Tag Archives: Canadian Maritimes
Maritime fishers raise concerns over low lobster prices as spring season begins
Fishers with the Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU) are heading to sea under pressure this spring, as rumours swirl of lobster buyers offering prices far below what they consider sustainable. The MFU says the reported opening offers of $6 to $6.50 per pound echo rates from more than a decade ago, even though operating costs have risen significantly since the pandemic. “Operating costs for a fishing enterprise today are not what they were before the pandemic,” said Martin Mallet, MFU Executive Director. “A reasonable minimum price for lobster today must take into account these increases, which have risen by 25 to 50 percent depending on the fishing enterprise.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 0859
Elver prosecutions trickle into court after ‘hell’ year on N.S. and N.B. rivers
About three dozen people have been charged with offences related to this year’s chaotic illegal fishery for juvenile eels in the Maritimes, a number that falls well short of the overall tally of arrests this spring but which the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans says could grow. The enforcement of the lucrative fishery for the tiny eels, also known as elvers, has been heavily scrutinized in recent years, with many in the industry outspoken about what they view as a failure to crack down on rampant poaching. The department said Friday that 37 people have been charged with elver-related fisheries offences committed in 2024, providing for the first time a concrete number of prosecutions that have emerged from a year when fisheries officers struggled badly to keep pace. more. >>CLICK TO READ<< 19: 03
Nova Scotia against proposal to reallocate commercial elver quota
“We just don’t agree,” Houston said about Ottawa’s proposal, which he called a shining example of the government’s “inability to properly understand and manage the fishery. It’s been communicated to them that we are not a fan of what they are trying to do there.” The elver fishery in the Maritimes has been tainted in recent years by drama and violence because of how profitable it is — the baby eels had reached market values as high as about $5,000 per kilogram in recent years. Under the proposed pilot allocation, the federal Fisheries Department is offering licences to 120 fishers currently employed by commercial licence holders, granting them 27 per cent of the overall quota. A further 1.5 per cent would be allocated to licences offered to 30 fishers who currently catch adult eels. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:49
Fishermen take federal government to court over right to sell Class B licences again
A law firm representing a little over half of the 75 remaining fishermen in the Maritimes with Class B licences is taking the federal government to court for a second time. Class B licences were created in 1976 by the federal government with the goal of reducing fishing in the name of conservation. They were assigned to fishermen who had another primary source of income and can’t be reassigned or sold. Class B licences only allow for 30 per cent of the fishing that Class A licences allow. Donald Publicover, 71, of Nova Scotia wants the ability to sell or transfer his licence to ensure financial stability for his family, which includes two adult children with cerebral palsy. >click to read< 11:04
The lobster fishery drives a boat building ‘boom’ in the Canadian Maritimes
Boat builders are benefiting from a steady upward rise in the lobster fishery, which has had everything go right in the past year. The cost of fuel to drive their boats has dropped, while lobster prices are up and catches strong. A lower Canadian dollar has made selling in the U.S. more lucrative. “The combination of those things means lobster fishermen are making more money. The sales we are seeing are the best we have [had] since our organization started recording them and that is 19 years,” said Tim Edwards of the Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association. Maritime boat yards are operating at full capacity to meet demand for new lobster fishing boats — costing upwards of $1 million each — which has wait times for those new vessels stretching years into the future. Read the article here 08:04
Fewer right whales seen, counted in Gulf of Maine
Only one North Atlantic right whale was spotted in the Gulf of Maine this fall by biologists who are tracking the species. “Right whales have different feeding areas at different times of year,” LaCasse said. Their year-round habitat extends from the Canadian Maritimes to southern New England, but the whales move in search of food. Their whereabouts, regardless of the time of year, are likely tied primarily to food and the conditions of the ecosystem in which they thrive, marine scientists said. “These whales are grazers,” said Mayo. “It’s a moving feast, quite literally, for these animals. Wherever they are, I guarantee that they’re sitting on a pile of food.” more@kennebecjournal 05:53
A Fractured Lobster Fishery in the Canadian Maritimes
Nova Scotia Lobster fishermen return to sea after standoff Lobster fishermen in Nova Scotia will be back on the water at first light on Tuesday, after hundreds tied up their boats to fight for better prices from seafood processors. The protest is over, but the problem of low lobster prices at the wharf persists. The protesters said they’ve made their point and have enlisted the province’s fisheries minister as an ally. continued
P.E.I. lobster fishermen returning to water Some fishermen in Western P.E.I. are calling the protest a failure, because it did not pressure processors to raise prices. West Prince fisherman Scott McNeill still believes it 
was the right thing to do. continued
Lobster fishermen protest over prices ends in New Brunswick Fishermen in New Brunswick’s zone 23 were back on the water again, hauling up traps in the Escuminac and Caraquet areas. Alain-Paul Thériault was among them. They felt they had to go out, he said. continued
