Tag Archives: Brent Dancey

P.E.I. company excited by new report promoting electric lobster boats

AKA Energy Systems is hoping to launch its own all-electric lobster boat within the next year, following up on its work with hybrid vessels. “We got our first hybrid boat out in the summer, so that’s something that we’ve been working on for a couple of years,” said Jason Aspin, AKA’s CEO. The Oceans North report said the key to jumpstarting the shift is for governments to set a “market signal” by setting clear targets for emission reductions, as has occurred in the motor vehicle sector.  The study calls for Ottawa to include commercial fisheries in its marine climate action plan and set the goal of having “at least 10 per cent of the lobster fleet, about 300 boats, powered by electricity or zero-emission fuels such as green hydrogen by 2030.” >>click to read<< 08:33

Mi’kmaq First Nation, environmental group work on creating electric lobster boat

An environmental charity and the Membertou First Nation in Cape Breton are partnering to create electric lobster boats on the East Coast, saying it’s the way of the future if Canada is to meet its zero-emission targets. Hubert Nicholas, the director of fisheries at Membertou, said in an interview the new boats will likely be costlier than diesel-powered vessels at first, but he said it’s expected there will be savings in maintenance and fuel costs. Nicholas estimated the cost of lobster boats is about $600,000 to $700,000, adding that an electrical boat would have higher, yet-to-be-determined costs for its engine and other components.>click to read< 13:11