Tag Archives: Lobster levy
P.E.I. lobster fishermen begin the penny per pound Lobster Levy for marketing on Saturday
P.E.I. lobster fishermen are the first in Canada to offer money from their catch to help market their product. The one-cent-a-pound levy will begin to be tallied when the first Island lobster is landed on Saturday. The chair of the new 12-member P.E.I. Lobster Marketing Board, Charlie McGeoghegan, says around a dozen proposals with recommendations how to spend the money have been submitted so far. He said those have come from consulting firms, fishing groups and individuals both on and off the Island. McGeoghegan wouldn’t share details, but said some of the ideas have been rejected already but a handful are still on the table. Read the rest here 13:10
P.E.I. lobster levy will launch this spring
When the lobster fishery begins this spring, P.E.I. will become the first province in the region where a two-cent-per-pound levy will be collected. The levy will take one cent per pound from P.E.I. fishermen for lobster they bring in and another cent per pound from the buyers. The money will be used for marketing. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are expected to launch their own levies in 2017. A lobster marketing board — comprised of six executives from the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) and six lobster fishermen — has been established to decide how to spend the harvesters’ half of the money. Read the story here 08:06
Lobster levy regulations for buyers approved by P.E.I. cabinet
The P.E.I. cabinet has approved new regulations that will see a one-cent-per-pound lobster levy collected from buyers next spring. P.E.I. Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Alan McIsaac said this is the final step for the province, since the regulations for a one-cent-per-pound levy for lobster fishermen were passed in the summer. “The regulations are now going to be in place for both the harvesters and the buyers,” said McIsaac. The money will be used for marketing. Read the article here 07:49
Legislation for lobster levy ready – won’t go ahead without fishermen’s support
Pictou West MLA Karla MacFarlane asked Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell Friday for an update on the levy that could see Nova Scotia fishermen pay either one or two cents for every pound landed, which would go towards marketing Nova Scotia lobsters. “We are losing ground on collective efforts to co-ordinate a lobster marketing plan like other provinces such as Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador, for they are all supportive of the Lobster Council of Canada and are moving ahead of Nova Scotia with their marketing strategies,”,, Read the article here 11:14
Lobster levy regulations approved – New P.E.I. legislation sets out rules for collecting a levy for lobster marketing
The P.E.I. government has approved lobster marketing board regulations that will allow for a lobster levy to be collected next spring. The new legislation allows for the establishment of a board to administer the levy for the marketing of lobster, and to represent the interests of lobster fishermen provincially and nationally. The regulations require lobster fishermen to pay a levy of one cent per pound of lobster sold to buyers and authorizes the board to ensure that the levy is collected. Read the rest here 18:48
Good season for Northumberland lobster
As the wind came round to the southwest after a choppy morning on the water, Dan MacDougall smiled at a 71/2-pound lobster. “Look at the size of that fellow there,” said the Cribbons Point, Antigonish County fisherman, lifting the big crustacean. After two hard years, it’s been a good lobster season on the Northumberland Strait. The export of live lobsters to overseas markets continued to grow, and the slow rebound of the American economy, coupled with a late start to the Maine lobster fishery,,, Read the rest here 09:36
Southwest Nova Scotia buyers on board with lobster marketing
A significant part of Nova Scotia’s most lucrative lobster fishery could soon be on board with some sort of lobster marketing levy, says Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell. Colwell said Thursday that buyers on the southwestern shore have agreed to pay a fee, although the structure and amount is yet to be determined. “It’s going to be a little bit complex to get it all in place, but at least this is the first breakthrough we’ve had,” said Colwell. Read the rest here 10:53
P.E.I. lobster fishermen pleased with first catches – Fishermen’s Association confident lobster levy to go ahead
Saturday marks the first day of the year that fresh Island lobster is available for sale on P.E.I. Fishermen along the North Shore started their season yesterday, eight days late, because of ice. Read the rest here 11:01 P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association is optimistic the one cent per pound levy will go ahead as planned. The money will be used for marketing and Island fishermen voted in favour of the levy last fall. Read the rest here 11:04
Lobster levy to get review after Lobster Council of Canada criticism
Provincial governments in the Maritimes want a review of the publicly funded industry group pushing for a lobster levy to help promote the industry. The review will be carried out this spring and summer and follows criticism of the Lobster Council of Canada, primarily from fishermen in southwest Nova Scotia. Plans for a one cent per pound levy to promote Canadian lobster next year are moving ahead in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, but in Nova Scotia there is resistance. Read the rest here 16:55
Lobster licensing fee fairer say’s seafood firm
The land-based side of the lobster industry in Nova Scotia has rejected the penny-per-pound concept in favour of a licensing fee. “We believe this is a fairer way to distribute the cost through our side of the industry,” Terry Zinck, with Xsealent Seafood Co. in Clark’s Harbour, said Friday. A penny-per-pound levy to promote marketing and sustainability efforts has received mixed reviews from lobster harvesters. It has been promoted by the Lobster Council of Canada. Read the rest here 09:38
Province prepares ground for lobster levy
A lobster marketing levy on sales still isn’t in place in Nova Scotia but the government would be allowed to collect such a fee under legislation it introduced on Monday. Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell said a change to the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act would enable the province to collect a financial contribution through regulations once the industry decides what form it will take. Read the rest here 10:13
EDITORIAL: Lobster levy flap foolish
Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell has been clawed up over the proposed penny-a-pound marketing levy on lobster landings. So it’s not surprising his federal counterpart, Gail Shea, wasn’t eager Monday to go to battle for an idea that many players in the Nova Scotia industry think is logical, but too few want to pay for. Read the rest here 09:19
Nova Scotia looks for alternatives to unpopular lobster levy
A levy on lobster catches in Nova Scotia is not the only way to raise money for promoting the industry, says the province’s fisheries and aquaculture minister The recommendation comes from the Maritime Lobster Panel report, issued in response to ballooning catches and plunging prices several years ago. Although there has been support in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and many parts of this province, fishermen and buyers on the South Shore — the most lucrative fishing area of all and one whose residents are known for their fierce independence , Read the rest here 15:20
Buyers Say No: “The lobster levy is dead in Southwest Nova Scotia, absolutely, no question about it,”
A “unanimous no” vote this week has put the future of a Maritime-wide lobster marketing levy in doubt. The levy would take one cent per pound from fishermen and another cent per pound from buyers to pay for a generic marketing campaign run by the industry.In Nova Scotia, the levy would raise $1.8 million annually from fishermen. Terry Zinck, a lobster buyer in Clarks Harbour, was at the Tuesday vote that included most South Shore buyers. Read the rest here 12:42
Lobster fishermen in Sambro have mixed opinions on the idea of paying a one cent a pound levy!
“I think it’s totally unnecessary. We’ve survived with the past 50 years without this stuff,” said Nick Henneberry, one of a handful of people who turned out for a government sponsored meeting about the levy on Friday. “More involvement. More bureaucracy.” Paddy Gray, another lobster fisherman, believes fishermen are ready to be convinced. Read the rest here 14:29
N.S. won’t introduce lobster levy right away
A proposed new levy on lobster will not take effect this winter, Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell said Thursday. “We want to consult more with the industry on how the levy will be collected and how it will be dispersed,” Colwell said of a proposal that has divided the industry. Read the rest here 08:39
N.S. group wants answers about lobster levy
The province’s fish packers association says it’s surprised by the new provincial government’s proposed levy on lobster. Marilyn Clark, executive director of the Nova Scotia Fish Packers Association, says she and others heard about it only when the minister announced the plan to collect five cents-a-pound. Read more here 09:06
Lobster levy for marketing fund recommended – one cent per pound!
The money would fund a new lobster market intelligence institute and develop a comprehensive marketing campaign, in a partnership with government. more@cbcnews 12:56
