Tag Archives: lobster
Maine lobster industry braces for tough season after back-to-back legal losses
“We recently got our license to be able to start processing small amounts on site, so that is cooking the lobster and picking out the meat … in hopes of taking out one step,” Jillian Robillard said. A step that she said could give lobstermen another 25 to 50 cents per animal. “That would really be a gamechanger for some of these guys,” Robillard said. “This year has been really tough so far … we’re banking on the fall season to give these guys two-thirds of their income … but with the closures and stuff we’re just not going to see that happen.” The closure she is talking about is the latest development in three lawsuits involving Maine lobstermen. Two of which that have recent rulings within the last week overturned in favor of environmental groups. >click to read< 11:13
Low prices, low catch wraps up P.E.I. spring lobster season
With global demand and lobster prices reaching record highs in Nova Scotia in the weeks leading up to P.E.I.’s spring season – around $17.50-18.50 a pound – many Island fishers were looking forward to a promising start to their season. “Typically, it drops a bit before we start because there are more boats in the water at that time, so we didn’t expect anywhere near that price,” said Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the Lobster Marketing Board. “However, we did expect to start off where we left off last spring, which was in the $11-12 range.” That combined with the price of fuel being double what it was and bait being up 30 per cent, we thought maybe once we get a few weeks in, the price will get better. That’s what it did last year.” Instead, the prices dropped again by another $1.50 a pound, said McGeoghegan. Photos,>click to read<– 09:14
Massachusetts fishermen feeling the pinch of lower lobster prices, rising fuel costs
“What we’re seeing this year is astronomical fuel prices, very high bait prices, scarcity of bait, and we’re seeing a starting price that was actually coming off a high high this winter to something that is a little bit lower than expected,” said Nick Muto, a commercial fisherman out of Chatham. “As fishermen, we don’t get to control the price of our lobsters,” said Steve Holler, a commercial fisherman out of Boston. “We’re at the mercy of the dealers.” “I have zero confidence in our administration,” Muto said. “Given the political climate right now, I see this getting much worse before it gets better. This situation that we have in the country right now will cause a lot of fishermen to go out of business, and that’s tragic really.” Photos, >click to read< 18:30
Lobster prices similar to 2021 though costs up, say P.E.I. fishers
Lobster prices are about the same as they were this time last year, but expenses are on the rise, says one P.E.I. fisherman. “Prices and catches are good,” said Malpeque lobster fisher Chris Wall. At the wharf, prices for fishermen are between $7 and $8 per pound, down from $8.50 and $9 per pound earlier in the season, said Wall. The 2021 minimum shore price between June 6-12 was $6.97 per pound while average market price was $9.78 per pound,,, >click to read< 18:55
Scientists see long-term hope for Maine’s lobster fishery despite warming waters
Dire predictions about the effects of global warming on Maine’s lobster population may be exaggerated and underestimate the potential that conservation measures have to preserve the fishery into the future. The UMaine scientists are now projecting that temperatures in Gulf of Maine will likely remain within lobsters’ comfort zone because of the gulf’s unique oceanographic features, though changing ocean currents are harder to predict. The researchers cautioned that the dynamics of global warming are complex and make it difficult to project far into the future with certainty. >click to read< 16:21
Breakable lines, remote control traps: Maine lobstermen grapple with an onslaught of new rules
Last week federal officials announced they aim to deploy high-tech fishing gear on as many as 100 lobster and crab boats in New England. It’s the latest move to bring Maine’s lobster fleet into a new era, as an onslaught of potentially transformative federal regulations intended to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales take effect. At a Damariscotta River wharf piled high with gleaming yellow lobster traps, boat captain Eben Wilson and his sternman, Daniel Barter, deftly pull strands of colored rope apart, then knot plastic links in between. “I think the next five years from the lobster industry perspective is going to be difficult,” says Patrick Keliher, Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Marine Resources. >click to read< 15:13
PEI – Lobster prices remain low as fuel and bait cost soar
The cost of fuel and bait continue to cause concern as fishers in LFA 24 reach the halfway point in their season. “Expenses are at a high right now,” said Korbin Fraser, Captain of the No Worries, based in Northport. “You really got to watch what you’re spending on fuel and bait because your profit can go out the window pretty quick.” Shane Gavin, captain of the Miss Holly 86, based in Seacow Pond, commiserates with Mr Fraser on the expense of these necessities. “You gotta have bait and fuel, you can’t do nothing about it,” said Shane Gavin. “I just hope the lobsters stay where they’re at right now for a while anyway, for another couple of weeks.” While expenses have been increasing, prices haven’t. >click to read< 10:19
Lobster Season Comes to an end in LFA’s 33 & 34
Today is the last day in the season. It was a season of record prices according to the executive director of the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association, Dan Fleck. He says prices reached over $17 and discussed where they are at the close of the season “I would say $10. There are certain deals where people might be offered more in certain areas but we’re looking between $10 and $11 for a closing price in LFA 33 and 34.” Fleck is looking back on the season. While it was marked by rising fuel costs, he says it was also very safe. >click to read< 08:18
Who’s really in the trap? How new right whale regs are hurting Maine’s lobster industry
I was five years old, opening my family’s refrigerator door in search of a juice box, when a live lobster fell out and started thrashing around on the floor. Naturally, I immediately screamed and ran out of the kitchen at the sight of this crustacean monster. That was the first time I really put the pieces together of what my father did for a living. As a local Maine lobsterman, he would often bring home portions of his catch while I was growing up. I’m not sure if that would be the case now if he were still in the industry. Even in the short span of my lifetime, the Maine fishing industry has faced new challenges as the world changes around us. >click to read < By Hajna Nagy15:43
Need for legal defense fund spotlights failures of federal lobster management
The Legislature’s recent passage of LD 1916, An Act to Create a Legal Defense Fund for the Maine Lobster Industry, shows a clear move by the state to protect its lobstermen from assumed federal government oversight. LD 1916, sponsored by Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, allocates money from an existing lobster license surcharge to help fund the legal battle against these tough regulations in the courtroom. Lobstermen have argued that the regulations aimed at protecting right whales are unfounded and not science-based. Some have argued that a right whale has not been found in the waters that have been closed off by NOAA since 2010. >click to read< 10:46
Last lobster season for ‘canners’ – More lobster is the goal
New Brunswick lobster fishermen along the Bay of Chaleur, Acadian Peninsula and Miramichi Bay are setting their traps for the 2022 season Tuesday and this is the last year they’ll be fishing for two different size and price classes. Members of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union in Lobster Fishing Area 23 voted 75 per cent in favour of phasing out the “canner” size, a spokesperson for the group confirmed. Indigenous organizations were also consulted about the change, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said in a news release. >click to read< 12:30
Abegweit First Nation won’t launch treaty lobster fishery off P.E.I. this year
The community held a press conference on Friday saying it is still negotiating with DFO to get an agreement on the fishery, clarifying that it will not follow the decision of Lennox Island First Nation to launch such a fishery without the federal government’s support. Once it finalizes an agreement, Abegweit said it will launch its self-regulated moderate livelihood fishery when the community deems it is the right time. Gould wants to make sure all commercial fishers on the Island realize Lennox Island and Abegweit are separate communities, and Abegweit is conducting its own negotiations with DFO independently. Abegweit First Nation fishes commercially using communal licences owned by the band, and the chief said he is proud of the relationships his community has built with non-Indigenous harvesters in the surrounding area. >click to read< 18:07
P.E.I. – Lennox Island First Nation to launch unauthorized treaty lobster fishery
The Lennox Island First Nation says it will be launching a treaty lobster fishery off P.E.I.’s North Shore next week with or without the federal government’s support. The First Nation has a clear treaty right to harvest lobster for a moderate livelihood without the federal government’s approval, a right affirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada in the 1999 Marshall ruling. The First Nation intends to launch the treaty fishery on Saturday, May 7, weather permitting. On Thursday afternoon, the provincial fishermen’s association issued a written release, calling it “unfortunate” that discussions between the federal government, non-Indigenous fishing associations and First Nations have not taken place to discuss the requirements further. >click to read< 17:09
Nova Scotia: Wharf price for lobster has plunged in April
Lobster prices paid to fishermen have plunged between 37 and 42 per cent in Nova Scotia this month. The decline, from $17.50 a pound on April 3 to $10 and $11 on Monday, comes as the lobster fishery is set to open in more locations in Nova Scotia and the Maritimes. What made the drop in the shore price more unusual in 2022 were the historic highs that preceded them. >click to read< 07:56
Lockdown Lobsters: How Brexit has impacted lobster fishing on the Llŷn Peninsula
Sion Williams is a third generation lobster fisherman on the Llŷn Peninsula. But in March 2020, with the onset of the pandemic, he had to restructure his business in order to adapt. “Between Brexit and Covid there was uncertainty with buyers,” When coronavirus hit, everything changed suddenly for Sion, as it did for so many other people: “All I got was a text from the traders saying ‘we don’t want anything for five weeks and maybe five months’. And that was it.” Everything was closed and they couldn’t sell. >click to read< 07:55
P.E.I. fishermen ‘optimistic’ about spring lobster season amid record prices
Island fishermen are anticipating the start of the spring lobster season in a few weeks with a heightened sense of optimism. In areas where the season has already begun, the catch is fetching record prices. Some fishermen in the Maritimes are reporting getting as much as $20 a pound for their lobster. “It makes us feel really good. The fishermen are optimistic,” said Charlie McGeoghegan, chair of the Lobster Fishers of P.E.I. marketing board. Last spring, lobster prices in P.E.I. hit record prices, starting the season at the highest they’ve been in 15 years. But expenses have climbed,,, >click to read< 08:09
Fishers struggle as lobster ‘nearly as cheap as chocolate’
A dramatic collapse in export markets has flooded Australia with large quantities of cheap lobsters selling for as little as $35 a kilogram. At that price, fishers struggle to break even and processors are not getting enough orders to chew through the oversupply of fish, with one describing the price as “nearly as cheap as chocolate”. “I’m hearing fishermen struggling to maintain deckhands because they’re not earning enough money, fishermen talking about having to get a second job,” Mr Blake said. “It’s been very challenging.” Fishers used to sell lobsters into China for around $100 per kilogram but the industry has been locked out of that market since the outbreak of covid. >click to read< 08:04
The value of Canadian lobster exports has skyrocketed driving the wharf price toward a record high
Two weeks ago, at wharfs in Nova Scotia, the price of lobster was the highest it has ever been. Stewart Lamont, managing director of Tangier Lobster Company, a live lobster exporter in Nova Scotia, said the shore price for lobster, the amount fishermen get from buyers, was $18 a pound. That’s more than double the regular pre-pandemic price. It has since gone down due to a drop in exports and higher supply. Lamont said this week lobster was around $12 to $12.50 a pound. While high prices mean more money for lobster exporters and fishermen, Lamont said he is scared that if lobster becomes too expensive, people and businesses will simply stop buying it. >click to read< 10:52
‘Expensive lobster is good for everyone in N.S.’: Winners and losers as prices of crustaceans skyrocket
Unless you buy it regularly, you may not have noticed lobster prices have quietly skyrocketed over the last couple of years. “Also, people had some more disposable income because the government programs, whether it be Canada, the U.S. or elsewhere, and I think everything has led to an uptick in prices, and the markets have remained strong.” Restaurant demand has now recovered, Berry says, but retail has remained strong and international demand has exploded. Wharf prices now are said to be nearly five times what they were during a slump at the start of the pandemic. Video, >click to read< 09:10
‘Our lobsters are gold plated now:’ Atlantic Canada lobster exports, prices soar
“Our lobsters are gold-plated now. Prices have been the highest in commercial history,” says Stewart Lamont, managing director of Tangier Lobster Co. Ltd, a live lobster exporter on Nova Scotia’s eastern shore. When the pandemic hit, export and restaurant industry demand plummeted. The shore price of lobster, the amount fishers get at the wharf from buyers, sunk as low as $4 a pound. “There was an initial glut of lobsters on the market at the start of the lockdown but then it spun back the other way,” says Colin Sproul, president of the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association. >click to read< 16:47
Rising fuel, bait prices could eat into profit margins
Lobster fishers have had to contend with the rising costs of doing business for years, but this season presents a set of circumstances perhaps without compare. Fuel prices are higher than they’ve ever been on PEI and that will have a direct impact on fishers, especially the ones who sail further out from shore. Throw in rising bait prices driven by quotas and feeding predators, and insurance costs, and it could take a sizable big bite out of profit margins. “It’s going to be different from last year for sure. The cost of everything is going up,” said Naufrage lobster fisherman Lucas Lesperance. He hopes those pressures will create a strong price throughout the season. Mr Lesperance said seals are becoming more of a nuisance than ever, chowing down on bait species like herring and mackerel. A seal hunt would certainly help, he said. >click to read< 10:07
Lobster prices on the rise
If you want lobster for dinner tonight, you’re going to pay dearly for it. The prices for lobster are right through the roof. “A year and a half ago fuel was about $1.60 a gallon. Now we’re paying almost 5 dollars.” Mike Theiler’s been lobster fishing these waters for 33 years. “No matter what we do with our fish and lobsters its predicated-on Diesel fuel,” Theiler said. A lobster fisherman’s daily cost includes fuel at 20 gallons per hour or $100 an hour, then add the cost of bait for the pots, and crew. Video, >click to read< 10:05
Spring Fishing Ramping Up After Harsh Winter Weather
With two months to go before the six-month commercial lobster season closes in lobster fishing areas (LFA) 33 and 34, the fishing fleet will be back on the water in full force come April in southwestern Nova Scotia. Going into March, the fishery had slowed to a crawl with severe winter storms keeping the fleet ashore and even prompting some fishermen to land their gear. “February has been a challenge, the weather,” said Tommy Amirault, president of the Coldwater Lobster Association. “I think a lot of people are encouraged by the price, but the weather has been an issue. It’s slowed the fishery down and that’s probably a factor in the price.” >click to read< 13:03
16 Types of Lobster from Around the World and How to Cook Them
American lobster may feel like an obvious choice, especially in a country that puts the meaty variety on a pedestal. However, the world of lobster is incredibly diverse. Different shapes, colors, sizes, and pokey features barely scratch the surface. Ocean waters accommodate cold-water lobsters, warm-water lobsters, and acknowledge nearby lobster relatives that don’t live in saltwater at all. All are unique, immensely delicious, and tied to boundless culinary creations. Here are 16 different types of lobsters (and related crustaceans) with assorted tips on how to cook each prized shellfish. >click to read< 12:41
Edward Scissorhands has a new home!
Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto has been making a habit out of rescuing lobsters lately, and their most recent rescue isn’t just a rare cool colour: he actually has three claws. They’ve named the lobster Edward Scissorhands, or just Edward for short. He has three claws, and they can all be controlled independently. The lobster comes to them from Lobster Hub Inc., which is actually a food wholesaler that Ripley’s has taken lobsters from before. Video, >click to read< 10:25
New England and Canada: Seafood watch list weighs ‘red-listing’ lobster. Lobstermen push back
An influential arbiter of the sustainability of seafood is considering whether to drop lobster caught off Maine and Canada from its roster of approved products. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch announced this week that it is reviewing whether to add eastern Atlantic lobster harvests and other trap-pot and gillnet fisheries to its Red List,” due to the risk they pose for the survival of the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Last year another seafood rating program, the Marine Stewardship Council, suspended and later reinstated its certification of part of Maine’s lobster fishery. Massachusetts lobstermen are pushing back on the description of their industry as unsustainable. >click to read< 10:39
As lobster population booms off Canada, tensions rise between Indigenous and commercial fishermen
Under the close watch of federal officers on surrounding patrol vessels, Robert Sack navigated his old boat toward his clandestine traps in the cold waters that his people have fished for centuries, expecting to be arrested at any moment.,, Each trap had a special tag belonging to their band of the Indigenous Mi’kmaw people, who insist that a 269-year-old treaty grants them the right to fish when and how they want. But the government has rejected their assertion, and officers have seized their traps, confiscated their boats, and even arrested some of their fishermen. >click to read< 07>14
DFO says it is considering request from P.E.I. fishermen to change lobster setting dates
The federal government is considering allowing P.E.I. lobster fishermen to start the spring season earlier than normal. Krista Petersen, a spokeswoman with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Gulf Region,,, “Before DFO makes any decisions on requests for season date changes, proposals need to be discussed with all groups who fish in a particular lobster fishing area,’’ Petersen said in an email. “Issues related to safety, weather, ice conditions and harbour dredging will be taken into consideration.’’ >click to read< 10:48
Premium prices no problem for shrimp, crab, lobster consumers
Global supply chain issues are affecting supplies of some crustaceans sold in US grocery stores, and driving some prices up, but consumers seem willing to pay extra for their “must have” shrimp, crab, lobster and other products. “Red king crab availability is very tight, so look for more snow crab or even golden king crab in its place,” Shrimp is far and away the best-selling seafood item in the United States, and Amdahl doesn’t see that changing anytime soon.,, Despite the logistics headaches that are slowing shipments of foods worldwide, US retailers can expect to have volumes of a variety of crustacean products from Norwegian fisheries,,, >click to read< 10:38
P.E.I. lobster fishermen vote to move up setting day in the spring
“We’re coming off back-to-back seasons here where the season was extended into July,’’ said Mike Dixon, co-chair of LFA26A lobster advisory committee, which represents close to 400 fishmen between Souris and Victoria. “As commercial fishermen, we recognize the resource becomes vulnerable at certain times of the year when the water temperature reaches a certain degree so that puts the lobster into their reproductive stages.’’ This vote was strictly meant to address the issue of not fishing for lobster when the animals are molting. >click to read< 07:58
