Lobster Outlook 2019

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

tricountyvanguard.ca

‘TIS THE SEASON

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Ropeless gear

Testing the waters with ropeless gear.

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An interesting life

A retired fisherman looks back on decades on fishing.

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TINA COMEAU PHOTO

In the isolation of darkness coupled with the bitter cold, fishermen head off to sea at 6 a.m. last year from the wharf in Pinkney’s Point, Yarmouth County, on dumping day, marking the start of the LFA 34 and 33 lobster seasons. This photo won the award for Best News Photo in last year’s Newspapers Atlantic competition for community newspapers in Atlantic Canada.

The opening of the LFA 34 and LFA 33 lobster seasons is approaching. The season starts with the dumping day tradition where boats head out to the fishing grounds loaded with traps and other gear. TINA COMEAU PHOTO

Here we go again 5 5

Gearing up for lobster fishery Past starts

The opening price in 1966 fell between 65 cents and $1.

A look back at season openings over the decades.

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Lobster fishing in southwestern Nova Scotia and the province’s south Lobster fishing in southwestern Nova Scotia opens next weekshore opens next week TINA COMEAU TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

Another lobster season is set to get underway and along with the lobster traps and gear that fishermen out to sea A day atwill thehead office Seethey’ll life on the with, alsosea be bringing through eyes of a along highthe hopes. fisherman who also a catches, High hopes forisgood photographer.

A14 and high hopes for good prices.

The Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 34 lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia and LFA 33 along the province’s south shore make up the largest commercial lobster season in the region and the country.

The season is slated to get Keep ‘em fed Fuelling the bellies underway last Monday of of fishermen.

November unless the weather pushes back the start of the seaB1 son.

Years ago, DFO and the LFA 34 industry advisory committee put in place an opening day protocol that dictates any winds forecasted above 25 knots will automatically trigger a postponement to the opening of the season in LFA 34.

Are you ready?

DFO-industry conference Man overboard drillsin put calls will take place both emphasis on34 safety.

LFAs 33 and in the days leading up to the opening toB3 confirm the start date of the season. Last year the weather did push back the start of the season.

LFA 34 includes all of Yarmouth CountyTHEY and parts of Shel“I HOPE FELT

YOU SAID IT

HALF THE PRIDE I FELT.”

TINA COMEAU TRICOUNTY VANGUARD

THINGS REGIONAL TO KNOW

The largestABOUT commercial lobster season in the region, the province andThe the season countryruns gets from underway the nextlast week in southwestern Nova Monday of NovemScotia along permitting, the province’s ber,and weather south shore with the opening of to May 31. the LFA 34 and 33 lobster fishLobster fishing areas eries.

(LFAs) 34 and 33 comLFA (Lobster Fishing Area) 34 binedallmake up the larincludes of Yarmouth County andgest partscommercial of Shelburnelobster and Digby fishing in 33 the province counties.

LFA picks up in ShelandCounty the country. burne and extends to On dumping Halifax County. day safety is a topboats priority.

Searchfrom Aboard leaving and at rescue assets will be wharfs the opening of their deployed the water seasons will beonmore than 5,000 and in the air includes on dumpfishermen, which extra ing day. that are hired for crewmembers the Fishing opening weeks the season. boats of typically There around 1,678 lobster haveare a three-person licences amongst LFAs. crew.

At the these start two of the According to preliminary figseason extra people, uresreferred from the Department to as banders, of Fisheries Oceans, during will beand onboard vessels the to 2017-2018 season, 33/34 help during theLFA busy licence recorded landstartholders to the season. ings of 31,863 tonnes, generating There are 1,662 lobster a landed value of approximately licences in LFAs 33 and $502 million. DFO says last sea34 combined. son is expected to be confirmed as the second largest landed value burne and Digby counties. LFA on record.

2017-2018, 60 per cent of the 33 In picks up in Shelburne County totalextends inshoretolobster and Halifaxlandings County. in theMore Maritimes Region were from than 5,000 fishermen LFAsbe33aboard and 34.the boats on will The economic importance of opening day, which includes seathe crew lobster fishery to thecrewregion son as well as extra cannot be overstated. Reference to the landed value of the fishery was met with applause at the recent Yarmouth and Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual business awards where the importance of the lobster industry

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reads

Fisherman Todd Newell MUST looking back at last year’s Live Well Challenge.

EVERYTHING HAPPENS IN 3’S Lobster Council implementing value marketing strategy.

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WHEN LOBSTERS FLY Getting lobsters to markets.

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members that are hired for the opening weeks of the season.

There are 1,662 lobster licences amongst these two LFAs. TO KNOW The lobster industry is of vital Lobster fishing areas (LFAs) economic to the 34 and importance 33 combined make up largest commercial lobster ruralthe communities of southwestfishingScotia. in the region, the provern Nova and the country.

It ince is the engine that largely Around 5,000 fishermen will drives the economy. be on boats when the season

things

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opens.

CATCH COMPARISONS Numerous search and rescue

assets will deployed on figAccording tobepreliminary water and incatches the air on uresthe from DFO, were dumping day as safety is a top down during the 2018-2019 priority. fishing season. The combined DFO says last year lobster totallandings landings forLFAs LFAs 34 and in the 34 and 33 33 was 28,334a landed tonnes.

This generated value of approximately $502tonnes million. the compared to 31,863 The season runs from the last previous season.

Monday November, weather The totaloflanded value was permitting, to May 31. also down during the 20182019 season, coming in at was highlighted. $498.2 million, compared to Boats fishing$502 in LFA 34 the are approximately million permitted to set 375 lobster previous season. traps the startbreakdown of the seaThe at preliminary son. Given this, safety is of the last year by fishing area was: upmost priority as the season • LFA 33: 8,724 tonnes gets underway and boatslanded head forthe a landed value $152.1 heavily milto fishing grounds lion. with traps and gear. As laden • LFAon 34:page 19,610 a story A2 tonnes of this Loblanded for $346.5 million ster Outlook points out,ina full landed value. of search and rescomplement fishing in LFA cueBoats (SAR) resources will34 beare on the water and on 375 standby when permitted to set lobster the fishery trapscommercial at the startlobster of the seain LFAs 33 and 34 opens. son.

“We’re in thesafety business Given this, is of of theplanupning the worst and hoping for mostfor priority as the season gets the best,” and saysboats Marchead Ouellette, underway to the

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Canadian Coast Guard Regional Supervisor for Maritime Search and Rescue at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Halifax.

While the season is slated to start the last Monday of Novem-

MAN OVERBOARD New device aimed at saving lives.

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cent of that our lobster products so fishing grounds heavily ber – which this year fallsladen on Nov market is projected to grow international trade is vital to this with traps and gear.

26 – ultimately it is the weather rapidly, more so than any other sector,” he says.

Safety a themewhen that isdumpnot that will isdictate place in the world.

The lobster fishery in to LFAs onlyday repeated, butYears also demoning happens. ago DFO “So China is really going be34 and 33 very is managed bytoef-the strated up to theadvisory opening come and the leading LFA 34 industry very, dominant committee putasinsafety placedrills an openseafood industry,” he said. fort control, which includes of the fishery take global ing dayinprotocol that dictates The lobster 34 to the fishery numberinofLFAs traps, place ports throughout theany limits winds 33 is managed by effort licences and fishing days, conand region.forecasted above 25 knots and will“In automatically trigger aleadpost- trol, whichmeasures includes limits to the includes to address general, especially ponement to the opening of the number of traps, licencesa and conservation, including ing up to the season fishermen season. fishing days,size andlimit includes minimum and amany rule already have safety on their There will be DFO-industry measures to address requiring the releaseconservaof all feminds,” says Matthew Duffy, conference calls this weekend to tion. Some of these conservation male lobsters bearing eggs. safety advisor for the FSANS. monitor the upcoming forecast to measures include a minimum Price-wise lastsize year, “They know setting day is a determine if the season will open lobster carapace of the 82.5 mm season shore price opened at dangerous day when the boats as planned or whether a delay will (3.25 inches), escape mechanisms around $7 and rose to $11 durare fully loaded and there’s a be required. In the past two years in traps that enable undersized lot of have moving partsthe happening the season, beforeand coming winds delayed opening lobsters to exit traps a rule back down to around $6 $7 at ing.” of the season by a day. requiring the release of all or female the end.bearing eggs. the market AOn change to the front, lobsterthe fishing lobsters The LFA last 34 and 33the seasons United this States remains larseason year is the the introducPrice-wise year, season run toprice Mayopened 31. at $5.75, rose tion

by DFO bycatch mon- shore gest live lobsterofexport market. itoring.

Heading into the season to $7.25 peaked This by isn’tearly the January, only lobster China has been an example of fishermen had the $13 inhappening March, andinclosed in the western a growing market for choice lobster of atfishery using monitoring in The mostLFA places.

Novarange Scotia.

35 season exportsthe andbycatch other markets con- $6.50 system up by DFO or joining inThe LFAand 35the season Digby Digby upperinBay of tinue toset emerge. an International alternate three-year bycatch and the got upper Bay of in Fundy Fundy underway mid-got trade is crucial monitoring pilot in mid-October.

EarOctober. That LFA sees a split to the fishery, saysproject Geoff offered Irvine, underway by the Southwest Lobster Science lier this month the shore price executive director of the Lobster season that runs from Oct. 14 to Society – which is a collaborative there was $8 a pound. Better yet, Dec. 31 and again from the last Council of Canada. industry-led effort of the Bay of some involved with the industry day of Februarythe to quality July 31.of the “Canada exports about 90 per Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Asso- were describing ciation, Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster lobster being landed as “off the Association, Coldwater Lobster A NOTE FROM OURcharts.”

NEWSROOM Association, the Maritime FisherThe LFA 34 and 33 seasons run men’s Union Local 9 and the Sco- to May 31. the 2018-2019 start of the lobster season in southwesttiaAs Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s ern Nova Scotia approaches, all of us at the Tri-County Association.

Vanguard and SaltWire NetworkAwant wishour fishermen On the market front the United notetofrom a safe and prosperous States remains the region’sseason. larnewsroom gest market.

China is publication we present a Inlive thisexport lobster fishing outlook As the 2017-2018 start of the loban variety exampleofofstories a continuing growdealing with the including its sterindustry, season in southwestern Nova ingimportance, market for its lobster exports. impact and its interesting facts.all of us at the Scotia approaches, Leading seafood export John Tri-County Vanguard and SaltWire Network want to wish fishermen a Sackton calls the Canadian lobsafe and prosperous season. ster growth in the Chinese market In this lobster fishing outlook “quite remarkable.” publication we present a variety At a fall lobster forum held in of stories dealing with the indusYarmouth, Sackton noted China try, including its importance, its accounts for 37 per cent of global impact, its issues and its interestseafood consumption and is a ing facts.

INSIDE THE JRCC

Learn more about the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.

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LOBSTER OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

CLIMATE CHANGE

Are warming waters negatively impacting lobster stocks?

Not yet, say some scientists KATHY JOHNSON TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

When it comes to the warming waters of the North Atlantic, it’s the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine that “are the hot spots” and “warming the fastest,” says DFO research scientist Nancy Shackell, who has been assessing the climate change risk and impact in the Atlantic Basin since 2012.

“They are already warm.

The bottom is six-to-eight degrees warmer already than the Eastern Scotian Shelf,” said Shackell in an interview earlier this year.

NATO Fishing Area 4X and the Gulf of Maine have become a focal point in climate change risk assessment studies, said Shackell.

“We need to look into this area and find which animals can withstand temperature changes.

The southwest Nova Scotia ambient temperature is already warmer than everywhere else, so it could reach the upper limit of these animals faster,” she said, adding researchers will be applying the knowledge of the upper thermal range of the animals, focusing in on southwestern Nova Scotia.

“That’s where a lot of our fishery will reach the upper limit if there is an upper limit.”

The American Lobster, which has a range from Labrador to New Jersey, have a wide thermal

DFO scientist Adam Cook. CONTRIBUTED

habitat compared to a snow crab or a shrimp, said Adam Cook, a research scientist at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO), in an interview earlier this year.

“They are a warmer water

species and do have a wider temperature range” compared to a cold-water species like northern shrimp and snow crab, said Cook. “Lobsters over the last 15 years have been doing quite well under these climate and eco-sys-

tem situations or characteristics.

As of right now, we don’t see a whole lot of change toward the negative but there are things we keep monitoring and studying so we can provide better advice to the fishery managers and resources users on what the future can hold.”

Cook says there are a number of reasons why lobster has grown to the abundance they are now, including a “decrease of predators” with declining groundfish stocks. He also said, “the climate is better than it was.”

“It seems to be a more productive lobster state has led us to where we are now. I think in the short term a bit of warming isn’t a bad thing for lobsters, but there is that tipping point where it does get too warm,” said Cook, which is, he added, “where we’re doing research now to understand the various requirements to various life stages so that we can better understand and better predict what the future holds for lobsters given different environmental scenarios.”

Cook said from all accounts it “doesn’t seem like we are the top end of the range where we should start seeing that tipping point.”

“We see some really warm years, some really colder years, we’re seeing a lot of variability… it seems to be not be negatively impacting the lobster.”

At BIO, Cook said they study the lobster stocks in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFA) 27 to 38 inshore and LFAs 40 and 41 offshore.

“The impact of further warming has been suggested to increase the amount of available lobster habitat,” he said.

Lobster distribution and abundance is predicted to likely increase in southwestern Nova Scotia, particularly in the Bay of Fundy, Gulf of Maine and the southwest Scotian Shelf.

“Lobster larvae are more sensitive. They do well in warmer waters,” said Cook.

“Their window is smaller than adult lobsters because they are less able to regulate their temperatures. A large lobster, when it gets cold, can shut down, quit feeding and do a number of things and live off the reserves. Smaller lobster doesn’t have as many reserves so if they have to shut down for a prolonged period of time because of cold they might not have enough reserves to make it thorough.

“Conversely if it gets too warm, they can end having really high metabolic demands that they may not be able to meet,” he said. “Typically, smaller animals do well on warmer side of their overall range but their window of thermal optima is typically smaller that an adult.”

BETTER PRODUCT

Nova Scotia upping its game on lobster quality An internationally recognized quality standard for holding lobsters will be among the new regulations for the recently amended provincial Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act. “Nova Scotia will be the only place in the world that has it,” said Minister Keith Colwell in an interview. “We have companies in Europe and Asia that are gearing up to our standard now and they will be buying only from Nova Scotia or anywhere else in the world that meets our standard, so that’s really positive. That’s something we’ve been working on for a long time.”

Colwell said the department has been working with industry for three years now on the

amendments to the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act – passed earlier this fall – that will support the design of a revised regulatory framework for the licensing of fish buying and processing in Nova Scotia.

The legislation removes an outdated definition of processing, improves transparency and reduces processing time for businesses that make use of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Loan Board.

Colwell said further consultation with industry on the new regulations to support the amended Act will start soon, with potential changes being done over time, he said, “to really address the modern industry as it is today.”

“At the end of the day the idea is to make it fairer for industry,” Colwell said.

Leo Muise, executive director of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, said the changes in the regulations, “will improve our industry’s access to the loan board, allowing our members to make facility improvements which will lead to higher quality products.”

“In turn, these efforts will help us to increase access in a globally competitive market,” he said.

The Seafood Alliance has experienced tremendous growth throughout 2019, said Muise, with total membership approaching 130 companies, including shore-based seafood buyers and processors as well as associated companies who are supportive of the sector.

Muise said the Seafood Alliance is currently completing a technology needs assessment of its member companies.

very positive. There’s a lot of interest from the industry on that.

“They can bring a better product to the wharf,” he said, and in turn put a better product on the market.

For the past four years, Nova Scotia has been Canada’s leading exporter of seafood.

“We’ve taken the industry from $974 million a year to almost $2.3 billion in export sales,” said Colwell, noting Nova Scotia exports 95 percent of the live lobsters in the world.

Improved marketing, higher quality products and better labelling have all contributed to the success, said Colwell.

“Companies are stepping up to plate, harvesters are bringing in top quality,” he said. “It’s a tremendous amount of economic benefit to the province especially in rural Nova Scotia.”

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“The goal is to determine where our member companies can make technology improvements that will maintain and enhance product quality and address efficiency and labour short falls,” he said. “Once we get a clearer picture of the current technological state of the industry and what is possible, we will be working with governments and service providers to increase the technology used in our plants.”

Lobster buyers aren’t the only ones doing upgrades to ensure top notch lobster quality. Fishermen are also taking advantage of funding through the loan board and the Atlantic Fisheries Fund (AFF) to make upgrades or install live wells in their vessels.

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TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 •

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

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RESEARCH

Dr. Shah Razul. CONTRIBUTED

How do you keep lobster tasting fresh after it has been frozen?

CONTRIBUTED TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

How do you keep lobster tasting fresh after it has been frozen?

That is the question researchers at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. are hoping to answer.

The inspiration for Razul’s research came after a trip to his home country of Singapore left him with a bad taste in his mouth – literally.

“I found frozen Atlantic lobster and got excited to share it with my family, but the quality was really poor,” he recalls. “As a chemist, I thought to myself, I can do better.”

For over a decade, Dr. Shah Razul, an assistant professor in

the Department of Chemistry, has been studying how water freezes.

“When you freeze something it gets damaged,” explains Razul.

“So that’s what my research is all about, preventing the damage caused by water freezing on biological materials.”

Because he’s a chemist, Razul began his investigation at the molecular level. The meat of his research, he says, is on compounds called cryoprotectants (CPAS) that protect biological structures from damage when ice forms.

“These cryoprotectants are all-natural compounds, some of them are already found in lobster. I’m researching how they can be tuned to better preserve frozen lobster and create a higher-quality product

for consumers.”

In 2017, Razul received a grant from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund, and matching funds from Research Nova Scotia (RNS), for leading-edge lab equipment allowing him to examine the freezing processes and stability of frozen lobster during storage. The infrastructure includes a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), a UV-VIS spectrophotometer and ultra-low temperature freezers.

The new infrastructure opened up opportunities for Razul to involve students in his work and expanded his lab’s capacity for conducting research.

Not surprisingly, it wasn’t hard for him to put together a team of students who were keen to

Wishing a Safe & Prosperous Lobster Season to all.

gain experience outside of the classroom.

Fourth-year human kinetics student, Quinn Keily-Finlay, is part of Razul’s team of researchers. She describes the hands-on work as empowering.

“We’re really lucky for the opportunity to learn to be better scientists and to use these tools,” she says. “Without access to the UV-VIS spectrophotometer, it wouldn’t be possible for me to do the study that I’m working on.”

Since installing the equipment, Razul and his students have been busy tuning CPAS for cooked frozen lobster, with positive results. They’ve been excited to be entering the next phase of study, where they’ll attempt to produce high-quality

cryopreserved raw lobster meat, and eventually whole raw lobster.

“Imagine if we were able to take a raw lobster and cryopreserve it so you don’t have to ship the lobster with the water,” says Razul. “The savings for companies would be huge.”

According to Razul, lobster lovers aren’t the only ones who should be happy about the prospects of his research.

In time, he hopes to apply his findings to more species of seafood, and possibly other types of food.

“The research direction that the equipment will give me, and the application, is just so rich,” he says, “because a lot of food is frozen.”

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LOBSTER OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

BOATS ABOUND

Boatbuilders riding wave of demand as lobster stocks, industry flourish SARA ERICSSON SALTWIRE NETWORK

If you want to commission and buy a new fishing vessel in Nova Scotia, you’d better get in line.

The lobster industry is booming and with it, its boatbuilding counterpart. While it is hard to predict the ebbs and flows of lobster stocks, current numbers show lobsters are plentiful. And as those numbers rise, orders for boats are going up too, according to Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association (NSBA) executive director Jan Fullerton, who says boatbuilding industry trends almost always echo those of the fishery.

Fullerton says the question is not how long does the building of a boat take, but rather how long the wait is for a new one, with current demand meaning most boatbuilders in southwest Nova Scotia are a full year out from accepting new orders and others up to three or five years.

“The building time is hard to assess because of different factors like the size of a boat yard facility, number of staff, whether the hull is pre-made or built from scratch and other reasons. And with many ship yards building several boats simultaneously, combined with a long list of new boats ordered, is where that wait time factors in,” says Fullerton.

A CYCLICAL INDUSTRY

NSBA numbers show that fishing vessels represent the vast majority of boatbuilding that its association members complete, with 90 per cent of their orders being fishing boats and the other 10 per cent a combination of work boats and pleasure crafts.

Fullerton says there were around 110 new fishing boats

The vessel Ocean Swell was launched from Bayview Marine Ltd. in Yarmouth earlier this year. MARK DOUCETTE

built in 2018 — a number she says shows a staggering increase in production following the slump that occurred during the 2008 recession, when about 50 per cent of boats being built for export market were pleasure boats.

Now, those looking to purchase a boat must potentially wait a few years to place their order and on top of that, wait another two years on average for it to be built.

“Our members know the industry is cyclical, so they have back up plans for when fishery

demands change. But now that the fishery is booming again, people can afford to buy new boats and the demand for new boats continues to grow,” says Fullerton.

Data from the association also shows the cost of most fishing boats falling within the $400,000 to $700,000 range, with some basic builds coming on the lower end around $250,000 and other larger or more complicated builds coming with a price tag of $1,000,000 or more — a price Fullerton says is not all that uncommon.

“The variance in price can be attributed to factors like size, features and location. Some boats are becoming more highend in their living quarters, with some owners investing in sound systems and entertainment. It really depends on the customer and how much it matters to them,” says Fullerton.

THE WIDENING TREND

The 110 boats do not include contracts for the renovation of existing boats, according to Fullerton, who says such work is another factor that contrib-

utes to the long wait times on new orders.

Fishing boats have always been built according to regional trends, with Fullerton saying a vessel from the Northumberland region has always looked different than one from Yarmouth, but the only new trend in southwest Nova Scotia to report is that boat owners are looking to expand the width of their boats by adding more hull space instead of adding length.

CONTINUED ON A5

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 •

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

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LOBSTER OUTLOOK FROM A4 BOATS “Boats are getting wider because it’s easier than getting longer due to current regulatory standards for vessel emissions and inspections … but hulls are getting bigger as boat owners want to increase space and the boat’s capacity for lobster traps,” says Fullerton, adding that boat owners would likely build

longer if doing did not conflict with such regulatory standards.

“Short, wide boats are less efficient than longer ones. Is it ideal? I would say not really, but it’s the easiest way to expand right now.”

Fullerton predicts the demand for boatbuilding will continue in Nova Scotia, but says the NSBA always seeks to be prepared for this to change — something that

could be caused by a drop in lobster prices, for example. But regardless of industry and demand cycles, she says the association has no doubt the industry will

remain in the province as it adapts to the ebbs and flows of the industry.

“Boatbuilding is a core part of our heritage and a long and

proud tradition in Nova Scotia. The industry may change, but the trade will be part of the province for a long time to come,” she says.

GET INVOLVED Jan Fullerton says another contributor to the long wait-list for boatbuilding orders is that the industry is facing a challenge in recruiting new talent as demand continues to rise.

Fullerton says it can be hard for people to get involved because there is no one path to becoming a boatbuilder and because many shop owners are looking to hire skilled or semiskilled people who can hit the ground running.

“People looking to join the industry really need existing skills. There is no academic pathway that goes straight to boatbuilding.

We do have apprenticeship programs, but in order to

get in people need to have a particular base skillset,” says Fullerton.

Fullerton says people with experience in the fishing industry or who have worked with materials like fibreglass would be in high demand for such an apprenticeship.

She says anyone looking to get involved, or who might wonder whether their particular skillset could be relevant should reach out to the NSBA and get in touch.

“If you’re not working or are thinking of this industry as an option, then please reach out so we can discuss opportunities and start a conversation on how we can help get you involved,” says Fullerton.

This vessel demonstrates the current trend of building up a boat’s size by adding size on top and on its sides, instead of building longer, which Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association executive director Jan Fullerton says is currently popular. MARK DOUCETTE

Best Wishes

for a Safe & Successful Season

We’ll see you when you’re back on shore!

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LOBSTER OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

LOBSTER COUNCIL

Lobster Council implementing long-term value marketing strategy KATHY JOHNSON TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

Lobster vessels in Yarmouth County are loaded with traps and gear for the start of a previous lobster season.

TINA COMEAU PHOTO

oping market intelligence and research capability, with Irvine saying the intent is to “provide regular, transparent and official market information for all participants in the Canadian lobster value chain.”

“The final details remain to be determined, however, we would envision this including market prices and trends for key lobster products (whole cooked lobster, lobster meat, live lobster, lobster tails), seafood (crab, lobster and

shrimp) and other competitive proteins (beef, pork), currency and exchange rates, landings and export volumes and value.”

The third component of the strategy is to engage a resource for pro-active action on known market access issues and a rapid reaction asset for unknown, upcoming issues, says Irvine.

The North Atlantic Right Whale, the Seafood Import Monitoring Program, the Marine Mammal Protection Act,

EVERYTHING HAPPENS IN THREES: A three-year marketing and promotion strategy by the Lobster Council of Canada has three principal activities: 1. Marketing and promotion 2. Market intelligence 3. Market access activities

Invasive Species in Sweden and EU, and Lobster Husbandry in EU and North America are among the known issues that can impact the marketplace for

Canadian lobsters, he says.

The LCC received funding for the strategy from the Canadian Fish and Seafood Opportunities Fund (CFSOF).

We wish you much success and a

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A three-year marketing and promotion strategy for Canadian lobster is being implemented by the Lobster Council of Canada (LCC).

The Long-term Value Strategy for Canadian Lobster project has three principal activities; marketing and promotion, market intelligence and market access activities, says Geoff Irvine, executive director of the LCC. Under Marketing and Promotion of Canadian Lobster, Irvine says, “We will critically review the marketing strategy that was developed in 2015 and update for the market realities of 2019 and the future.

What has changed in retail, foodservice and e-commerce?

How should we be preparing for the trends of today including appealing to the ‘conscious carnivore’ and the challenge of ‘ethical protein.’”

What does Generation Z want on their plates compared with millennials, Generation X and the boomers?

What countries offer new opportunities for processed and live products?

“We will then implement a comprehensive generic marketing and promotion strategy in the domestic market, the United States and take advantage of positive trade agreements such as CETA and CPTPP in Europe and Asia,” says Irvine. “A key feature will be implementing tactics to find new markets that will pay higher prices for our premium, high quality, sustainable Canadian lobster products.”

He says the plan includes a mix of consumer and trade marketing tactics.

The LCC will also be devel-

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 •

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

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EXPORTS

When lobsters fly ‘Nothing else in our province comes close to it,’ says professor of ocean research

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You’ve heard the saying about pigs and flight, but have you ever wondered about lobster?

Well, it turns out that thousands of kilograms of Nova Scotia lobster take off from the Halifax Stanfield International Airport everyday.

They are shipped live and in bulk across the globe, often destined for customers in the United States, Europe and increasingly, Asia.

As per a spokesperson for the airport, lobster and other cargo exports accounted for a total economic output of $514 million for the province.

Nova Scotia exported a whopping $213 million – or 11,357,190 kilograms of wiggling crustaceans – in 2018. This represents a 15 per cent increase from the previous year.

And airport authorities only expect this trend to continue.

“For five consecutive years, overall cargo volume at Halifax Stanfield has consistently grown and we’re anticipating 2019 to be another excellent year considering the increasing demand for seafood in Asia and Europe,” says Glen Boone, the airport’s director for cargo and real estate development.

“In fact, seafood, particularly live Nova Scotia lobster, is our number one export commodity, both by value and volume.”

However, the future of Nova Scotia’s lobster fishery isn’t as rosy as some would assume. A combination of historic landing rates, lobster politics and tighter regulations could impact fishers across the province.

Dr. Megan Bailey, a professor at Dalhousie University and the Canada research chair in inte-

United States are also tightening their import regulations, making product harder to move.

“We’re moving towards a more restrictive trade environment that requires a lot of paperwork,” says Bailey, adding it’s becoming increasingly complicated for fishers to sell their product.

“It’s complicated in terms of the fact that these different markets require different kinds of paperwork, different forms and different levels of scrutiny depending on if its governments or a company.”

Overall, the workload for the average fisher is increasing as they have to grapple with both the act of catching the lobster and then the ensuing bureaucracy.

Helping fishers to navigate the process, says Bailey, is one way governments could increase exports.

“I think more support for inshore fishers to meet these regulations would be something worth investigating,” she says.

Still, despite changing regulations, the lobster fishThousands of kilograms of lobsters leave Halifax Stanfield International Airport daily, that ery is one of Nova Scotia’s number is only expected to rise over the coming years. FILE PHOTO most valuable industries – the the lobster stock will remain at grated ocean and coastal govern- ers have been enjoying historic world has gotten a taste and ance, says there’s no denying the landing rates across the province. current levels and says that the wants more.

Most of what is caught is hard industry is in uncharted territory. importance of seafood exports If landing rates continue at Despite the uncertainty, the for the province but regulations shell lobster which, says Bailey, the current levels, the provprovincial government has previ- ince may be able to meet that makes it prime for exportation are changing. ously stated it wants to double sea- demand. overseas. She adds that at least “It’s huge,” she says of the food exports in the next 10 years.

50 per cent of what’s caught is fisheries. “Nothing else in our But the real goal, says Bailey questions how the gov- Bailey, should be to develop exported overseas. province comes close to it.” ernment will reach this target.

But Bailey is worried that the Bailey explains that when you the fishery in a way that “Either you need to catch combination of high landing add up the collective fisheries secures seafood for Nova industries together – the fishing, rates and provincial politics may twice as much, you need to Scotians while continuing processing, logistics and export- place unreasonable expectations export twice as much – which to export a product coveted means less available lobster on the fishery. ation – it becomes the largest around the world. for Nova Scotians – or you Adam Cook, a research sciemployer in the province.

So as long as people want it, need some value added,”LI M live lobsters will continue to entist at the Bedford Institute of At this time, Nova Scotia is ITtake EDto the skies and earn their Bailey says.

Oceanography, acknowledges responsible for the majority of L FETI wings.

Countries like Japan andIthe Canada’s lobster catch given fish- that researchers don’t know if M

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LOBSTER OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

NEW TECHNOLOGY

‘We know you've fallen overboard’

Matthew d'Entremont and Jonathan Raimund, co-founders of BlackWatch.Tech, hold the man overboard devices that the start-up company is working on, aimed at decreasing fatalities in the lobster industry from man overboard incidents. CONTRIBUTED

New technology to make finding people faster and easier TINA COMEAU TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

If a lobster fisherman falls overboard, the key to survival is knowing exactly when and where they fell. But sometimes this doesn’t happen.

Sometimes a few minutes – or longer ¬¬– passes before it’s noticed the person is missing.

Sometimes it happens at night, when others are in the wheelhouse or in the bunks, and no one sees it happen.

Those involved with the development of a new man overboard device want to rewrite these scenarios. Most importantly, they want to save lives.

“With our device, the second you fall overboard, we know you’ve fallen overboard,” says Jonathan Raimund, co-founder of BlackWatch.Tech, based at Ignite Labs in Yarmouth.

“If you fall overboard the captain has an alarm going off. He sees his boat’s location and your location. Even if there are big waves and your head is under the waves, he knows where you are,” Raimund says. “He can turn the boat around and pick you up and reduce that time you’re in the water drastically.”

BlackWatch is a small, lightweight device that fishermen would have on them for tracking. It is the size of a loonie and 100 per cent waterproof. Fishermen can attach it to their boots, clothing, PFD, etc. They won’t even notice it, Raimund says.

The company isn’t divulging the technology behind the de-

BLACKWATCH INFO • Website: www.BlackWatch.Tech • Contact info: 208 Main Street, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia B5A 3M6, Canada 902-237-2784 • The product: BlackWatch is a man overboard safety device built for fishermen. The device knows the second you fall overboard and makes it much faster to be found by being able to track you. We are excited about this product and are currently getting ready to install it on a few lobster fishing boats this winter. Product will be ready for pre-sales in May 2020.

vice yet, as they are still putting together their patent. But testing thus far went even better than hoped.

“When we did the tests, they did far exceed our expectations.

We were getting a lot more accurate readings than we had planned. We were within 10 centimetres of where the person is,” Raimund says. “That means in a huge ocean we can pinpoint the exact place you fell overboard and better find you.”

KEEPING COMMUNITIES SAFE

For Raimund, safety drives this effort. He used to live and work in Miami but moved home to Nova Scotia to take care of his mother. When he came back he wanted to start up a business – to do something for the community.

“I was talking to some fishermen friends and I asked them, what’s an issue that needs to be solved? One of my buddy’s said to me, ‘I lost a crew member about 10 years ago. We never found him. We never found a body. It haunts me to this day,’”

Raimund says.

He says there have been too many fatalities and he wants to prevent that, as does Matthew d’Entremont, a co-founder of BlackWatch. D’Entremont, who has family ties to Middle West Pubnico, Yarmouth County, is an engineer and the director of the Nova Scotia Product Design & Development Centre at Dalhousie University.

“We see this as a very required and sought-after type of product,” d’Entremont says. “It’s close to a lot of people’s hearts.

We all want to keep all of our loved ones coming home every night.”

Asked how confident he is that this device will save lives, he feels very strongly it will.

“What is critical to lifesaving is to keep the amount of time a person is in the water down,” he says.

Aside from if they are in the water, the devices will also track the location of crew members on the boat. “When the captain turns the mainframe on the helm, all of the FOBs the fishermen are wearing will be on,”

Have a Safe & Bountiful Lobster Fishing Season

Raimund says.

Development of the device has been underway for a year.

BlackWatch has a good amount of support behind it (although it is always seeking more). This includes Ignite Labs Yarmouth (Doug Jones), Volta Halifax ($25,000 in funding, office space, and mentorship), NSBI ($40,000 in funding), Dal Oceans ($1,000), Innovacorp ($5,000), CEED (business training), CDL (Creative Destruction Lab, business training), Allendale Electronics Lockport (manufacturing) and Dalhousie University Product Engineering.

It is estimated the cost per vessel of the safety system will be around $3,500 – which includes the devices for the crewmembers and the system that operates them.

More testing is planned for February and March, and possibly April, aboard lobster vessels, using buoys and the devices.

PEACE OF MIND

One of the boats that will take part in the testing is captained

by Chris Comeau, who fishes from the Yarmouth Bar. He sees a lot of value in this technology.

“It would be a big game changer. It would make it a lot easier for us,” he says. “I wouldn’t have to worry 90 per cent of time. Even with PFDs, if I lose a guy overboard, to find them again it’s very hard. If this works like they plan, it’s going to be ideal.

“I’ve been fishing for 40-odd years and I’ve always said the worst part of losing a man over-

board is you have no closure if you don’t find them,” says Comeau. “With this device comes the comfort of knowing where you crew is at all times, even on the boat.”

Comeau has never had a person fall overboard from his vessel, but he has helped other boats that have.

“It’s so easy to fall overboard.

If you lose somebody it is to find them,” he says, particularly if conditions are rough. “They have a really good idea and I hope it works out for them.”

MOVING FORWARD

The BlackWatch system could be applied to all fisheries and beyond just commercial fishing boats, although for now the focus is on the lobster industry.

“The government making this product mandatory would be a positive step in reducing fatalities in our fishing community, however, I want fishermen to wear our device not because they have to, but because they want to and see the value,” Raimund says.

The captain can use the system to send out an SOS and he or she also has a few minutes to cancel an alarm if needed.

Within minutes the system will also directly send out an SOS with the position of the boat and the crewmember in the water if no action has been taken.

The goal is to start pre-sales in May 2020.

“We’re just really focused on saving the lives of our friends, our neighours and in our communities,” says Raimund.

Best shes a Safe and Pr perous Season!

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 •

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

A9

SAFETY

Coast Guard crew gives SAR demonstration The Clark’s Harbour based Canadian Coast Guard crew gave a search and rescue demonstration earlier this fall.

There is a huge emphasis on safety before and during every commercial lobster fishery.

A man overboard is rescued using a Jason cradle by the Clark’s Harbour based Canadian Coast Guard crew during a search and rescue demonstration earlier this fall.

The Clark’s Harbour based Canadian Coast Guard crew gave a search and rescue demonstration earlier this fall using their zodiac and lifeboat. KATHY JOHNSON PHOTOS

The Clark’s Harbour based Canadian Coast Guard crew get ready to perform a rescue during a demonstration earlier this fall.

7867843

Using ropes, a man overboard is rolled aboard the zodiac by the Clark’s Harbour based Canadian Coast Guard crew during a demonstration earlier this fall.

LOBSTEROUTLOOK OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 22, 2017 LOBSTER FISHING OUTLOOK • Wednesday, november LOBSTER • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2018

A10 A12 A12

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA tricountyvanguard.ca TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

14c 14b

Quebec

3

15 14a

16

4

18 ce ren

5

Gander

r ive

Anticosti Island

19

R

17

aw t. L

S

13b

Corner Brook

6

Newfoundland

7

Gulf of St. Lawrence

Quebec

13a

20a

St. John’s

20b 21

22

23 in

Pr

25

New Brunswick

Magdalen Island

24 ce E d w a r d I s la n d

Charlottetown

36 37

Halifax

30

31b

mit

32

38

Li hore

41

Sable Island

Offs

Lobster Fishing District in Atlantic Canada

33

Yarmouth

34

Atlantic Ocean

41

8

31a

Nova Scotia

35

9

Sydney

29

Saint John

10

28

Fredericton

U.S.

11

27

26b

26a

Moncton

12

St. Paul’s Island

40

Seasons 3-8

17

27

April 20 – July 15

June 5 – August 5

May 15 – July 15

9-12

18

28

April 20 – July 30

May 20 – July 31

May 9 – July 9

13a-13b

19/21

29

36-37

April 20 – July 5

May 9 – July 9

May 10 - July 10

March 31 – June 29 and 2nd Tuesday in November – January 14

14a-14b-14c

20a/22/23/ 24/26a/26b

30

38

May 5 – July 10

April 30 – June 30

May 19 – July 20

15

20b

31a

40

June 1 – August 12

May 8 – July 7

April 29 – June 30

Closed to inshore-offshore lobster fishing

16

25

31b-32

41

May 20 – August 10

August 9 – October 10

April 19 – June 20

33-34

Last Monday in November – May 31 35

Last day Feb – July 31 and October 14 – December 31

2nd Tuesday in November – June 29

Area open all year

Note: Minimum size of lobster varies by district

DIDTIDE YOU KNOW?

DID YOU times know?

Lobster facts Nov. 27 to Dec. 8

SHELBURNE Lobster Facts LOW HIGH LOW HIGH

CLARK’S HARBOUR

display3:58 a 27 order 9:35to grow, 3:42it will9:59 thinner softer shell after it has about this charismatic crustaCanadian Atlantic Lobster are Canadian Atlantic Lobster are 27 8:33 2:30 9:02 2:26 28 moulted.

10:36 In4:38 4:58 Canada,10:53 the lobster truly fascinating creatures.

Here cean.season is staggered around the truly fascinating creatures.

Here 28 are9:35 3:24 9:55 3:29 29 11:32 5:32 11:44 5:52 interesting facts that • Hard shelled softthe are somesome interesting facts that summer moultingversus period and you may, or may not, know4:37 about 30 majority 29 10:34 4:17 10:48 12:23 6:23 6:46 of Canadian Atlantic Lobshelled: Since the Atlantic Lobyou may, or may not, know charismatic ster aremoult harvested hard-shelled.

30 this 11:29 5:09 crustacean.

11:41 5:39 ster 1 must 12:33 7:11– shed 1:10 7:38 its shell Moulting: This isitdone 1 • Hard 12:23 shelled 5:59 versus soft6:34 –2in •order 1:20 to grow, 7:58 1:57 8:29 will through display shelled: Since the Atlantic Lobster out thesofter life of the lobster toitenable a thinner shell after has 2 must 12:32 1:15 3 it to 2:06 8:44 2:44 9:20 moult6:48 – shed its shell –7:25 in grow. During its first year a

3 4 5 6 7 8

1:23 2:13 3:05 3:59 4:58 5:58

7:37 8:25 9:15 10:08 11:03 12:01

2:07 8:16 2:59 9:09 3:50 10:03 4:43 10:58 5:39 11:53 6:38

moulted. the 4 2:52In Canada, 9:31 3:33lobster 10:10 season is staggered around 5 3:40 10:18 4:22 the 10:59 summer moulting period and 6 4:29 11:06 5:12 11:50 the majority of Canadian Atlan5:21 are 11:58 6:05 hardtic7 Lobster harvested 8 6:16 12:42 6:59 12:53 shelled.

• Moulting: This is done through out the life of the lobster to enable it to grow. During its first year a lobster will moult as many as 10 times. Lobsters

LOCKEPORT

YARMOUTH

for no4:56 ap27 antennae.

10:44 Sometimes, 4:37 11:10 parent reason, lobsters willAtlantic also • Steam scream: The 28 drop 11:39 5:53 a claw.5:31 Lobster does6:23 not have any vocal 29 • Lobster 12:01 teeth: 12:33 do6:48 Lobsters have cords and contrary to rumour teeth, however, instead of being 30 12:51 7:13 1:25 7:41 it does scream.

Theare sound foundnot in the mouth they found 1heard 1:40 8:03 when boiling2:15 lobster8:33 is in the stomach.

2only 2:30 8:52escaping 3:06 9:24 the steam from scream: The Atlantic • Steam not have any vocal shell.

3theLobster 3:19 does 9:43 3:57 10:16

Things to know about this fishery

• Lobster teeth: Lobsters do have teeth, however, instead n DID of YOUbeing KNOW?found in the mouth they are found in fishing the • The commercial lobster stomach. in LFA 34 off southwest Nova Sco-

achieve market weights in less time.

• No pain: Researchers say the Atlantic trap limit. Lobster does not feel pain when he immersed • Other management measures tia has the highest landings and include requirement for esinto hot the water due to its devents for sublegal sizes(it and the most participants of any LFA cape centralized nervous system (lobster fishing area) in Canada. biodegradable trap mechanisms has no brain, just a series of • Accessories • Automotive Accessories • The fishery managed by to mitigate ghost fishing by lost Some factsisabout lobster ganglia). input controls including a min- traps.

• Lobster claws: A lobster • Rust Block • Tinting Canada and Lobster is Canada’s mostmillivalu- ers• across imum legal size (82.5 Due different toAtlantic the risks has two typesassociated of claws, able seafood export and an iconic participate. are metres), prohibition on landing of Quebec with vessels leavingLobsters the wharfs both egg-bearing and V-notched loaded with traps andtraps gearplaced on the Canadian species exported caught using baited Stay safe & good luck! females, limited firsttheday, and of the of around the world.entry, a season on bottom thepossibility sea. Overall, • Windshield Repair • Household Glass between the last Monday in Novmechanical breakdowns as well, lobster populations in Canada are The majority (around 78%) of Can• Windshield Repair ember • Household Glass through to May and a healthy several and resources in the air and adian lobster exports are31, destined sustainably managed.

•www.speedyglass.ca Accessories • Automotive Accessories for the United States.

Other key marConservation measures are • Accessories • Automotive Accessories or kets include Asia (Japan and China) tailored to meet the unique needs • Rust Block • Tinting • Rust Blockand• the European Union (Belgium, of each lobster fishery. Commonly Tinting France). Lobster is also exported to used measures include: an additional 50 countries.

• limits to the number of licences, 406 Hwy 1, Dayton • trap limits (inGordon this fishery it’s and Oceans Canada 259 Pleasant St., YarmouthFisheries 902-742-6911 Boudreau Nova Scotia manages 45 lobster fisheries, in 375 at the start ofSales the season) Consultant which 10,000 licensed harvest• length of fishing seasons (this 902-774-0900 www.speedyglass.ca dustinsauto@hotmail.com

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DIGBY

and contrary it 27 cords 11:41 5:26 to rumour5:50 does notasscream.

The sound heard known the crusher claw and 28 when 12:08 6:22 6:47 boiling lobster12:38 is only the pincher claw. the shell.

29 steam 1:03escaping 7:17 from1:33 7:42 • Growing up: It takes a It takes a lobster • Growth 30lobster 1:57 sixchart: 8:09 2:25 8:35 to eight years to around six to eight years to reach 1 reach 2:48a market 8:59 ofweight 3:16 of9:26 apa market weight approximately one3:38 pound.9:48 Lobsters growIt quicker 2 proximately 4:07 10:16 1 pound. is said in warmer water and can achievein lobsters grow quicker 3 that 4:28 10:38 4:57 11:06 market weights in less time. pendages to predation. chart: 4 2:11 lost 8:26 2:54 9:08 4 • Growth 4:10 10:34 4:49It takes 11:09 4 warmer 5:18 water.

11:28 5:48 11:57 This would 9:13 include3:44 their claws, Nutrition: 5 2:59 9:58 5a lobster 5:03 around 11:27 six 5:42to eight 5 •6:09 12:20 Hard-shell 6:40 legs, antennules and antennae. years to reach a market lobster meat is not only con6 3:50 10:02 4:35 10:49 6 5:58 12:03 6:37 12:21 6 7:02 12:50 7:33 1:13 Sometimes, for no apparent sidered to be the tastiest, it weight of approximately one n LOBSTER TIDBITS 7 4:43lobsters 10:52 will5:28 6:56 Lobsters 12:59 grow 7:35 quicker 1:17 7 is also 7:57 proven 1:44 to be 8:28the 2:08 reason, also 11:42 drop 7pound. most 5:42 11:45 6:24 8in warmer 7:56 1:57 8:34 can2:16 8 nutritious.

8:54 2:41 3:05 a8 claw.

This is9:25 because water and moult as9:15 many as2:31 10 27 lobster 8:50 will2:28 times.

Lobsters will continue to will continue to moult approxi28 moult 9:51approximately 3:25 10:09 once a3:36 year mately once a year until maturmaturity. lobsters may 29 until 10:47 4:21Older11:00 4:40 ity.moult Olderonly lobsters maytwo moult once every to three 30 11:39 5:14 11:49 5:39 onlyyears. once every two to three 1 • Regenerating 12:29 6:04 limbs: Lobsters 6:35 years. regenerate appendages lost 2 •can 12:37 6:52 1:18 Regenerating limbs:7:27 to predation.

This would include Lobsters can regenerate ap3 their 1:24 7:39 2:06 8:18 claws, legs, antennules and

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lobsters that are soft shelled lose nutrients as part of the moulting process. They also absorb considerable amountson on the sea are always deployed of water. the opening day of the season to provide assistance if needed.

• Go to sleep: You can putThis a includes Guard and DFO lobster toCoast sleep by inverting it vessels military aircraft. on to itsand back for a few minutes.

• Boats in LFA 34 leave the Some people will do this before wharfs 6 a.m. on dumping day. cookingatand placing the lobster fishery runs last Monday or Boats LFAthe 33 along the provin the in boiling water.

November to shore May 31) ince’s south leave at 7 a.m. on• lobster dumping Fishermen are sizeday. restrictions, later permitted to begin hauling • v-notching protect eggtraps atfemales, one minute after midbearing night.

• trap designs that allow undersized lobsters to escape and that include biodegradable escape panels to ensure traps lost at sea will not continue catching lobsters and other species, • ongoing monitoring and enforcement of fishing regulations and licence conditions.

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 •

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

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CRUSTACEAN ELATION

Researchers across the country are working to predict the future of Canada’s $1.3 billion lobster fishery. 123RF

Is Nova Scotia’s lobster boom the new normal?

JOSH HEALEY SALTWIRE NETWORK

There’s little doubt that Nova Scotia’s lobster fishery is in a golden age.

Looking at the data, fishers from across the province are landing more lobster than they used to as they strive to meet the global demand.

Provincial lobster exports to China alone totalled $227 million in the first six months of 2019 – a 144 per cent increase over the same period the year before. The Canadian lobster industry, of which Nova Scotia is the major player, is estimated to be worth $1.3 billion.

As a research scientist who specializes in lobster, Adam Cook’s job isn’t to get caught up in the crustacean elation: he’s looking to understand and predict upcoming shifts in the fishery.

And the trend, for now, is more landings which means

more Nova Scotia lobster shipped around the world.

“The lobster stocks have been at an all time high over the last five or six years,” said Cook, who works at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. “At some point during that period of time, pretty much all of our Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) have seen the highest landings ever recorded.”

Cook added that there’s been slight dips the last two or three years but the fishery continues to churn out lobster at historic levels.

For example, LFAs 27 to 30 – otherwise known as Cape Breton – caught 1,233 tons of lobster in 1981. These same LFAs reported landing 7,654 tons in 2018.

Yarmouth, Shelburne, Digby, Queens and Lunenburg Counties, represented by LFAs 33 and 34, trapped 32,377 tons in 2018 compared to the 3,364 tons in 1981.

All in all, it’s a good time to have a lobster licence.

But Cook is looking for answers and said that a number of

factors have contributed to the boom in the lobster population.

A changing climate or more specifically a warming ocean, he said, is one reason for the fishery’s growth.

“We’re seeing more warm waters, we’re seeing changes in some circulation patterns,” said Cook, adding that there’s also been a decrease in key predators like cod and other ground fish species.

He also noted that decision makers have put more of an emphasis on conservation, leaving more lobster in the ocean for longer.

“We feel pretty strongly that all those things together have contributed to the increase in lobster,” said Cook in summation.

But the lobster boom isn’t reserved to one small area or one single LFA: the riches have been spread across the province.

Cook said that LFAs 33 and 34 have huge landings and a lot of licences, but that when

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broken down by trap hauls, some smaller areas are catching even more.

“If we look at the catch rate or the number of lobsters landed per trap haul, some of the smaller LFAs have higher catch rates,” he explained. “There’s fewer participants in them and their overall landings might be lower but in terms of production, it’s higher.”

Cook cited LFAs 30 and 35 — Annapolis, Kings and Richmond Counties — as examples of this.

However, he acknowledged, the challenge is not recognizing the boom but predicting what comes next. Researchers are still working to answer that question.

“We’re in a place we’ve never been before,” said Cook.

At this time, researchers believe warmer ocean temperatures shouldn’t restrict adult offshore lobster populations but Cook said they were uncertain of the effects on young lobsters

and eggs.

The key, he said, is gathering data to better understand if the boom is the new normal for the fishery.

And gathering data takes time.

“The more information we have as stocks grow, the better we’re able to understand and try to predict when these tipping points are and when these changes might occur,” said Cook.

Researchers monitor lobster sizes, offshore distribution and habitat to help inform the decision making process.

Cook added that it’s important to diversify what they monitor to better understand the big picture instead of just focusing on what’s caught.

“We get a better slice of the whole population,” he said. “We feel our research is important and gives us vital information on the lobster fishery (going forward).”

But in the meantime, it’s lobster fishing as usual in Nova Scotia.

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A12

LOBSTER OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

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MARKET ACCESS

Before daybreak hits, lobster fishermen in southwestern Nova Scotia prepare to depart from the wharf in Pinkney’s Point, Yarmouth County, on a cold morning of a previous dumping day, which marks the start of the country’s largest lobster fishery that runs over a six-month season. TINA COMEAU PHOTO

International trade vital to lobster industry TINA COMEAU TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

Have a good dump, fishermen are told.

Each fall in southwestern Nova Scotia, and along the province’s South Shore, lobster vessels steam out to the fishing grounds on what is referred to as ‘dumping day.’ This is the day gear is set in the six-month commercial fishery that starts in the fall, carries on through the winter and wraps up in the spring.

This is the largest lobster fishery in Canada – carried out in fishing districts that are numbered 33 and 34.

The start day is the last Monday of November.

However, depending on the weather, and the calendar, the start may get pushed back into December.

It’s a risky day for the approximately 5,000 fishers heading out to sea onboard vessels that are each heavily laden with hundreds of lobster traps in addition to buoys, rope, anchors and other gear.

On shore you’ll find family members and community members present to help send off the fleet.

Everyone is hoping for the same two things. They hope the season will be safe, and they

WHERE ARE LOBSTERS GOING? A sampling of places Canadian live lobsters and lobster products were exported to in 2018 and 2019: • United States • China • South Korea • United Kingdom • Japan • Belgium • Netherlands • France • Spain • Taiwan • Italy • Vietnam • Singapore • Germany • Denmark

hope it will be prosperous.

The same holds true for all of the lobster fisheries that take place in Atlantic Canada, where 24 lobster seasons operate each year.

ECONOMIC DRIVER

In rural communities, the lobster fishery is an important economic driver. In many communities it is ‘the’ economic driver. So it’s not just how

• Guam • United Arab Emirates • Mexico • Qatar • Malaysia • Sweden • Lebanon • Finland • Greece • Chile • Thailand • Indonesia • Egypt • South Sudan • Israel • Hungary • Kuwait • Philippines

many lobsters that are landed that is important. It’s where those lobsters end up beyond Canada that matters too.

Traditionally the United States has always been an important and large export market, but more and more through the decades the international market has been growing.

“Canada exports about 90 per cent of our lobster products so international trade is vital to this

sector,” says Geoff Irving, the executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada.

“Our most important markets are the US, China, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Belgium with growth in several markets in the EU, Middle East and Asia,” he says. “With the US/China trade war Canada has increased our market share in China to 85 per cent, which has driven demand for the last 12 months.”

This was something that seafood export John Sackton, the founder of seafood.com, had predicted as happening prior to the start of last year’s lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia. He had spoken to a SWNS Lobster Forum in Yarmouth about trade issues and the impact US trade issues and tariffs could have for the Canadian lobster industry.

“The U.S. trade policy disaster has been a gift to Canadian shippers” he had said, saying it had helped to make Canada the preferred supplier for the Chinese market and reduced American competition.

The CETA (Canada European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) introduced in 2016 had also made Canada the primary

Fishing vessels in southwestern Nova Scotia are loaded with lobster traps and other gear for the start of the commercial lobster fishery. The industry has been helped in recent years with access to more international markets. TINA COMEAU PHOTO

supplier to Europe, with the reduction and elimination of tariffs on live lobster and lobster products.

While that agreement has benefitted the lobster industry, and the Atlantic Fisheries Fund has been another good program for the lobster sector, there have been things that have hurt.

Geoff Irvine says changes to the temp foreign worker program has hindered the lobster industry.

“We cannot get the workers we need to gain the maximum value from the lobster resource,” he says. “We need a seafood specific foreign worker program, like they have in the agricultural sector.”

NEEDED SUPPORT

Prior to last month’s federal election Irvine was asked about what other steps or policies the lobster industry would hope to see from the next Canadian government to further enhance international trade.

Irvine noted the federal government does do a good job of funding trade activity via ACOA and AAFC (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada).

“We work closely with both at formal tables where we help guide the planning and set priority markets and activities,” he says. “We need to continue to work together to diversify the lobster market to ensure we are not dependent on large markets that could change over time.”

In other words, you can’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

Nor your lobsters.

Irvine notes that other important issues that can impact market access include action and/ or stances on the North Atlantic right whale, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, lobster husbandry and sustainability/eco-certification, to name but a few.

How countries address these issues can be as important to many markets as the product itself.

“Governments work well with us on these issues,” Irvine says.

But – yes, there’s always a ‘but’ – this work needs to be continuous because, Irvine says, market access will always present challenges, including new ones.

New markets that open up are good for the lobster sector.

Existing or potential markets that shut down obviously are not.

TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

tricountyvanguard.ca

lobster outlook

B1

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

From air and ocean

An aeronautical team deploys into the water to reach the vessel below in a training mission as they prepare to respond to live search and rescue (SAR) missions.

CORPORAL STEVE WILSON PHOTO

Halifax JRCC uses all air force and coast guard resources at its disposal to save human life SARA ERICSSON SALTWIRE NETWORK

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre’s objective is simple — to do everything necessary and exhaust every resource to save lives.

Its title hints at the partnership that lies at the core of the JRCC, which is a team comprised of Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and Canadian Coast Guard members who act as response co-ordinators when distress calls come to the JRCC’s Halifax centre.

Calls are tasked as aeronautical and maritime resources or vessels, and aircraft are called in and a response launched within just 30 minutes of the calls being answered. Each co-ordinator’s singular objective within that half an hour is to use their skills and knowledge to craft a response that will succeed in saving those in distress.

“We do absolutely everything we need and use every tool at our disposal to save human life,” says Halifax Joint Rescue Coordinator Centre (JRCC) Maritime coordinator Sean Arbour.

THE REGION AS A WHOLE

A CH-149 Cormorant helicopter hoists a Search and Rescue Technician during the National Search and Rescue Exercise, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on Sept. 22, 2016.

MCPL PAT BLANCHARD, CANADIAN FORCES COMBAT CAMERA.

The Halifax JRCC oversees the Halifax Search and Rescue (SAR) Region, which roughly spans from Baffin Island down to the Canada-United States Atlantic border and across the Atlantic Ocean nearly halfway

to Portugal and covers 4.7 million square kilometres.

This is one of three SAR regions across Canada. Of the approximate 9,000 search and rescue cases that occur annually in these three Canadian SAR

regions, around 2,500 of those occur each year in the Halifax region.

The primary resources available to co-ordinators when tasking the response to an SAR call include two helicopters based in Gander,

N.L. and Greenwood, N.S., a Hercules aircraft also in Greenwood and 14 small Coast Guard cutters.

These aircraft respond to a call within 30 minutes from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and within two hours outside of that window, while the maritime vessels maintain a 30-minute response time.

And time is of the essence considering the ground these vessels and aircraft must cover in looking after the entire Halifax SAR region.

But they do have help in the form of secondary resources, like larger Coast Guard vessels and other aircraft at their disposal should they require it, along with in-shore rescue programs and Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary organizations, which are also all co-ordinated by the Halifax JRCC. “We depend on an inter-agency response. These operations are incredibly complex and it’s the combined effort of deploying the large variety of resources we have access to that ensures we are able to do our job effectively and conduct successful rescues,” says JRCC Officer In Charge (OIC) Major Kristin MacDonald.

CONTINUED ON B2

A Search and Rescue Technician jumps from a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter into a lake during the National Search and Rescue Exercise in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on Sept. 21, 2016. MCPL PAT BLANCHARD, CANADIAN FORCES COMBAT CAMERA.

B2

LOBSTER OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

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LOBSTER OUTLOOK FROM B1 AIR AND OCEAN PREPPING FOR DUMPING DAY

The fishing vessels that launch from Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) 33 and 34 in southwest Nova Scotia together make up the largest fishing fleet in the entire Halifax SAR region.

Each fishing area's Dumping Day, when fishing vessels first launch their lobster traps at the start of the season, are considered by the JRCC as the highest-risk event in the region due to vessels and crew totalling around 1,800 boats and 6,000 to 8,000 fishermen and fisherwomen. Dumping Days can often average 15 to 20 SAR events, although not all are serious.

Still, they can range from vessel breakdowns and tows, to vessels taking on water or sinking.

The factors that make up Dumping Day, combined with the late November and/or early December unpredictable weather, in addition to most boats and their crews that may have sat idle for months before the launch of the season, means the JRCC is on guard for a reason.

“There can be a lot of pressure to get out there and stay out to bring in more money," says Arbour.

"They want to make the best of it and that’s where the challenge is."

Due to this increased risk, the Halifax JRCC increases its response capabilities and starts planning for Dumping Day in the summer. By July or August, all personnel that could potentially be involved in SAR responses have been briefed.

On Dumping Day, Coast Guard crews are doubled at each cutter base and the Hercules aircraft circles above the boats as they launch, with SAR responders ready to parachute down if necessary. All primary maritime and aeronautical resources also work within 30-minute response times.

The prepping also includes meetings and meetings and/ or conference calls with fishing port reps as Arbour informs them on what the JRCC does, how responses are carried out and how basic preparedness onboard their vessel can often prevent SAR events outright.

“Time is everything in a response and there is no penalty for calling even if it’s a false alarm. We want people to call and to call early, rather than to wait,” says Arbour.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT

The co-ordinators operate the three C’s of the job: conduct the tasking of the response, co-ordination of resources and control of the call from when it is received to when it is resolved.

“We own the call from the tasking of the response – calling on and launching the resources necessary for each specific case – through to seeing it reach a successful conclusion,” says MacDonald.

Co-ordinators each bring their respective experience to the table, whether that be piloting aircrafts or navigating onboard a vessel, to drawing from experience during the tasking of calls as they use the primary resources available to them and call upon secondary and volunteer resources and ves-

sels of opportunity as needed.

They have a direct hold on all available assets and their deployment and it is up to them to determine which to task with the response. Co-ordinators are also allowed to compel any vessel and/ or aircraft in the area to respond.

“We deploy everything we deem necessary and pull back from there if we determine specific resources are not needed,” says Arbour.

It’s a stressful job, but one that co-ordinators can handle as they’ve already learned to compartmentalize while on the job.

It’s an important skill, according to MacDonald, who says it’s not uncommon that some complex cases continue for days as new ones roll in.

Arbour compares the co-ordinators’ approach in such situations to triaging at a hospital.

“It comes down to being creative and the co-operation between our maritime and aeronautical efforts.

Co-ordinators work with the resources at their disposal and when you hit your capacity, you reach out and find other resources to help,” says Arbour.

‘A SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS’

The co-ordinators use a variety of technologies to track the various resources they’ve tasked in their response.

Air force and coast guard coordinators sit beside each other and work on the response seamlessly. As calls come in, each coordinator listens in and begins planning on how they can help in tasking the response.

One system at their disposal

uses information from self-locating data marking buoys and combines it with a vessel’s Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB) and other information such as weather, currents and boat specifications to find its location or predict where it may have drifted.

Another system tracks the SAR response as it evolves at the scene and can track the movement, altitude, position and speed of resources as they respond to the event. It can also be used to provide an exact ETA for hospitals on when resources will arrive.

“It’s a system of systems we have at our disposal and thousands of people across our network of resources that could potentially be called upon to help,” says MacDonald.

Emphasizing this vast network of resources and people is important, according to Arbour, who says it helps to ensure people have confidence in this system and understand that every resource available will be deployed to maximize the likelihood of a successful outcome.

“We’re a public service, so it’s extremely important that people trust that we will do absolutely everything in our power to reach that successful outcome,” says Arbour.

NOT AN EASY JOB

The only time a search is suspended or called off, according to MacDonald, is when a successful outcome is deemed no longer feasible.

Any SAR operation that is closed must be approved by Halifax

SAR region Commander RearAdmiral Craig Baines, who analyzes the situation and determines whether all resources and response options have been exhausted.

MacDonald says that before this happens, the JRCC has exhausted all possible survivability timelines and has exhausted every option within its toolbox of resources. If there remains even the smallest sliver of hope that those in distress may still be alive, a response will be tasked.

It is only when there is no longer a chance for that successful outcome that the JRCC hands the response over to the appropriate authorities, like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

But these cases are not the only ones that can have unsuccessful outcomes, as all cases are always unpredictable. MacDonald says that no case is ever a guarantee, as conditions can abruptly change.

“One minute, you could be speaking with next of kin and giving them an update on their relative involved in the response when the whole response just turns. Then suddenly, you’re debriefing them on the outcome instead – that it was not successful.

It can be very, very hard when things go that way,” he says.

But the successful calls are celebrated and a sense of excitement overcomes the room when a call comes in, as the coordinators get to work on saving those in distress.

“It fuels the response," says Arbour. "And it’s why we do what we do — it’s our motto, ‘That Others May Live,’”

LOBSTER FISHERY

No lobster forum in southwestern N.S. this year KATHY JOHNSON TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

The South West Lobster Forum went on a hiatus this fall, with plans by the five organizing fishermen’s associations to hold it again next year.

“The five organizations had a meeting and talked about the last couple of years and the turn out and decided for the money it costs it might be better to have it every second year rather than every year,” said Ruth Innis, Nova Scotia staff and special projects coordinator for the Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU).

For the past three years the Coldwater Lobster Association, the Scotia Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association, the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association, the Brazil Rock 33/34 association and MFU Local 9 have hosted the one-day lobster forum in Yarmouth for lobster fishermen in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFA) 33, 34 and 35.

The forums have featured guest speakers providing expert

Fishermen listen to one of the speakers at last year’s South West Lobster Forum. Organizers have decided to wait until 2020 to hold the next forum. KATHY JOHNSON PHOTO

information and advice, panel discussions on various issues including the North Atlantic Right Whale, and sought fishermen’s

input on a wide range of issues and topics, bringing the industry closer together.

Innis said one positive thing

that has came out of the lobster forums is the leadership of the five organizations “are working a lot more closely together than

we were” prior to the forums being held.

A prime example is the industry led at-sea data collection program to monitor by-catch in the lobster fishery started last fall in southwestern Nova Scotia. Mandated by fishermen at the 2017 forum to create a plan for industry by industry, the five fishermen’s organizations formed the South West Lobster Science Society as an umbrella group to facilitate data collection and to fulfill the requirements of at sea data collection in the lobster fishery.

With an estimated 50 percent of lobster licence holders in the three LFAs opting into the industry-led program the first year, things went well said Innis.

The program will continue this year.

Innis said the five organizations are hoping to engage even more fishermen when they host a forum next year.

“We will be putting the important issues going on in southwest Nova on the floor for discussions,” said Innis.

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LOBSTER OUTLOOK

B3

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Halifax Joint Rescue Coordination Centre maritime co-ordinator Sean Arbour says something as simple as registering the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) onboard a fishing vessel can shave hours off search and rescue responses. MASTER CORPORAL RICK AYER

Safety first

How preparing for an emergency situation onboard a vessel can help the JRCC save lives SARA ERICSSON SALTWIRE NETWORK

Be prepared and be aware of what’s happening with your fishing vessel and others while out on the water — this is the best line of defense in readying for accidents while out on the water.

Halifax Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Maritime Co-ordinator Sean Arbour says this is because seeing or hearing something as it’s happening

over the radio, and either having the equipment to respond to the issue, or calling in as soon as it happens, is a crucial step in increasing the odds of a successful rescue.

And staying alert is as simple as keeping an ear tuned to Marine VHF radio channel 16, which could be used by vessels to broadcast mayday calls or by the JRCC while broadcasting to look for more information on a missing or overdue vessel.

If a nearby vessel is in distress,

Arbour says another vessel’s close proximity and quick response time could be what saves those lives.

“On a vessel, you are your own best help. Don’t try to handle it on your own — call us and call out to vessels around you on the radio, because the sooner people get there, the better,” he says.

SMALL THINGS MAKE BIG DIFFERENCES

Being aware of what is hap-

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pening when aboard a fishing vessel and having an action plan should something go wrong is one of the best ways to prepare for an emergency situation, says JRCC Halifax Officer In Charge (OIC) Major Kristin MacDonald.

MacDonald says assigning specific roles to each person on board and practising these during drills on the water is a good way to try them out and only takes a few minutes each drill but saves even more in a real

situation.

“The likelihood of a good outcome is directly proportional to the actions they take and preparedness on board and it frees up our resources to help others in distress,” MacDonald says.

In addition to VHF channel 16, Arbour advises vessel operators to register their Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) that they must by law have on board.

CONTINUED ON B4

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B4

LOBSTER OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

LOBSTER OUTLOOK FROM B3 SAFETY An EPIRB, if registered, gives the JRCC quick information that is pertinent to their tasking of a Search and Rescue (SAR) response. This information allows the JRCC to identify the vessel, to call its satellite or cell phone, reach it on VHF Channel 16, call its emergency contact, check its vessel monitoring system and check local ports to begin the search.

Without being registered, Arbour says the JRCC must wait, sometimes for hours, for this information.

“A registered EPIRB can shave hours off a response. It is the only thing onboard that automatically sends out distress signals when something happens and it really can save your life. But it’s only half useful if it’s not registered,” says Arbour.

GETTING THE WORD OUT

Thirty-six search and rescue

responders have died on the job since the JRCC first launched in 1953.

The organization’s motto, ‘That Others May Live,’ is a stark reminder of the sacrifices that have been made as efforts to save people aboard vessels in distress have been carried out.

The number of responders themselves who have died on the job is further awareness of how dangerous the job of being a fisherman or fisherwoman can be as well, and serves as a cold reminder that doing everything possible to prepare for an emergency event can help to prevent such losses from happening.

Being prepared is a message that Arbour takes with him as he travels around the province to meet with local fishing port representatives to inform them on what the Halifax JRCC is, how it works and how they can help assist in responses by being prepared and aware of what’s

happening around them out on the water.

He says safety awareness has grown immeasurably in recent years but that more can always be done to ensure that message is received.

“If we can ensure people are going to sea in a safe way, that would go a long way in helping us on our end,” says Arbour.

He and MacDonald stress that another awareness piece that could potentially save lives is contacting the JRCC as soon as distress is detected, whether that distress is confirmed or not, as there are no penalties for calling something in that turns out to be a false alarm.

“Safety is a culture that must continue to evolve,” says MacDonald. “It’s better to let the JRCC plan for the worst and task the deployment of many resources than to wait to report, have the situation worsen and have no time to respond."

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2. Information required when making a call: • Position in longitude/latitude or range and bearing from a point of land (local names not the ideal way to give a position) • Weather • People on board • Nature of distress Once the call is made, it goes to the JRCC co-ordinators who plan and task its response from there.

RECAP

$9 shore price had created ‘bottleneck’ KATHY JOHNSON TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

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Last year an unprecedented shore price of $9 in December for lobsters had created a bottleneck in the supply chain.

“The fishermen have a lot of inventory, the buyers have a lot of inventory, product didn’t move like it usually does in the month of December, so we put it away, tubed it, trayed it,” said Mike Cotter, the owner of Cotter’s Ocean Products in Lockeport, at the time.

Cotter had said at the time that the Chinese market hadn’t “taken a big amount of our products up to this point.”

“There has been no problem to get air space this year. Usually we’re fighting to get airspace,” he had added, estimating 40 per cent of available cargo space was not used in December.

“I’m not saying the Chinese cannot afford to pay the prices we want for lobsters.

They’ve paid higher prices than these before, but they know what we’ve got,” he had said.

It was said it was the buyers themselves, not market demand, that had driven the shore price to $9 within two weeks of the season opening on Dec. 1, when initial landings were down by an estimated 30 to 40 per cent in Lobster Fishing Areas LFAs 33 (Eastern Shore to Baccaro) and 34 (Baccaro to Burn’s Point Digby County).

It led to concern over a shortage of lobster. But fine fishing weather had prevailed throughout December and landings had remained stable.

Leo Muise, executive director of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, had also said the higher shore price caused pressures with customers in December.

“Most sellers have received push back from the marketplace and margins are challenging,” he had said. “Hardest hit is the processing sector. Very few lobster have gone to the processing sector because of the high price.”

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2019-11-01 2:26 PM

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 •

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

B5

FISHERIES

Alternative lobster bait challenge draws lots of interest and ideas Winner of challenge presented with $30,000 cheque in Yarmouth on Nov. 6 for further product development TINA COMEAU TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

Vince Stuart had 30,000 reasons to smile when he was announced the winner of a lobster bait challenge in Yarmouth.

But he was coy when it came to one thing – actual details about his bait entry that had won the competition.

For now, Stuart is keeping these details to himself and said he expects to have more to say and share about his innovation when spring rolls around. That will follow some more trials of his innovation that will take place in February during the lobster fishery off southwestern Nova Scotia.

Still, Stuart, from Clare Machine Works, did say he was both happy and surprised to have won the challenge and the $30,000 prize that came with it.

“I’m blown away. I really didn’t expect to win,” he said, even after being notified that he was among the top 3 finishers.

Stuart said the premise of his alternative bait entry is something he had been thinking about and mulling over since 2014.

“When this competition started, it elevated my interest in looking at it. We’ll now move forward and develop and test over the winter,” he said.

The lobster bait challenge competition was focused on building an alternative bait for the lobster industry; one – Ignite Labs in Yarmouth says – that would be environmentally friendly by maximizing the use of seafood by-products; and also, would be sustainable and meet market demand.

Ignite Labs, Perennia, the

Western Regional Enterprise Network, the Nova Scotia fisheries department and ACOA were amongst those involved in the alternative bait challenge, which was launched in July.

Entrepreneurs and businesses took up the challenge.

“We got submissions from all over the Atlantic provinces.

The judges had a very challenging short list, but they came up with a final three,” said Doug Jones, CAO of Ignite Labs in Yarmouth. “We had an experimental licence with DFO, which allowed us to partner with Coldwater Lobster Association and some fishermen with the sea trials. Really, what it came down to at the end, was of those three who caught the most lobsters.”

Jones said a goal of the challenge was to come up with ways to decrease the amount of herring and mackerel that are going into bait products.

Jeff Mullen, the director of enterprise development with ACOA, expanded on goals of the challenge, recalling the day earlier this year when he and Jones invited fish processors from the region to a meeting.

No one knew why they had been invited. They were curious and a little guarded, Mullen said.

“We told them we’re not going to talk about your sales.

We’re not going to talk about your quota or where you’re fishing. We’re here to talk about your waste,” he said, noting that 70 per cent of fish turns into waste. Only 30 per cent is fillets.

“They said we don’t have a problem (with waste) because it’s all going to lobster bait.”

Mullen said they talked with the processors, telling them,

“Wouldn’t you like us to work with you to experiment about all of the other things you could make from fish waste: enzymes, cancer treatment drugs, oils for food supplements, pet foods?

They said, ‘We would love to do that, but we can’t sacrifice the lobster industry.’”

What followed later was the idea of exploring other possible sources of bait for the lobster industry. Mullen said the lobster bait challenge was 100 per cent supported by DFO, which gladly allowed three experimental licences.

The captains involved in the trials of the alternative bait fully embraced the initiative as well.

“They kept data sheets, when they fished, what the temperature was, what the bottom was.

They were comparing traditional lobster bait with this new experimental bait. How many lobsters were caught, male or female, legal or not legal,” Mullen said.

All lobsters caught during the trial were returned to the water.

The captains were also asked for their input and feedback to improve further on the ideas pitched. Mullen said overall things went very smoothly.

“It didn’t require any change in gear. It didn’t slow down the fishermen at all. There was 100 per cent positive feedback came from each fisherman.”

Jones, meanwhile, notes that it was a really interesting process and is just the start of other innovative ideas and challenges they’ll be pursuing when it comes to helping out, benefiting and working with the fishing industry.

“Come January you’re going to hear more happening,” Jones said.

Vince Stuart of Clare Machine Works was presented with a cheque for $30,000 during an event at Ignite Labs in Yarmouth on Nov. 6, after he was named the winner of an alternative lobster bait challenge. TINA COMEAU PHOTO

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B6

LOBSTER OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

TOURISM

Lobster Crawl media campaign brings award of excellence ashore Planning well underway for 2020 version of the popular Lobster Crawl event KATHY JOHNSON TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

Tourism Nova Scotia, in partnership with the South Shore Tourism Co-Operative, took home the 2019 Explore Canada Industry Award of Excellence earlier this year for its Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl media campaign.

The Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl was held for the first time in February 2018. Created by the South Shore Tourism Cooperative, the event invites guests to come to the South Shore, from Barrington to Peggy’s Cove, to sink their claws in and celebrate the tasty crustacean with a month-long celebration of lobster, and lobster-themed experiences.

Its inaugural year boasted over 60 events, and in 2019 it grew to more than 100 – with even more on the horizon for 2020.

Recognizing the potential of the Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl to motivate travel outside of the peak tourism season, Tourism Nova Scotia partnered with the South Shore Tourism CoOperative to host small groups of media during the crawl.

Travel writers and social media influencers from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom went lobster fishing, visited lobster pounds, sampled lobster-infused beer, helped crown the best lobster roll, explored art shows and met Lucy the Groundhog Day shadowseeking lobster. The campaign generated extensive media coverage and some of the highest levels of engagement on the Visit Nova Scotia social media channels.

Donna Hatt, chairwoman of South Shore Tourism Cooperative, introduces the world to Lucy the Lobster at the inaugural Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl in 2018. Lucy is a Groundhog Day, shadow-seeking crustacean, who spends her time leading up to the annual Feb. 2 weather prediction at a "local spa." Tourism Nova Scotia, in partnership with the South Shore Tourism Co-Operative, has brought home the 2019 Explore Canada Industry Award of Excellence for its Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl media campaign. KATHY JOHNSON PHOTO

Each year Destination Canada celebrates the storytelling of the travel media and tourism industry that inspires travellers to discover Canada. Its Explore Canada Awards of Excellence were presented on Aug. 13 at the organization’s annual GoMedia conference in Ottawa.

As part of its strategy to lead the tourism industry to reach the

$4 billion revenue goal, Tourism Nova Scotia identified six strategic game changers to spur continued growth. Expanding the tourism season is one of these key growth opportunities.

Meanwhile, a Lobster Summit was held in Barrington in the fall as a "pep rally," of sorts, for the 2020 Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl.

Hospitality and tourism-

Xsealent Seafood Company Ltd hooked up organizers with some lobsters for The Kilted Chef’s Lobster 101 session at the Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl Summit that was held in Barrington in October. VISIT BARRINGTON FACEBOOK PAGE

driven businesses, restaurants, resorts, cafes, breweries, gift shops, artists, galleries, theatres, museums, attractions, community groups – basically everyone on the South Shore who will be open for business in February – were invited to take part.

“Participating businesses and organizations have enthusiastically embraced the Lobster Crawl recognizing it as a means to grow their business levels in

a traditionally slower time of the year, supporting demand for employment and generating incremental economic activity in their communities while honouring the lobster fishing industry, our heritage and culture,” said Donna Hatt, chairwoman of the South Shore Tourism Cooperative (SSTC).

For information on the 2020 Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl visit: lobstercrawl.ca

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 •

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

B7

FISHERIES DICTIONARY

Lobster Terms 101 Here is a glossary of terms you might hear thrown around as this year’s lobster season gets underway.

BANDING: Placing a strong elastic around the claws of the live lobster allowing for handling among harvesters, buyers and processors. It also helps to control quality of the lobsters.

Banding is done on the fishing vessel when lobsters are taken out of the traps.

BANDERS: Extra crewmembers that are hired on boats to help in the first few weeks of the season in the fall when catches tend to be higher.

BERRIED LOBSTER: A female with eggs under her tail.

Under Canadian law berried lobsters must be returned to the sea.

CARAPACE: The body shell.

The carapace of a lobster is measured from the back of the eye sockets to the end of the body shell to determine legal size. The tail is not included in this measurement.

CRUSHER: The larger of the two claws on a lobster.

CULL: A lobster with one or no claws, which is normally sold at a lower price. There is often debate as to whether or not culls should be landed.

HARD SHELL: The term that describes a lobster whose shell has fully hardened after moulting. Hard-shelled lobsters yield more meat than soft shell or shedders, and are therefore considered better quality.

JUMBOS: A whole lobster weighing more than 1.4 kg (3 lbs.).

LFA (LOBSTER FISHING AREAS): Atlantic Canada is divided into fishing regions or zones. These LFAs have their own applicable fishing seasons.

Some conservations measures may differ from LFA to LFA. For the lobster fisheries that open off southwestern Nova

This photo shows an egg-bearing female lobster, which is referred to in the industry as a berried lobster and is illegal to land.

TINA COMEAU PHOTO

Scotia and the south shore of the province in the fall, the LFAs are called LFA 34 and LFA 33, respectively.

LOBSTER CAR: You won’t drive this on the highway. This is a large wooden structure that sits under the water in which fishermen can store crates of live lobster.

MARKETS: A size category for lobster’s weighing 450 g to 1.5 k grams (1 to 3 lbs.).

PINCHER CLAW: Of the claws on a lobster, it is the smaller one.

POPSICLE PACK: It’s not something that children lick on a hot summer day. This is a term used to describe a whole cooked lobster that is packed in brine in a cello sleeve and frozen.

POUND: A storage area for holding live lobster.

SELECTS: lobster weighing

908 to 1,130 g (2 to 2.49 lbs).

SHEDDERS: This term describes lobsters that are in the moulting or soft-shell stage of growth.

SOFT SHELL: This describes a lobster after it moults or sheds its hard shell. The new shell that replaces it remains soft for a period of time to help the lobster grow. Fishermen generally want to avoid catching soft-shelled lobsters since the meat yield

is lower and the quality not as good.

TAGS: A plastic marker on a trap that identifies that the trap is being legally fished by a licensed fishermen.

TINKERS: A local term used for undersized lobsters.

TOMALLEY: The greencoloured liver of a lobster.

TIRED: What fishermen are after a long day on the water.

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To our fishers: “May the winds be light, your traps be full and your feet stay clear of the ropes.”

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B8

LOBSTER OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

COMMUNITY

Lobster pot tree testament to community’s heritage

A buoy that tells the story of how a tragedy on the opening day of the lobster season in 1964 led to the establishment of the first Canadian Coast Guard small lifeboat station in Clark’s Harbour in 1966 is one of many that honours fishermen and the local heritage on the lobster pot Christmas tree.

KATHY JOHNSON TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

Once again, the Municipality of Barrington’s lobster pot Christmas tree will be standing sentinel on the North East Point waterfront on Cape Sable Island in Shelburne County during the opening month of the lobster season.

A community tradition started in 2009, for the past five years buoys are displayed in memory of those lost at sea, fishermen who have passed on and in recognition of those that are fishing on the water now.

These buoys adorn the tree, telling the story of a seafaring heritage and culture.

“People really appreciate the tree,” says Suzy Atwood, tourism and community development coordinator for the Municipality, and not just locally.

“I get calls from Cape Breton because they’ve lost somebody to the sea and lots of times they can’t come down and put a buoy on the tree, so I’ll do one up, take a photo of it send it to them,” she says. “It kind of gives them a sense of comfort or gratitude knowing that their loved one’s name is on the tree.

I’ve even had someone from out west who had a family member from Nova Scotia who was lost at sea who asked to have a buoy.”

Last year an estimated 150 buoys decorated the tree, including one that tells the story of how a tragedy on the opening day of the lobster season in 1964 led to the establishment of the first Canadian Coast Guard small lifeboat station in Clark’s Harbour in 1966.

A note accompanying the buoy read: “On the opening day of the lobster season in southwestern Nova Scotia my grandfather Stillman Quinlan, and his nephew James Smith, lost their lives after they encountered foul weather. The ‘Jane and Judy’ was on its maiden voyage. It was that incident that led to the establishing of the Coast Guard life station in Clark’s Harbour and the

first Coast Guard vessel known as the 101.”

This year, the lobster pot Christmas tree will be lit on Nov. 21, followed by fireworks marking the start of Christmas at the Causeway, a celebration of the start of both the Christmas and lobster seasons.

It takes about 200 traps to build the tree, and the process of building the tree takes several days. It remains up until after the new year.

The tree location is part of the Nova Scotia webcam system, Cape Sable Island site.

The Municipality of Barrington’s lobster pot Christmas tree will once again be standing sentinel on the North East Point waterfront on Cape Sable Island during the opening month of the lobster season. KATHY JOHNSON PHOTOS

Fireworks light up the sky at last year’s tree lighting for the lobster pot Christmas tree.

We’re proud to acknowledge all fishermen, suppliers and businesses who are associated with the lobster fishing industry in our area.

Have a safe and prosperous season!

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TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 •

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

B9

PREPARATIONS

Gearing up for the season

Cape Sable Island fisherman Colby Nickerson carries another trap to overhaul while working on gear earlier this fall.

Clark’s Harbour, Shelburne County fisherman Michal Link Jr. works on building a new lobster car earlier this fall. KATHY JOHNSON PHOTOS

Argyle, Yarmouth County, fisherman Garth Spinney measures fathoms of line while working on gear earlier this fall.

Cape Sable Island fisherwoman Janaya Nickerson bridles a pot. Nickerson is among the growing number of women who are making a living on the sea.

This will be Nickerson’s fourth lobster season aboard Every Last Cent, captained by her father Herbie.

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B10

LOBSTER OUTLOOK • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

ON THE MENU

Lobster recipes to fill your plates Lobster Scalloped Potatoes Ingredients: 2 cups of 2% milk 1 bay leaf 2 capers 1 anchovy 1 large clove of garlic, chopped 6 large new potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/8 inch thick 1 medium cooking onion, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick 3 oz of unsalted butter, cubed 3 oz of Asiago cheese, grated 1 ½ lb of Atlantic Lobster, blanched and shelled, cut into ½ inch pieces Salt and pepper to taste Method In a pre-greased casserole pan, over lap sliced potatoes, placing onions, cubed butter, salt & pepper, Asiago and lobster between each layer, three layers of potatoes in total.

Mortar and pestle the garlic, anchovy and capers to a paste (or chop finely), add to the milk along with bay leaf.

Bring milk to a slow simmer for ten minutes in a heavy bottomed pot (do not let it boil).

Pour milk mixture over potatoes and cover the dish with foil.

Place in a pre-heated 350’c oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a paring knife slides through with very little resistance.

Remove foil and place in oven on broil for another 5 minutes to brown the top.

Once the scalloped potatoes have some color remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Note: When blanching Lobster, place a whole lobster in a large pot with 6 inches of boiling water, cover and cook for 3 minutes. This is long enough to blanch the lobster but not fully cook the meat inside the shell. Remove lobster and place in an ice bath to arrest the cooking. The meat will be easy to pull away from the shell but won’t be fully cooked, perfect for the Lobster Scalloped Potatoes and recipes similar that call for longer cooking times.

Source www.tastelobster.ca

Lobster fettuccine Ingredients: Lobster Stock The shells of 2 lobsters (or the equivalent of 3 lbs) 3 Tbsp olive oil (45 ml) 1 carrot, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 heads garlic, halved 4 sprig rosemary 4 sprig thyme 2 Tbsp ketchup (30 ml) 1 Tbsp peppercorns (15 ml) 16 cup water (4 L) Fettuccine 1 lb(s) dried or fresh fettuccine (450 g) 1 Tbsp olive oil (15 ml) 1 shallot, finely chopped 2 clove of garlic, minced 2 Tbsp butter (30 ml) 1 cup fresh or frozen peas (250 ml) ½ cup fresh chives, thinly sliced (125 ml) Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Lobster Stock 1. In a large stockpot filled with boiling water, cook the lobster for approximately 8 minutes.

Drain, remove and de-shell, keeping the carcasses for the stock. Keep lobster meat in a separate bowl for later.

2. In the same stockpot, add oil. Combine lobster shells with all the stock ingredients. Bring to a

simmer and let reduce for 2 hours. Strain and transfer 6 cups (1,5 l) of the remaining stock into a smaller saucepan, reducing on medium heat for another 20 minutes or until approximately 1/3 of the stock is left. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Note: Any leftover lobster stock can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Fettuccine 1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and add fettuccine. Cook a minute less than instructed. Strain and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add shallot. Sautee for 1 minute, then add garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Add stock. Add pasta, lobster meat, peas and chives, and 2 tablespoons of butter and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.

Source: www.foodnetwork.ca

Lobster roll bites Ingredients Toast Cups 12 slices soft white bread 3 Tbsp butter, melted Lobster Salad 1 ¼ cups cooked lobster meat (5 oz/140 g) 3 Tbsp mayonnaise 1 green onion, light and dark green parts separated, minced 1 rib celery, finely diced 2 tsp lemon juice 1 pinch each salt and pepper Directions: Toast Cups 1. Using a rolling pin, roll each bread slice firmly to flatten it. Trim the crusts from the bread to make squares. Lightly brush both sides of each slice with butter; cut the slices into quarters to make 4 small squares. Press 1 square into each well of two lightly greased mini muffin tins.

2. Bake in the oven at 350ºF until golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack. Note: You can store the toast cups in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Lobster Salad 1. In a bowl, mix together the lobster, mayonnaise, celery, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix in the green onion, but reserve some of the minced dark green onion for garnish. Note: You can cover and refrigerate the salad for up to 4 hours.

2. Spoon the salad into the toast cups just before serving. Sprinkle the remaining green onion over each.

Method For Salad To prepare salad arrange lettuce, lobster, strawberries, mango and cucumber evenly between 4 plates. Drizzle salads with vinaigrette and sprinkle with chive sticks.

Servings: 4 Source www.tastelobster.ca

Lobster Bisque Ingredients 3 tbsp Minced Onion 2 tbsp Red Pepper, finely diced 2 tbsp Yellow Pepper, finely diced 2 tbsp Green Pepper, finely diced 1 c. Fennel Bulb, finely diced 1 tbsp Butter 4 oz. Lobster Meat chopped 1 tsp Anise Seed 1 tsp Spanish Paprika 1/3 c. White Wine 1/3 c. Chicken Stock 1 c. Heavy Cream Salt & Pepper

Source www.tastelobster.ca

Method In a shallow sauce pot over medium-high heat add butter, onions, peppers and fennel.

Sauté for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add anise seed, paprika and lobster meat. Continue to sauté for another minute.

Then add white wine and chicken stock to vegetable and lobster mixture. Reduce for 1 minute and then add cream, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened.

Servings: 4 Source www.tastelobster.ca

Lobster Bacon Mac & Cheese Sauce ingredients 1 small clove of garlic, chopped 1 shallot, peeled and minced ¼ cup of unsalted butter 3 oz of all purpose flour 3 cups of 2% milk 1 bay leaf 1small pinch of nutmeg 2 cups of Aged white Cheddar, grated 1 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated Salt & pepper to taste

Salad 6 oz. Washed Spring Lettuce Salad Mix 5 oz. Lobster Meat 3 Large Strawberries, sliced 3 tbsp Chive Sticks 20 Slices of English Cucumber 1/2 Mango, Peeled and Sliced Vinaigrette 3 Strawberries 1 tsp Dijon Mustard 1 tbsp Honey 3 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 1/3 c. Vegetable Oil Salt Cracked Black Pepper Method For Vinaigrette Place strawberries, Dijon mustard, honey and Balsamic vinegar in blender. Blend until smooth. With blender running add vegetable oil in a slow and steady stream until well mixed. Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Crumb topping ingredients 1 cup of Panko bread crumbs (regular bread crumbs will work) 1 oz of Smoke House bacon 1 oz of Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated 2 cups of dry elbow noodles Method Place bread crumbs, bacon, and cheese in a food processor and mix on low speed until bacon is fully incorporated.

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water (no salt) until the noodles are al dente.

Strain noodles from water and add into sauce with the lobster and bacon.

Place into casserole dish and top with crumb mixture and place in a preheated 350º oven.

When crumb is golden remove from oven and serve.

Servings: 4 portions

Source: www.foodnetwork.ca

Lobster, Strawberry and Mango Salad

3 oz of Smoke House Bacon, chopped and slightly cooked.

Lobster Butter Delicately pink, delicious butter can be served on fish, lobster or vegetables. Adds richness to seafood chowder, bisque, soup or cream sauce.

Dry the reserved shell of a large lobster in the oven for 15 minutes at 120°C (250°F).

Place shell into a sturdy plastic bag and crush or pound until fine.

Melt half a pound of butter in a double boiler and add the ground shell and 2 tablespoons of water.

Simmer 10 minutes, being careful not to let it boil. Line a sieve with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and strain into a bowl of ice water.

Refrigerate.

Skim off the lobster butter when hard.

Lobster Shannon Ingredients 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup fish stock or reserved lobster juice linguini or fettucini to serve 4 1/2 cup white wine 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon freshly crushed peppercorn 1 can frozen lobster meat (11.3 ounces) 1/2 cup heavy cream (35% m.f.)

Method Melt butter in a heavy bottom pot on medium heat.

Add garlic and shallot to the butter and cook for 1 minute.

Add Flour and stir with a wooden spoon until roux is formed.

Gently whisk in milk a cup at a time, being sure to work out lumps.

Add Bay Leaf and nutmeg and let slow simmer for 5 minutes on low heat.

Stir in the Cheese and the seasoning until cheese is completely melted and incorporated.

1- 1 ½ lb Lobster, pre cooked and shelled, cut into ½ inch pieces.

Method Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour, blending well. Whisk in stock. Bring to a boil, stirring until the first bubbles appear. Reduce the heat and cook 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

Prepare pasta according to package directions until al dente.

Mix together the wine, lemon juice, pepper and lobster in a large skillet. Quickly sauté until warmed, add sauce, heavy cream and cooked pasta. Simmer gently 3 to 4 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4 Source www.tastelobster.ca

The staff & management of Tusket KIA would like to wish everyone a safe & prosperous fishing season!

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Wishing our Fishermen a Safe and Prosperous Season!

150 Starrs Road Ph: (902) 749-2300 • 1-888-421-5199 • www.yarmouthkia.com

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 •

LOBSTER OUTLOOK

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SAFETY

Retrieval is made using a Pubnico ring during the man overboard drill at the Lower East Pubnico earlier this fall by the Are You Ready team.

KATHY JOHNSON PHOTO

Are you ready?

Huge emphasis placed on safety ahead of season KATHY JOHNSON TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

Throughout the fall, the ‘Are You Ready’ team has been busy visiting wharves throughout LFAs 33 and 34, conducting safety drills and sharing resources and knowledge to help ensure fishermen come home safely at the end of the day.

“In general, especially leading up to the season fishermen

already have safety on their minds,” said Matthew Duffy, safety advisor for the Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia (FSANS). “They know setting day is a dangerous day when the boats are fully loaded and there’s a lot of moving parts happening.”

Co-managed by the FSANS and the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council, more than 180 man overboard drills have been conducted throughout the province since 2012 through the ‘Are You Ready’ program, covering about 90 percent of the wharves in Nova Scotia.

“Our goal is to get around to as many of the wharves as possible before the season starts,” said Duffy.

In addition to conducting the safety drills, the team will also be

doing wharf visits to chat with the fishermen and share information and answer questions about Transport Canada requirements, best practices and safety equipment, he said.

The safety drills meanwhile continue to attract large crowds.

“It seems to increase each year,” said Duffy.

“This year we have people calling us to do the drills instead of us calling them,” he said, with the crowd often applauding at the end of the safety demonstrations that deal with fire, flooding, man overboard, abandon ship and medical scenarios.

“A lot of people will comment (the drill) was very helpful and I learned a lot of things that I can take back to my own boat and that’s exactly why we do it,” said Duffy.

The fall drills are scheduled on a week-by-week basis and once details are finalized the event is publicized on the FSANS Facebook page.

Duffy said while there is definitely an increase in the number of fishermen who wear PFDs while fishing, it is still an area that needs more work.

“I think industry and fishermen agree we need a better selection for PFDs,” he said. “Some of the ones that they like to wear are the ones that are not approved, and the ones that are approved not everyone likes to wear them because they’re not overly comfortable. Really, when it comes down to it, what you are allowed to use commer-

Some of the safety literature, checklists and the logbook given out to fishing captains.

TINA COMEAU PHOTO

cially, the selection is very small.”

Duffy said the association is continuing “to work with manufacturers and industry to try to keep the discussion going how we can steer our way in the direction of a better, more board market of PFDs for the industry.”

“I think once we get there you are going to see a lot more buyin from everyone,” he said.

The FSANS encourages everyone to wear their PFDs so they come home safely at the end of the day, said Duffy, and wishes all fishermen a safe and prosperous season.

ARE YOU READY?

The Are You Ready program is co-managed by the Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Fisheries Sector Council.

Safety demonstrations cover man overboard scenario, fire drill, abandon ship, flooding and medical emergency, using equipment such as life ring, throw bag, and boarding ladder, and retrieval devices such as the Pubnico ring and Jason cradle.

Equipment maintenance advice, assistance in completing the wheelhouse safety logbook,

and assistance with Small Vessel Compliance Program – Transport Canada’s “Orange Decal” program for vessels under 15 gross tonnes, are also part of the safety demonstrations.

Wharf side visits cover PFD maintenance checks and tips, reviewing types of retrieval devices and offering to help test them out, immersion suit maintenance tips and donning, wheelhouse safety logbook completion, safety equipment checks and help with Transport Canada and Department of Labour requirements.

The ‘Are You Ready’ team gets ready for the man overboard drill at the Lower East Pubnico earlier this fall. KATHY JOHNSON PHOTO

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019

TRICOUNTYVANGUARD.CA

Sincere Wishes for a YA R M O U T H N I S S A N Safe, Healthy & Bountiful GRAND OPENING CO M ISeason!

NG JUNE 19 - 23 Lobster TH

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Meet the team

The McCarron family is proud to share that, after less than 3 years, Yarmouth Nissan is the recipient of the Nissan Award of Excellence for Outstanding Overall Dealership Performance 2018. This award goes to the Top 20 dealers in Canada with outstanding achievement in Sales, Customer Service and Profitability.

“We look forward to continuing to provide the excellence you expect.

Alyse McCarron Matthew McCarron Adam Tynski This award is attributed to the hard Mark Rogers MANAGER SALES workMANAGER of the team atBUSINESS Yarmouth Nissan USED CAR SALES MANAGER SALES CONSULTANT Alyse earned a Bachelor of Business AdMatthew earned a Bachelor of Business Adam earned a Bachelor of Commerce Mark earned a Bachelor of Commerce ministration Degree in 2013 from Acadia Degree majoring in Finance at Dalhousie Degree with a major in Accounting from and amazing support from community Administration Degree in 2011 from University. He began his career working St. Mary’s University. He then spent 18 Acadia University. He immediately began University. She joined the business in the role of warranty administrator.

Alyse as a Commercial Client Solutions Analyst months in the Insurance business as a as our brave and hard hismembers career an Automotive such Sales Consultant relocated to Halifax and worked as an Financial Advisor before making the move before joining the sales team at Yarand subsequently, Sales Manager. mouth Nissan in February 2017. to automotive sales in 2013. Mark began working fishermen.”

In 2016, Matthew began the role of Sales Manager with Yarmouth Nissan.

Email: mmccarron@nissanyarmouth.ca

ing the other side of the business. Alyse assumed the Business Manager role at Yarmouth Nissan in November 2016.

Email: amccarron@nissanyarmouth.ca.

with Yarmouth Nissan in November 2016.

Email: mrogers@nissanyarmouth.ca

Email:adam.tynski@da

Kristen LeBlanc

Deanna McCarron

Jordan Muise

Terry Wiseman

Pictured: Deanna McCarron, Sam Doucet, Eric Anderson, Matthew McCarron, Kristen LeBlanc, Mark Roger, Jordan Muise, Cory Jenkins, Donnie Warner, Dustin Peterson, Kelly McCarron, Lisa Doucette, Garet Johnson, Robyn Bowler and Chelsea Boudreau

SALES CONSULTANT

ASSISTANT PARTS MANAGER

RECEPTION/ADMIN

Kristen worked as a boat builder in his home town of Wedgeport after studying carpentry at NSCC Burridge Campus and graduating in 1996. He also spent 15 years events radio show on Monday nights with local radio. He is the newest addition to the sales team at Yarmouth Nissan.

Email: kristenjohnleblanc@hotmail.com

Eric Anderson

Deanna earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Acadia University and furthered studies in Respiratory therapy graduating in 1988. She worked in the health industry for 28 years. In addition to this, Deanna volunteers a great deal of her time as Creator/Director of Kidzact.

Deanna began working in her role at Yarmouth Nissan in January 2017.

Jordan attended the NSCC Burridge Campus where he earned his Business Management Diploma. Jordan previously worked with inbound sales at web. com for 5 years and joined Yarmouth Nissan as Parts Advisor and then Assistant Parts Manager in May 2017.

Devon Clairmont

Donnie Warner

SERVICE ADVISOR

Eric’s love of cars led him to a career in the Automotive industry. He spent 22 years as a mechanic, 5 years as a sales consultant followed by 10 years in the role of Parts Manager. Eric has been working as a service advisor for the past 3 yrs and

AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIAN

AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIAN

Donnie is from Abraham’s River and has 25 years experience as an Automotive Technician. He has his Service Station Mechanics license.

2015 after studying at the NSCC Burridge campus. He is a Master Nissan Technician and will be heading to Quebec at the end of June for training as a Nissan Diesel Mechanic.

PARTS MANAGER

Terry has worked in Parts and Service for over 7 years and has gained valuable experience working in various locations.

Terry began in his role with Yarmouth Nissan pre-opening in October 2016 as a liaison for the building contractors and the business.

Pictured: Jake Muise, Alyse McCarron and Devon Sydney Dulong Clairmont APPRENTICE TECHNICIAN Sydney is a native of Yarmouth and is in her second year as an apprentice technician. She has proudly achieved her level 2 apprenticeship through the NSCC Burridge campus and continues working

at Yarmouth Nissan in March 2017.

Dustin Peterson DETAIL TECHNICIAN

Dustin grew up in the beautiful Annapolis Valley and relocated to Yarmouth in the fall of 2015. Dustin is an artist and musidetailing job. He has been working as a Detail technician for the past two years and is enjoying working in the industry.

YARMOUTH NISSAN 290 PLEASANT ST, YARMOUTH, NS 902-881-2440 WWW.NISSANYARMOUTH.CA MON-FRI: 8-6 SAT: 9-2 SUN: CLOSED

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