Tag Archives: Francis Morrissey

P.E.I. company dips into new lobster products, extending work at Tignish plant

A seafood processing company in Tignish, P.E.I., has just launched a lobster dip, the first of several new products that will mean more work at the plant while using up leftover lobster and crab meat. Francis Morrissey is manager of Royal Star Foods, a subsidiary of the Tignish Fisheries Co-operative, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025. “We decided six years ago to move in a different direction, that we could do more with the product that we’re getting — to create more employment and add value to some of the lower-end products,” he said. Video, more, >>click to read<< 08:29

Lobster carapace size increase remains a concern at some P.E.I. ports

Miminegash lobster fishermen are claiming to be negatively impacted by the two-millimetre carapace increase imposed this year. One fisherman, loading up with bait for the next day’s fishing, said Wednesday he is throwing back a lot of lobsters that are just under the minimum length. Shane Costain, captain of the Miminegash Maiden, said his catch took a big dip on Tuesday. He said a lot of lobsters he is throwing back would have been legal size if not for this year’s increase. “The measure is hitting us hard,” he insisted. >click to read<14:49

P.E.I. lobster buyers vote to suspend collecting lobster levy

Island lobster buyers are not collecting the one cent per pound levy this year, but fishermen will continue to pay theirs. P.E.I. was the first province in the region to introduce the two cent levy in 2016. The levy took one cent per pound from Island fishermen for lobster they brought in and another cent per pound from the buyers. The money was used for marketing lobster products with the fishermen’s levy going toward the Lobster Fishers Marketing Board and the buyer’s share to the P.E.I. Lobster Marketing Authority Inc. Francis Morrissey, former acting president of the P.E.I. Lobster Marketing Authority Inc., said buyers voted earlier this year to suspend collecting the levy in 2018. >click to read<22:53

P.E.I. Lobster fishery reduces floating rope in hopes of protecting North Atlantic right whales

Lobster fishers on P.E.I. are taking new measures this season to help protect the endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglement. In January, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced changes to the snow crab fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to protect the right whales, including reducing the amount of rope floating on the surface and mandatory reporting of all lost gear. Fishermen are also required to report any sightings of the endangered whales. >click to read<13:46

P.E.I.’s Western Gulf fishermen excited about highest lobster numbers from survey

There will be more numbers presented at the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association’s annual meeting in Charlottetown next month, but Francis Morrissey just couldn’t wait that long to share a statistic from Lobster Fishing Area 24. Morrissey, president of the Western Gulf Fishermen’s Association, shared the result from a settlement survey conducted last summer during the group’s annual meeting in Alberton earlier this week. “It was the highest recruitment that was ever recorded any place in Canada or the United States,”,,, >click here to read< 09:10

Western Gulf fishermen bristle at other P.E.I. fisheries group resolution

The Western Gulf Fishermen’s Association has answered back to the Prince County Fishermen’s Association. Last week the PCFA voted in favour of a sending a motion to the annual meeting of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association next month in Charlottetown, calling on all lobster advisory committees in the province to work towards a uniform lobster carapace size. >click here to read< 11:43

P.E.I’s spring lobster fishermen in favour of size increase

The president of the Western Gulf Fishermen’s Association says he’s confident Prince Edward Island’s spring lobster fisheries will have a one-millimeter increase in the minimum carapace length in 2018. Francis Morrissey, who is also a member of the Lobster Fishery Area 24 Lobster Advisory Committee was basing his optimism on the results of surveys the LFA 24 and LFA 26A Lobster Advisory Committees mailed out to their members this fall.,,, Morrissey said the decision to go with a size increase is the fishermen’s. “We feel very strongly about this,, click here to read the story 18:07

Most of P.E.I.’s 960-boat spring lobster fleet will set gear Saturday – Fishermen from Point Prim to Victoria will set a week later

Some lobster fishermen started transferring traps from the wharf to their boats on Thursday as preparations for Saturday’s opening of the spring lobster fishing season shifted into high gear. Many of the crews, however, are waiting until Friday to load up. “I hope everybody has a safe season, all across P.E.I and I hope the catches are good,” said Francis Morrissey, president of the Western Gulf Fishermen’s Association. Morrissey said many of the fishermen in his area have been able to catch a fair amount of spring herring for bait to get their season started, and he’s encouraged that the weather conditions for setting day, this Saturday are forecast to be good. click here to read the story, and we wish these fishermen well. Stay Safe! 11:55