payments, buy bait, pay the crew. And, it is hard to keep a crew member if there is no money to be made as crew members are usually paid by the money made from the catch.

RIGHT FROM THE CBC:

Many have dropped prices and imposed boat quotas on hundreds of Nova Scotia lobster fishermen from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Eastern Shore.

• Lobster buyers impose ‘unheard of’ quotas on N.S. fishermen
• Nova Scotia lobster fisheries shut down, some tied up in P.E.I.
• Lobster price squabbles hurt industry

Effective Friday, Eastern Shore fishermen were told buyers will take no more than 500 pounds (227 kilograms) per day. Further east in Guysborough County, 400 other fishermen have a 600-pound (272-kilogram) limit. There are also quotas in the Gulf.  Warmer weather and big lobster landings in eastern Nova Scotia coincided with huge catches from the larger southwest Nova Scotia lobster fisher, [Pubnico, included, here] in the final week of their six-month season which ended May 31.

Jerry Amirault of the Lobster Processors Association says there’s just nowhere to put live lobster this week. “The system is clogged,” he said. The result has been a huge backlog of live lobsters. “Simply, that the catches have been overwhelming. Day after day of good fishing weather. Catches in some areas that have essentially doubled,” he said.

Please go to the article to read the remainder of the news there.

 

On a side note, and directly related to this article, as I have come home, people have commented consistently: “People in the Atlantic provinces are so passionate about their politics!” Well, this may be one good reason why. When upsets like this heppen in the fishing industry, the economy is hurt and the government then reviews its programs. Whenever there is a glut in the market like this, the area fisherman would like to see the lobster fishing season in the previous area (remember, there are seasonal boarders for fishing lobster throughout the province of Nova Scotia) end sooner so the market isn’t flooded.

 

Just as farming, out here in the prairies, it is extremely hard work, upkeep and expenses must be paid regardless of the price for the product. Some years are very lucrative for the lobster fishermen and some, like this season in Cape Breton, are very stressful.

 

And you may think: Great! I can buy fresh lobster for cheap! Living in that area, 90% of their lobster is sold to the US. They catch far too much to sell locally and depend up on the foreign market. It is extremely difficult for local restaurants and suppliers to have access to this local lobster for that very reason. And, few would even go to the wharf to buy at such low prices as so many are connected directly with those in the industry.

 

How does it affect us in the West? Well, the lobster are on hold. They are not going anywhere until the prices rise, and we, in the West don’t buy much lobster. Their market is the East Coast USA. All in all, sad news.