It was the summer of 1978. Then-12-year-old Mike Kalaman approached the captains of two lobster boats on a pier in Westport. This was a common activity for Kalaman, whose father, a mechanic, secured him a job at a family friend’s fish market to keep him out of “trouble.” The Norwalk teen would run down to the boats tied up near the Westport market and fire away questions about the crustaceans that would be sold that day. “You want to see how this is done?” a captain finally asked him. That was the first day of Kalaman’s nearly 50-year career as a lobsterman. “You could go down to any beach anywhere in the state of Connecticut, at low tide, turn over rocks and find baby lobsters. That’s how prolific they were,” he recalls. Then came the die-off. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
Tag Archives: lobster
Lobster fishing industry reps remain concerned about illegal fishing
A hastily organized meeting with senior Fisheries Department officials on Tuesday did nothing to quell concerns among commercial lobster industry representatives about illegal fishing and insufficient enforcement along coastal communities. The meeting came together hours after people attending a gathering of the Maritimes Region Lobster Advisory Committee in Dartmouth, N.S., walked out in protest when a motion to change the agenda to deal only with enforcement and illegal fishing was rejected. “It’s the No. 1 industry in Atlantic Canada and we feel abandoned,” Dan Fleck, executive director of the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association, told reporters after walking out of the morning session. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:26
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 50′ Duffy Gillnetter, Lobster,Longliner,Scalloper
To review specifications, information, and 26 photos’, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 06:38
Lobster harvesters ready to ‘take matters into their own hands’
Local lobster harvesters are prepared to patrol waters themselves and haul up illegal gear, which could spark confrontations with poachers, according to Amanda Johnson, executive director of the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association, which represents 150 lobster fishers from St. Stephen to Alma. “It could lead to a lot of violence on the water,” Johnson said at a protest held in Saint Andrews Saturday in support of local fishers and their families. Maine and New Brunswick poachers are now taking to Lobster Fishing Area 36, which runs along New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy coast from Alma to the American border, ahead of its November season, Johnson said. Deer Island fisherman Dale Mitchell claims lobster catches have dropped 30 per cent in the last seven years since the start of what he called an “illegal summer fishery” in the region. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:06
Norbert Cunningham: Coast Guard can stop poaching
Lobster is a lucrative fishery in Maine and New Brunswick, and it’s past time for the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to step in an act decisively against American poachers. They can begin with sending in Coast Guard ships to drive intruders out while also initiating another attempt at a better resolution with U.S. authorities. The tensions aren’t new, nor is this the first such flare-up in our waters, but it may be one of the worst and have the most potential for lethal violence. Canadian fishers are seeing evidence and hearing the latest incursions are the work of organized crime, not just fishers straying a bit over unmarked and disputed lines on water. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:08
Organized crime linked to illegal lobster fishing ‘terrorizing the community,’ N.S. minister claims
Nova Scotia’s fisheries minister says the federal failure to stop what he calls illegal out-of-season fishing in some of the most lucrative lobster grounds in the country has fuelled organized crime that is “terrorizing the community” along a stretch of the province’s southwest. Kent Smith made the comments in a letter last week to his federal counterpart, Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier, in which he claims the illegal fishery has “entrenched itself” in the region of Clare and surrounding areas. “This is not related to Indigenous harvesting,” Smith said. “This is illegal lobster fishing that is causing havoc on the ground down there, causing havoc in the community and causing a lot of fear and anxiety in Clare and Meteghan.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:50
Lobster group files legal action over moderate livelihood fishery
A lobster conservation group in southwestern Nova Scotia is taking legal action against Ottawa and the Sipekne’katik First Nation over out of season fishing. The Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance (UFCA) filed a notice of action in Supreme Court in an effort to declare the summer fishery illegal. “The Supreme Court of Canada introduced the concept of a moderate livelihood fishery via the Marshall decisions but has never adequately defined the scope and limits that should apply,” said Michel Samson, counsel with the law firm Cox & Palmer. “This has created confusion between the DFO and the Public Prosecution Service as to what laws to enforce. It is imperative that our courts provide the rules and clarity required for both the commercial fishery and for First Nation communities.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:05
Taking action on lobster stock fluctuation
There’s increasing concern about unexplained structural decline of European lobster in the Netherlands’ Eastern Scheldt lobster fishery. Accurate stock assessment is essential for understanding these declines and implementing sustainable management, but scientific knowledge on lobster stocks in the Netherlands is lacking. Seeing a need for action, the Association of Professional Fishers Oosterschelde, Westschelde and Voordelta (OWV) developed a fishing plan to improve regional fisheries management, seeking to engage with the government and stakeholders to develop science-based fishery management strategies. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:20
N.S. Liberals call for new task force to improve enforcement of lobster fishery
As top fishery officials from around the country arrive in PEI for the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers meeting Nova Scotia’s Liberals are calling for a solution to the ongoing disputes over lobster fishing. Particularly in southwest Nova Scotia tensions have been running high with indigenous lobster fishermen and commercial operators. The Indigenous fishers have a right to a moderate livelihood fishery which was upheld by the Supreme Court. While commercial fishers argue that they need to still observe fishing seasons for the overall health of the lobster fishery. At times the altercations have become violent, which the Liberals say will only continue if things go unchanged. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:42
Lobster fishery set for reprieve on size limits
A second delay to implementing minimum gauge and vent sizes for lobsters caught in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank and Outer Cape Cod was initiated last week by the American Lobster Board, which operates under the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), a measure that Maine lobstermen, and Congressman Jared Golden, have hoped and pushed for. The new implementation date would be July 1, 2025, if the measure is adopted by the ASMFC’s American Lobster Board. An earlier delay the ASMFC approved had pushed back to Jan. 1, 2025, the new gauge and escape vent sizes in lobster traps for commercial lobster fisheries in the targeted lobster management areas. When the measure was first approved, it was to take effect based on a “trigger” mechanism. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:52
Commercial fishers demand stricter enforcement and penalties for illegal lobster sales – Federal and provincial governments need to step-up enforcement
Uncertainty on the future of the commercial fishery will potentially put the sustainability of the lobster catch and jobs at risk according to the leaders of the Coalition of Atlantic and Quebec Fishing Organizations and the Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance (UFCA). The upcoming meeting of fisheries ministers from across Canada is a unique opportunity to make sure the commercial fishery remains sustainable. Action is needed from both federal and provincial officials. For the Government of Canada, keeping independent enforcement officers on the water is critical to making sure no one fishes out of season. “Enforcing one set of rules for everyone is the key to a strong fishery. Impartial, independent enforcement officers at Department of Fisheries and Oceans is at the heart of a sustainable fishery,” according to Gordon Beaton, president of the Gulf Nova Scotia Fleet Planning Board. “We are concerned about potential changes to enforcement, we need more, not less, independent enforcement of the rules.” Science, not politics, should be driving decisions on the fishery. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:40
Gulf of Maine lobsters are experiencing a housing crisis
Lobster fishing has been a good business in the Gulf of Maine for a long time. With the exception of a few notable dips, both the landings and value of the catch have been on an upward swing for decades. Between 1984 and 2014, the lobster population in the Gulf of Maine jumped an estimated 515 percent, while simultaneously declining by 78 percent in southern New England as the water warmed in both regions. While it’s started to decline in recent years, numbers are still far higher than they were several decades ago. The result? A lobster housing crisis. “The warming sea temperatures have actually created a real sweet spot for lobster reproduction,” said Brian Skerry, a National Geographic photographer and producer on the recent GBH/PBS series Sea Change, which explores the impact of climate change on the Gulf of Maine. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:51
James Watt: ‘My father is dying, I do not want to go through life without him’
My father’s journey to end-of-life care has been both sudden and tragic. Having lost one of my closest friends, Dan Bolton, to pancreatic cancer only in January, my dad’s stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosison June 22 hit our family like a sledgehammer. I still can’t imagine my life without my father playing a very prominent role in it. I still can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that up until a few weeks ago my dad was working full time on his lobster fishing boat, hauling 300 lobster pots every single day. Lobster fishing is incredibly hard and manual work, and the north Atlantic is an infamously dangerous and difficult place to work — my dad was fitter and stronger than I am. That strength forged through hard graft in the face of unforgiving northerly gales. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:09
Bill to Support Maine’s Lobster Industry Clears Appropriations Committee
U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she advanced significant funding and key language to support Maine’s lobster industry in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill. The bill, which was officially approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today, now awaits consideration by the full Senate and House. “This funding would support Maine’s lobster industry by improving the incomplete and imprecise science and research upon which the federal government relies. The flawed and incomplete data being used to inform regulations has created unnecessary, burdensome requirements for Maine lobstermen and women,” said Senator Collins. “As the Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 05:57
Lower prices mark the end of spring lobster season
Lobster fishers were reflecting on what many have seen as a good spring season. “This season is pretty well on par with last season,” said Jake Hackett, a fisherman in Seacow Pond. “I’ve been fishing for five years here, and it’s the best season we’ve seen, so it’s going pretty good that way.” While most fishers haven’t missed any time on the water, their season did see a delay to its beginning. Originally, this year’s spring season was due to begin April 29, but poor weather conditions in the lead up made it too dangerous for fishers to head out. After days of waiting, they were finally able to head out, and Landing Day was set for July 4. Despite the good weather and good catches, price continues to be an issue. At the start of the season, fishers were getting $7.75 for canners and $9 for markets, but those prices have since gone down. Toward the end of the season, fishers were getting $6.50 for canners and $6.75 for markets. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:42
Lobster fishers get good weather, up and down catches
The best thing that can be said of the 2024 lobster season on PEI is the weather was good enough that many boats never missed a day on the water. That helped make up for lower catches in some areas, although the amounts coming to shore were different depending on the harbour. “The fishing was good right to the last day,” said captain Edwin McKie, who fishes out of Fortune. “It’s not going to be a year to run to the record books with, but I don’t think any of us will be at the food bank.” There was lots of spawn during the last couple of weeks, something he said bodes well for next year. As of mid-June prices were between $6.25 and $7, according to the PEI Lobster Marketing Board. That’s lower than what fishers have received toward the end of the season in most recent years. Mr Poole said it was the first time in recent memory his crew didn’t miss a single day. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:58
Shediac, N.B., marks diamond anniversary celebration with annual Lobster Festival
The event schedule has been posted for weeks, the sound-checks are done and now all that’s left to do is wait for 7 p.m. – the official start of the 75th annual Shediac Lobster Festival. “This is the longest running festival in the province and Shediac has always been a very welcoming town, welcoming tourist town, so this is our flagship event, hands down,” said Shediac Mayor Roger Caissie. Before festivities even kicked off, several shows were already sold out. Licence plates from the Maritimes and beyond filled the parking lot and excitement was evident at the big lobster on Friday. Officials say this year’s celebration will see expand to mark the major milestone in “grand style.” The 10-day celebration runs from July 5 until July 14. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:09
Who dumped a pile of lobsters alongside the highway?
Ontario Provincial Police are looking for information after a large quantity of lobsters were found dumped along Highway 17 near Bonfield. On Tuesday, police started receiving calls about the lobsters alongside the highway. Officers found a large pile of lobsters. “It did look like quite an abundant number,” Const. Renne Taylor said. “Probably over 100 lobsters were there.” How they got there? Police admit they have no idea. As a result, they’re asking the public to get in touch if they have any details. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:45
The Next Generation Answers Call of the Lobster
Lobstering and commercial fishing generally can be a tough business to break into. Fishing permits are expensive and in limited supply. Buying and repairing gear — boats, nets, traps and so on — takes time, patience and money. Add to that, environmental regulations and a dwindling lobster fishery and it adds up to an unstable livelihood. But Tegan Gale, Matteus Scheffer, Otto Osmers and Chris Mayhew are trying to make a go of it, forming a new generation of Vineyard fisherman, following in the footsteps of their fathers, grandfathers and, in some cases, great grandfathers. But they have no illusions about what they are getting into, especially where lobster are concerned.Two years ago, a retiring Island fisherman put his lobster permit up for sale. Otto Osmers, who had been fishing a student permit in high school seized the opportunity. photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:39
P.E.I. lobster harvesters seeing low prices despite strong catches
With only a few weeks left in lobster season on Prince Edward Island, fishers are seeing lower prices. New London, P.E.I., lobster harvester Peter Pidgeon said harvesters were hearing about the big prices in Nova Scotia and getting excited for the season. He said prices are currently sitting a little lower. “This year it’s a little lower. We’re at $6.25 a pound and $6.50 a pound right now.” Nat Richard, the executive director of the Lobster Processors Association, said the association is in the midst of the largest catch year ever in Canada. “The cost to hold inventory just went through the roof. That’s always a concern when you have an imbalance in terms of the supply and demand picture and that’s very much what we are dealing with this year,” he said. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:32
Lobster fishers want to see a crack down on poaching in southwestern Nova Scotia
The issue was raised during a meeting in Yarmouth among industry members and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). They’re worried more moderate livelihood fishing will dominate St. Mary’s Bay. First Nations fishers maintain their Treaty rights to fish. DFO has not authorized that fishery, but they do allow some Food, Social and Ceremonial licenses. Colin Sproul with the Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance says catches were low in the bay during the fall season. “Everybody in southwestern Nova Scotia knows why that is. I think it’s incumbent on the government to act now, before lobster fishing in St. Mary’s Bay is a thing of the past,” said Sproul. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 05:53
Catches up as LFA 33/34 season ends
Catches are up as lobster season comes to a close. Fishers will haul up their traps Friday for the last time until late November. Dan Fleck is the executive director of the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association. He says prices have fallen to over eight dollars a pound. “The past several weeks, catch rates have increased. It’s believed this is due to the water warming up. We believe the lobsters were there in the fall, but they weren’t crawling because the water was so cold,” said Fleck. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:01
Lobsters prices fall. Crates of crustaceans pile up on Cape Breton
There are so many lobsters ready for processing or live sale in some eastern Cape Breton harbours that they’re being stored temporarily in large flotillas of plastic crates. Some seafood buyers have stopped buying altogether and others are implementing daily limits on the amount of lobster they will buy. Fishermen worry the oversupply is driving down the price and while some in the industry say it could be a sign of longer term problems, one buyer says the backlog is evidence that lobster conservation efforts are working, and it will ease off in a couple of weeks. “Our processing facility is maximized daily, seven days a week and our holding facility is pretty darn full as of Saturday night,” said Osborne Burke, general manager of Victoria Co-operative Fisheries in New Haven, northern Cape Breton. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:41
‘To honor the lobstermen,’ Bailey Island artist paints their portraits
“I love Maine. Lobstering’s part of Maine. Lobstering’s threatened. And I just want to honor the lobstermen.” So said Bailey Island artist Dennis Wilkins, who often walks the quarter mile from his home on Abner Point to Glen’s Lobsters, the place where he buys his “critters.” It was there he conceived of the project that he hopes will raise awareness of the ongoing challenges facing the lobster industry. “They’re under multiple stresses — climate change, regulations … It’s like the world’s coming down on them,” Wilkins said. “I want them to see that they’re recognized … they’re appreciated, so much so that I’m going to spend time to paint their portraits and give them to them.” Wilkins, a retired neurologist and self-trained fine artist, started working on the project in June 2023. Portraits, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:46
Nova Scotia’s Billion-Dollar Lobster Wars
At the River Café, the Michelin-recommended restaurant on the Brooklyn waterfront where the term “free-range chicken” was coined, the lobster is served butter-poached next to a pool of lemon-grape sauce, to brighten its tender brininess. The chef, Brad Steelman, insists on lobster from the cold waters of Nova Scotia, because this insures a hard shell and robust meat. Not so long ago, good lobster could be found closer to the city. Historically, there were strong harvests as far south as New Jersey. Private-equity firms and seafood conglomerates have swallowed many of North America’s fisheries. But, in Nova Scotia, most lobstermen are independent. But many inshore fishermen have also resisted a recent entrant to the power struggle: the Mi’kmaq, the most populous group of Indigenous people in Atlantic Canada. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:58
Lennox Island First Nation hoping for more access to lobster fishery
The Lennox Island First Nation wharf is busy these days, in the band’s third year of treaty fishing for lobster, but Chief Darlene Bernard would like to see it busier. Though there has been a commercial fishery based in the community off P.E.I’s North Shore for decades, Bernard said the newly exercised right to harvest lobster under treaties signed long ago means about 10 young families are better able to pay their bills. With a waiting list of about the same number of people who would like to take part in the fishery, Bernard wants to see more commercial licences made available for Lennox Island through a Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) purchase program. “We need to have an equitable share of the bounty of the resources in this province moving forward,” she said. Video, photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:20
State backs lobstermen in urging regulators to reevaluate changes to minimum size
The rules, which are set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, will increase the minimum size from 3 1/4 inches to 3 5/16 inches, on the gauges that lobstermen use to measure lobsters and determine whether they are allowed to harvest them. A second increase would take effect two years later, bringing the minimum to 3 3/8 inches. The rules also affect the vents in traps that allow undersized lobsters to escape. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission says it is making the changes to preserve the long-term future of the lobster population in the Gulf of Maine, which federal data show has sharply dropped. Lobstermen also question the accuracy of the federal data – saying that it was corrected over a small and abnormal time frame that doesn’t indicate the reality of population trends. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:23
Southside fishers hope first haul bodes well for season
Monday’s first haul of the lobster season for south side fishers brought calm conditions on the water, with preliminary prices ranging anywhere from $7.50 to $8 a pound for canners and $8.25 to $9 for markets. Harvesters in Lobster Fishing Area 26A set their traps on Saturday after the season was delayed by a day. Setting day for the north side, LFA 24, was initially on Monday but was delayed by at least two days. DFO had a call on Tuesday but the weather was still uncertain. PEI Fishermen’s Association president Bobby Jenkins, who sails out of Annandale, said catches on Monday seemed to be on par with 2023 or maybe a little better, depending on the harbour. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:02
Bankruptcy filing by former CEO latest twist in Lobster 207 legal saga
Former Lobster 207 CEO Warren Pettegrow filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of Florida, one day before he was court-ordered to forfeit money, properties, business interests and guns to Lobster 207 toward a $1 million judgment awarded after arbitration in June 2020. U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker had ordered the forfeiture after nearly five years of court proceedings in federal court in Bangor. The judgment arose from a civil lawsuit Lobster 207 filed in December 2019 alleging Pettegrow, as CEO of Lobster 207, embezzled nearly $2 million over roughly two years in a price-fixing arrangement. The Maine Lobstering Union Local 207, part of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, opened the Lobster 207 co-op in 2017 and hired Pettegrow as CEO, an arrangement that was part of the sale to Lobster 207 of the wholesale side of Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:41
Warming Waters Heat Summer’s Feast Well Before It Gets to the Kitchen
An ever-warming planet is playing havoc with the intricately interconnected web of marine life. Just as climate has long stressed human populations and driven migration, marine populations are stressed and in search of survivable climates too. In New England, scientists and lobstermen alike are studying and living the impacts. Tim Alley has been lobstering in Maine’s coastal waters for 40 years. “There’s been a trend in recent years related to temperatures,” he says. Alley is steeped in the traditions of his home state’s biggest industry and recently dusted off a short film from 1972 in which he starred at age 12, “Alone in My Lobster Boat,” filmed in South Bristol and New Harbor, Maine. Like most lobstermen, he would call himself an environmentalist: they live on the water, they live from the water, they thrive on the water. But they reject the notion that a species – the right whale – is failing because of them. Over 40 years, he says, he has seen exactly one right whale. Photos, Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:50
