Tag Archives: Lobster season
The gear is coming ashore in Southwestern N.S. as lobster season draws to a close
Lobster fishermen in southwestern Nova Scotia are landing traps, buoys, rope and anchors by the boatload this week as May 31 marks the end of the six-month lobster season. The season opened on Dec. 1 after a five-day weather delay for fishermen in Lobster Fishing Areas 33 and 34, with a record opening shore price of $7 a pound that jumped to $9 by mid-December, peaked at $11 in April, and is expected to close at $7. Bernie Berry, president of the Coldwater Lobster Association said overall if it ends up being a decent season, it’ll be mostly because of the price. The price was important as catches do appear to be down, according to what fishermen have been reporting. >Photo’s, click to read<09:55
Lobster season off southwest Nova Scotia postponed again due to bad weather
The federal Fisheries Department confirmed today that industry representatives from Lobster Fishing Area 33, which extends from Halifax to the southwestern tip of the province, have decided to open their season on Saturday at 7 a.m. About 700 fishing boats are expected to dump their traps that day, unless the weather again turns foul. In Lobster Fishing Area 34, which includes 970 boats that work the waters off the province’s western edge, fishermen and federal officials decided today to put off their final decision until a conference call is held Thursday morning. >click to read<17:31
Fishermen prepare for lobster season
Warren Francis and his family were in high spirits as they readied their brand-new fishing boat at Pictou Landing’s wharf under a sunny spring sky for the upcoming lobster season starting next Monday.,, But fisherman Ronnie Heighton, who sits on the Gulf of Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board, said that fishermen plying the Northumberland Strait for catches can “live quite happily.” “There’s never a bad day when you fish lobster,”,, However, Heighton states that danger lies ahead for fishermen who rely on the Strait for their livelihoods.>click to read<12:00
TINA COMEAU: Am I ready? Another lobster season begins
Usually there’s a convoy of vehicles all heading in the same direction. It makes me grin every year – rush-hour traffic at 5 a.m. in Melbourne, Yarmouth County. This year as I pull out of our driveway it is just them and I – them being my husband Greg and my son Jacob. I watch their taillights ahead of me, driving to the wharf and away from me. When I asked Jacob the night before if he wanted to drive to the wharf with me or his father I could tell by his expression and response that it was a question I shouldn’t have asked. Of course he would drive with his father – he’s part of the crew. click here to read the story 10:53
Cape Breton lobster season shows signs of a good future in the industry
Lobster fishermen say they not only had a great season this year but also got a glimpse into a great future for the local industry. “We saw lots of undersized lobster and lots that were spawning, “ said Herb Nash, president of the Glace Bay Harbour Authority and president of the 4VN Groundfish Management Society. “You’d catch 10 or 12 lobsters and have to put all of them back but two or three as they’d be spawning or undersized. That’s a good sign for the future. If you don’t have them you don’t have a future. It was really good.” Nash said despite the season getting off to a rocky start when it first opened this was one of the best seasons yet. click here to read the story 11:41
Eastern Cape Breton lobster season looking good despite rough start
Rough weather delayed the opening of the lobster fishing season off eastern Cape Breton and a nasty spring storm three days later destroyed hundreds of traps up and down the island’s Atlantic coast. Despite those setbacks and the financial cost of replacing traps that can cost up to $100 or more apiece, fishermen are likely to have a profitable season by the time it ends on July 17 thanks to high landings and fair prices, said Herb Nash, a lobster fisherman out of Glace Bay. “After the first week and a half and we got straightened away, the season has really been excellent,” he told Local Xpress. “It’s one of the best seasons ever.” The lobster season in eastern Cape Breton waters normally runs May 15 to July 15, but after two days of stormy weather at the beginning delayed the opening, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans agreed to extend the fishery the same amount. However, strong winds and heavy rains May 20 kept boats tied up and left beaches along the coast littered with traps, many containing lobsters that were unsalvageable. click here to read the story 12:11
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
Lobster season off to excellent start in eastern Cape Breton
The opening day of lobster season along the eastern side of Cape Breton is being described as perfect. “So far, so good,” said Merrill MacInnis, who fishes out of Little River Harbour along the North Shore. “Hopefully the conditions will stay great, that’s the big thing. It all depends on the weather.” The season in Area 27, which extends from Bay St. Lawrence down to Forchu, was delayed this year due to bad weather. It was to have opened on Saturday, but fishermen didn’t set their traps until Wednesday. They hauled them the next day. Click here to read the story 18:58
Lobster season on Nova Scotia’s southwest coast delayed by bad weather
The lobster season on Nova Scotia’s southwest coast has been delayed by one day due to high winds a rough seas. The season was supposed to start Monday but has been put off until Tuesday morning at 6 a.m., said Graeme Gawn president of local 9 with the Maritime Fishermen’s Union. “It’s always frustrating because everybody is ready to go and they want to go, but nobody wants to get hurt and nobody wants to see their crews get hurt.” Gawn said the Department of Fisheries and Oceans made the decision Sunday morning on a conference call. The first day of the lobster season, referred to as dumping day, is when fishermen first set their lobster traps, it’s considered one of the most dangerous days of the entire season. Most fishermen are more than happy to wait until the weather is more cooperative to head out on the water, said Gawn. Read the rest here 12:24
Dumping Day Update: Weather delays opening
Forecast rain, snow and wind have delayed the opening of the lobster season in southwest Nova Scotia. A decision was made midday Saturday not to go ahead with Monday’s “dumping day” in lobster fishing Areas 33 and 34. Officials will decide on Sunday morning whether Tuesday should be dumping day. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Halifax, Lunenburg and Queens counties because of a low pressure system that’s expected to bring rain and snow over the weekend. Boats piled high with lobster traps in area 34 were to leave the wharves at 6 a.m. Monday and at 7 a.m. Monday in area 33. The province is reminding people who make their living on the water to be safe. Read the rest here 13:35
Weather may delay opening of lobster season
Rain, snow and wind could delay the opening of the lobster season in southwest Nova Scotia. Lobster Fishing Areas 33 and 34 are expected to make a decision about whether to go ahead with Monday’s “dumping day” late Saturday morning. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Halifax, Lunenburg and Queens counties because of a low pressure system that’s expected to bring rain and snow over the weekend. But if the weather is fine, boats piled high with lobster traps in LFA 34 will leave the wharves at 6 a.m. and in LFA 33, at 7 a.m. Whether or not fishermen will be setting their traps on Monday, the province is reminding people who make their living on the water to be safe. Read the rest here 08:52
“It’s been a long time coming.” Lobster season in southwestern Nova Scotia may be best in decade
A lobster fisherman in southwest Nova Scotia says this season, which ends at midnight tonight, may have been the best in a decade. Bernie Berry, captain of the lobster boat Ready To Go and president of the Coldwater Lobster Association, said it’s too soon to calculate official landing numbers. But he estimates fishermen in the two lobster fishing areas that make up southwest Nova Scotia — from Halifax all the way down the South Shore to just south of Digby Neck — likely landed almost 75 million pounds of lobster this season. The 2015-2016 season is “one of the best, if not the best” in the past 10 years, Berry said. “It’s been a long time coming.” Read the story here 15:34
Gulf of Maine Research Institute says lobster season will likely start around June 19.
An updated forecast points to an even stronger likelihood that Maine’s lobster season is going to get off to a very early start. The forecast from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, updated Thursday, said there’s a 47 percent chance of an “extremely early start,” defined as beginning as early as June 12. The lobstering season typically kicks into high gear after July 4. A “very early start,” defined as beginning around June 19, has a likelihood of 50 percent, the institute said, and an “early start” of around June 26 has a likelihood of 3 percent. The institute said there’s virtually no chance of a normal or late start to the season for Maine’s most valuable fishery. Read the rest here 17:38
Banner lobster season underway in sou’west Nova
Strong lobster landings, good fishing weather and a solid shore price continue to hold one month into the commercial lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia. “The catches have been phenomenal,” says Lockeport lobster dealer Mike Cotter of Cotter’s Ocean Products Inc. “It’s just been amazing, right from day one. The catches have been good for everybody and the price has been good. You’re not going to get any better season than this for sure.” Fine weather prevailed for the first two weeks of the season, which opened on Nov. 30 in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFA) 33 and 34, enabling fishers to check their traps every day. Read the article here 09:41
They’re off! Lobster season gets underway in southwestern Nova Scotia
The lobster season in lobster fishing area (LFA) 34 – which takes in all of Yarmouth County and parts of Shelburne and Digby counties and LFA 33, which takes in the rest of the South Shore, kicked off early Monday morning. All indications are that the season will be an excellent one, say industry representatives and are hoping strong prices and good catches. There are around 980 licence holders in LFA 34. As for the lobster season that is now getting underway, it will come to an end on May 31, 2016. Read the article here with 4 nice photo’s 08:50
Busy readying boats at Digby wharf
LFA 35 lobster season opens Wednesday in upper Bay of Fundy Area lobster fishermen are busy at Digby’s wharf today, loading traps in preparation for the opening Wednesday of Lobster Fishing Area 35. Fishermen from Digby east will be dumping their traps in the water starting at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Read the rest here 13:35
Grand Manan’s lobster season hurt by hard winter – ‘The guys out on deck are freezing’
Weather has all but ended the lobster fishing season in
. The season started in November and recent weather has caused most fishermen to miss more than double the number of the days they would in typical year. “There’s a limit to how much wind you can stand when it’s cold like it has been this winter. The guys out on deck are freezing,” said fisherman Laurence Cook. Read the rest here 08:52
Bay of Fundy lobster season gets off to good start
According to a 2013 report from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, lobster landings in the Bay of Fundy are Each of the past five lobster fishing seasons has yielded a record catch. Read the rest here 09:22
Lobster season in eastern Cape Breton nears end
In eastern Cape Breton, also known as lobster fishing area 27, the two-month-long season comes to an end on Sunday. MacIntyre was at Mac’s Main-a-dieu Lobster on George Street in Sydney late Wednesday afternoon picking up the cooked crustacean for dinner with his girlfriend. “She’ll eat two, and I’ll probably eat three or four. Maybe make one for a sandwich for lunch tomorrow,” he said. Read more here 08:11
Lobster season in eastern Cape Breton launches today
Setting day for about 540 fishermen was supposed to be Saturday, but because a lot of fishermen weren’t ready, it was decided to set a few days later. Some fishermen were still waiting to get their boats launched and others were digging traps out of ice and snow. Read more here 17:22
Lobster season off southern N.S. opens after weather delay – optimism as dumping day begins
Fisheries and Oceans Canada had postponed the opening for five days, fearing poor weather during the past week would make it too dangerous for fishermen. The Canadian Coast Guard and dozens of fisheries officers are monitoring the first day. In Meteghan, N.S., crowds gathered at the wharf Saturday morning. Fishermen there say it’s been one of the longest weather delays to the start of the season in recent memory. more@cbcnews
“The priority is the safety of the men,” Lobster season delayed in Halifax-Digby zones
The start of the lobster season has been postponed in two Nova Scotia zones because of bad weather. It was originally supposed to start Monday. more@cbcnews 11:24
