Tag Archives: LFA 34

Sipekne’katik band councillor’s lobster pound destroyed in fire

A Sipekne’katik band councillor says a lobster pound he owns in southwestern Nova Scotia was destroyed by fire in the early hours on Christmas Day. Alex McDonald said he was contacted by the RCMP about the fire at his lobster pound located in the tiny community of Saint Bernard near Weymouth, N.S. According to McDonald, the lobster pound was completely destroyed in the fire. click here to read the story 17:12

Safe opening day to lobster season off southwestern N.S.; some calls for assistance on Day 2

Dumping day, the most risky day of the six-month lobster fishery off southwestern Nova Scotia, was reported to have been a safe day with no incidents occurring. But day two of the season has not been incident free while vessels have been on the water hauling up catches. While the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) says there were no incidents reported to it, and no assets needed to be tasked, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, the day the lobster season got underway, this wasn’t the case the following day. click here to read the story 14:21

DUMPING DAY DELAYED: Forecasted winds cancel Nov. 27 start of lobster season

The opening of the lobster fishery off southwestern Nova Scotia has been delayed due to the forecasted high winds. The season, which was to have started on Monday, Nov. 27, with dumping day, will only start Tuesday at the earliest. A decision to postpone the start of the LFA 34 (southwestern Nova Scotia) and LFA 33 (south shore of NS) seasons was made during Saturday morning conference calls to review the forecasted weather. Anything forecasted winds above 25 knots automatically cancels the start of the season. Sometimes the opening of lobster fishing off southwestern Nova Scotia goes off without a hitch. And sometimes not. Here’s a look at some past season openings over the years. click here to read the story 11:39

Lobster season drawing to a close off southwestern Nova Scotia

The largest commercial lobster season in Canada comes to a close this week with the end of the season in lobster fishing areas (LFAs) 34 and 33 off southwestern Nova Scotia and along the province’s south shore. Fishermen in these districts have until the end of the day Wednesday, May 31, to haul their traps out of the water, although some had already started bringing loads of traps and gear shore over the weekend. (A nice little rundown of the season, with some very good photo’s of hard working people doing what they do, and a mention in reverence to Fisherman Big Jim Buchanan who tragically lost his life early in the season) Click here to view the photos and read the story. Rest in Peace Jim Buchanan. 17:22

Cape Breton fishermen plead guilty to fishing closed area off Digby Neck

callie-rae-fish-violationsKevin and Paul Cormier, father and son from New Waterford, were not in Digby Provincial Court Sept. 18, but their lawyer entered guilty pleas for them on charges of fishing in a closed area, fishing with untagged traps and fishing without the person named in the licence. The federal crown attorney Alex Pink told the court that Fishery Officers on a routine patrol off Digby Neck found a trawl of 20 traps set in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 34 on Nov. 15, 2015. The Fishery Officers seized those traps, which were about 900 metres inside LFA 34, which doesn’t open until the end of November. Fisheries officers then watched with binoculars as fishermen on the lobster boat Callie Ray dragged two more trawls, or 40 traps total, from LFA 34 over the line into LFA 35, which was open at the time. Read the story here 17:52

Fishermen in Atlantic Canada cash in on high lobster prices

565237When 50-year-old lobster fisherman Albert Sampson wrapped up the season a few weeks ago, he was pretty pleased with the results. During an intense two month season working 12- to 14-hour days, six days a week, in the high winds off the southeast coast of Cape Breton Island, he and his crew of two deckhands brought in $500,000-worth of lobster. This year, Mr. Sampson got an average price of $8 a pound for his catch, after averaging about $5.75 to $6 a pound last year. I think its been a banner season price-wise for anybody in the Maritimes, says Mr. Sampson, who has been fishing lobster for 20 years. I hope it stays the same next season. Mr. Sampson is one of thousands of lobster fishermen across Atlantic Canada who have benefited from high lobster prices in 2016. In a region where jobs can be hard to come by, especially in rural areas where the majority of lobster fishermen live and fish out of, the increase in lobster prices is welcome news. Read the story here 09:09