Lobster Outlook 2020 by SaltWire Network

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

LOBSTER FISHERY

Fishermen wave as they depart the wharf in Pinkney’s Point, Yarmouth County, during last year’s start of the lobster season. Dumping day in LFA 34 was not only delayed by one day, but the start was also an hour later than normal, so the rising sun set a new backdrop to boats as they left. It’s usually still dark when boats head out with gear. TINA COMEAU • SALTWIRE NETWORK

Industry gears up for season start TINA COMEAU SALTWIRE NETWORK Tina.Comeau@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

There’s been a lot of discussion about the commercial lobster fishery off southwestern Nova Scotia in recent months. Now, the season is around the corner. Like previous seasons, how this one unfolds is anyone’s guess. Will fishers be paid good shore prices for their catches? Will the season be safe? Will the weather co-operate? Will unexpected issues arise? The list goes on. Time will tell. The past few months leading into the season have been difficult, given a lobster dispute that has played itself out in southwestern Nova Scotia. Some First Nations bands, tired of waiting for Ottawa to act on treaty rights they say were affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1999, launched their own self-regulated moderate livelihood fisheries in September and October. They said the federal government had 21 years to define moderate livelihood but failed to do so. While the Supreme Court’s Marshall decision in September 1999 affirmed treaty rights, the commercial sector said a clarification in November 1999 said these rights were subject to regulation by DFO. Frustration from years of what the industry called a lack of enforcement of outof-season fishing — during critical breeding periods — rose to the surface. The dispute saw peaceful protests, but also acts of van-

dalism to gear and property. Threats were hurled in both directions. At times, there was calm. Other times, things were ugly, nasty and tense. Yet, despite their disagreements, there was agreement shared by Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishers. They both pointed the finger of blame for the situation at Ottawa, saying the federal government had failed to act properly and address issues in the past and in the present. How the dispute will continue to shape the fishing landscape — and how outstanding issues will be addressed and settled — is something people on both sides will continue to keep an eye on. But the focus now shifts heavily to the commercial industry, which is the economic engine that drives communities in southwestern Nova Scotia. TIME TO FISH

Lobster fishing area (LFA) 34, 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 always slated to get underway the last Monday of November — in this case, Nov. 30 — unless the weather pushes back the start of the season. 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

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

The season runs from the last Monday of November (weather permitting) to May 31. The opening day of the season is known as dumping day because it’s the day fishing boats and crews set their traps and gear in the fishing grounds. On dumping day, safety is a top priority. Many search and rescue assets will be deployed throughout western Nova Scotia on the water and in the air.

2. 3.

in LFA 34. DFO-industry conference calls will take place in both LFAs 33 and 34 in the days leading up to the opening to confirm the start date of their seasons. Last year, the weather did delay the seasons by a day. LFA 34 includes all of Yarmouth County and parts of Shelburne and Digby counties. LFA 33 picks up in Shelburne County and extends to Halifax County. More than 5,000 fishermen will be aboard the boats on opening day, which includes season crews, as well as extra crew members who are hired for the opening weeks of the season. In LFA 34, there are 942 category A licences and 36 communal commercial licences for a total of 978 licences overall, says DFO. In LFA 33, there are 635 category A licences, 27 category B licences and 20 communal commercial licences for a total of 682 licences overall,

Fishing boats in LFA 34 typically have a three-person crew. At the start of the season, extra people (referred to as “banders”) are hired to help the crews, as catches tend to be busy. The lobster fishery is extremely important to the rural economy in southwestern Nova Scotia. Aside from the thousands employed directly and indirectly by the fishery, the business community is heavily dependent on the industry.

DFO says. The preliminary landed value of last year’s season was not available at the time this annual Lobster Outlook publication was prepared in early November. In the 2018-19 season, the total landed value from both fishing districts had come in at $498.2 million, compared to approximately $502 million the year before. Last season, the industry faced an unexpected issue: the COVID-19 pandemic. It started to make things problematic in January as markets in other parts of the world — namely China — evaporated as economies shut down and people were forced to stay home. The COVID-19 impacts followed the season through to its May finish. What impact COVID-19 will have this year remains to be seen. “As we head into the fall, there is major concern of the second wave,” says Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada.

He says they’ve been working very hard over the past year to monitor and track the situation, but says he expects COVID-19 will “provide the same kind of uncertainty for dealers/processors and live shippers that we saw in the spring.” SAFETY ON THE SEA

Boats fishing in LFA 34 are permitted to set 375 lobster traps at the start of the season. Given this, safety is of the upmost importance as the season gets underway and boats head to the fishing grounds laden with traps and gear on dumping day. There will be numerous coast guard and military assets on the water and in the air for the opening of the season. But throughout the season, fishers and their crews are encouraged to keep a high emphasis on safety. While it’s important to bring home lobster catches, it’s also important for crews to just come home. “To me, safety is everything and bringing your crew home is the biggest thing. And making sure that everybody comes home to their families is one of the biggest things everybody should be looking at in this industry,” says Kasey DeMings, Gunning Cove, Shelburne County fishing captain. The LFA 34 and 33 seasons run to May 31. These aren’t the only lobster fisheries happening in western Nova Scotia. The LFA 35 season in Digby and the upper Bay of Fundy got underway in midOctober. That LFA has a split season that runs from Oct. 14 to Dec. 31 and again from the last day of February to July 31.

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

LOBSTER DESTINATIONS

Marketing of Canadian lobsters a year-round effort Year one of a new three-year marketing program has wrapped up

TINA COMEAU SALTWIRE NETWORK Tina.Comeau@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

While the upcoming commercial lobster season in southwestern Nova Scotia and the province’s South Shore runs for six months, determining where landed lobsters will end up is a year-long effort. Marketing and markets are always at the forefront when it comes to the commercial lobster industry. “We have just finished the first year of a three-year marketing program called the Long-term Value Strategy for Canadian Lobster,” said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada. The program involves three Ms: marketing, market intelligence and market access. Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic has factored into a lot that is going on, Irvine said. “The pandemic has completely changed how trade development is carried out by governments and trade organizations like ourselves, with no trade shows or in-person business-to-business (B2B) meetings possible, so everything is now virtual,” he said. In October, the lobster council was in the middle of a three-week virtual B2B Export Café program, serving as the proponent working with ACOA and the four Atlantic provinces. This virtual cafe involved seafood importers in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. “The project involves matching Canadian exporters with importers from those three countries and then facilitating Zoom meetings so they can meet and start to do business,” Irvine said, noting 75 per cent of the companies involved were working with processed and live lobster. Asked what he feels is the most important message to get out about the lobster product, he said this: “Almost all of the marketing activities

INTERNATIONAL MARKET PARTNERSHIPS The Long-term Value Strategy to Market Canadian Lobster continues to co-ordinate with inmarket experts in China and the EU. • In China: Consumer education will be the focus on a variety of Chinese social channels. • In the EU: Launch an EU-focused landing webpage in multiple languages for a trade audience. • The Lobster Council of Canada and the marketing program are working with overseas organizations to publish videos targeted at educating consumers in China about consuming Canadian lobster at home, as well as an EU-focused website with key information for buyers in Europe.

Marketing and markets are always at the forefront when it comes to the commercial lobster industry. FILE PHOTO

ABOUT THE MARKETING PROGRAM

Geoff Irvine is the executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada. CONTRIBUTED

are focused on the brand attributes of Canadian lobster: high quality, sustainable, traceable, food safety, versatile, healthy. We also focus on the place, the people and our long history of co-operation and collaboration.” Heading into a season, something that always weighs heavily on the minds of fishermen — who have countless costly expenses — isn’t so much where their lobsters are going, but rather how much they’ll be paid for their

WHERE DO LOBSTERS GO? A sampling of places Canadian live lobsters and lobster products were exported to in 2018 and 2019 • Vietnam • Singapore • Germany • South Korea • United Kingdom • Denmark • Guam • Japan • United Arab • Belgium Emirates • Netherlands • Mexico • France • Qatar • Spain • Malaysia • Taiwan • Sweden • Lebanon • Italy • United States

• Finland

• China

• Greece • Chile • Thailand • Indonesia • Egypt • South Sudan • Israel • Hungary • Kuwait • Philippines

catches. They’ll often turn to the LFA 35 fishery, which opens each year on Oct. 14, as a possible barometer for what could be coming their way. Spoiler alert: It’s not always an exact measurement. Still, there was optimism, given how things were in the opening part of the fishery in the Digby area. “In LFA 35, where the season opened on Oct. 14, the catches have been stable, the quality is good and fishermen are fetching $11 plus for their catch,” said Bernie Berry, president of the Coldwater Lobster Association, at the end of October. “It’s unbelievable,” said Berry. “Nobody would ever have guessed this last May, June, even through the summer.” He said last spring there was a lot of wharf talk that maybe the industry would fetch $5 or $6 “at best, if we’re lucky,” when this next season opens in LFA 34. But the LFA 35 situation had people wondering otherwise. “This is a real surprise, a pleasant surprise,” said Berry.

The Lobster Council of Canada launched the Long-term Value Strategy to Market Canadian Lobster in January 2020 with the following goals: • Position Canadian lobster as the best in the world based on Canadian brand pillars • Establish value based on quality, not price • Increase awareness and demand for Canadian lobster The program targets the key audiences of consumers, trade contacts and the industry. The strategic approach includes: • Reaching out and influencing trade audiences • Reaching out and influencing consumer audiences • Partnering with experts in target regions • Uniting industry stakeholders

“Hopefully, we can maintain the same price right though the opening of the other LFAs.” This has been a difficult fall heading into the commercial fishery because of a fishing dispute that has gone on for months, pitting Indigenous treaty rights and their selfregulated moderate livelihood fisheries against commercial sector concerns of fishing outside of set seasons and DFO not regulating or enforcing that fishing effort when lobsters are moulting and breeding. Both sides continuously blamed the federal government for not doing enough to handle the situation — even to have prevented it in the first place. Twenty-one years since

CRT SEAFOODS LTD 1943 NEWELLTON, SHELB. CO. NS

We would like to wish fishermen a prosperous season

the Marshall Supreme Court decision and moderate livelihood was still an outstanding question and issue. The dispute was ugly this fall, with threats and accusations flying in both directions. There was also violence and property damage — photos and videos of which were seen across Canada and beyond. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Colton LeBlanc

MLA for Argyle-Barrington

Tusket Constituency Office 6-4200 Highway 308 Tusket, NS B0W 3M0 (902) 648-2020

CONTACT LEONARD 902 635-0774

In May, the Lobster Council of Canada relaunched its Instagram channel, using it as its main platform for digital advertising. The council redesigned its website: lobstercouncilcanada.ca. The website now includes Google Analytics for measurements, along with a fully revamped design that is geared toward consumer education and trade engagement. The objectives of social media are: • Awareness (1.5 million ad post views) • Website traffic (12,560 link clicks) Since the relaunch in May, the council had reported the following results on Oct. 14, 2020: • Total ad post views: 2,540,513 • Total link clicks: 13,217 • Total engagements (reactions, comments, saves, shares): 79,712 • Total video views: 361,201

Best Wishes for a Safe & Successful Lobster Season!

902 635-0774

BUYERS IN LIVE LOBSTER

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ONLINE ACTIVITY

Barrington Constituency Office 2447 Highway 3 Barrington, NS B0W 1E0 (902) 903-0496

info@coltonleblanc.ca 7941862

7941801

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

SAFETY CHAMPION

‘My crew’s safety is everything’

Fishing captain Kasey DeMings says safety must be top priority in the fishing industry TINA COMEAU SALTWIRE NETWORK Tina.Comeau@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

As a fishing captain, Kasey DeMings brings back lobster and herring catches aboard his vessel, the Angelina Rae I. But the most important thing he brings back to the wharf at the end of every fishing trip is his crew. There is nothing more crucial than safety, says the Gunning Cove, Shelburne County fisherman. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh, that’ll never happen, that’ll never happen,’” DeMings says. “Until it does.” The 31-year-old fisherman is not the type of person to wait for something to go wrong. He’ll think of every possible scenario that could happen and train his crew to be prepared for it. Before the start of every lobster season, he walks his crew through a detailed safety checklist. While he’s taken part in safety drills organized by the Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia and other organizations, he also organizes his own man-overboard drills and invites people to participate and observe. Any safety training is useful, he says. “You’re never prepared for everything, but I do think if you play scenarios out in your head — What if we had a fire here? What if we had a fire there? What if we lost a crew member on this side of the boat or that side of the boat or the stern? — playing those scenarios out as many times as possible, I think you will be ready,” DeMings says. “The biggest thing I tell

Gunning Cove, Shelburne County fisherman Kasey DeMings is a safety champion in the fishing industry in southwestern Nova Scotia. FISHERIES SAFETY ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA

people is make sure your crew knows where everything is, especially the hydraulics switch and things like that. That can save someone’s life,” DeMings says. It’s vital everyone knows how to operate the vessel. He points to a scenario years ago, when his cousin was a crew member aboard a boat and the captain fell into the water from the top of the wheelhouse. “My cousin kept steaming off in the distance because he didn’t have a clue how to shut that autopilot off and turn that boat around.” Luckily, there was a boat behind them that could offer assistance. But what if there hadn’t been? “That’s quite a scary scenario, for a captain to fall in the water and all of a sudden in your head you’re thinking, ‘I never showed them how to

do this,’ and the boat is steaming off in the distance and you’re treading water,” DeMings says. DeMings was 13 years old when he made his first fishing trip on his father’s boat to Georges Bank. He fished on and off in the following years and, after high school, worked with an Irving-based company for five or six years. But fishing pulled him back. He bought his own lobster rig in 2013. He says the emphasis on safety wasn’t the same growing up as it is now. “The survival suits on my father’s dragger were in the corner and I remember standing on them to be able to see out the window,” he says. “When I was growing up, if you wore safety glasses or something on your ears for hearing protection, you were a wussy,” he says, and you got

Best Wishes for a safe & prosperous Lobster fishing season!

Where Quality Repair is No Accident

Since 1956 we’ve been giving you top quality repair service, treating our customers the way we’d treat a member of our own family! Competitive Rates!

HAVE A SAFE & BOUNTIFUL SEASON We would like to take this special opportunity in expressing our best wishes to all Southwest Nova Lobster Fishermen and the numerous businesses and individuals associated with this vital industry in our area.

24 HR Towing!

Customer Care is our First Priority: • • • • • • •

mocked on the wharf. He’s pleased times have changed and people treat safety seriously. Still, there is always ongoing work to do. He points to a time when he and a crew member were sailing in from fishing. DeMings grabbed a balloon buoy. He walked over to the fellow on his boat and, without saying a word, drew a happy face on the buoy. Then he kicked it overboard. “I stood there and I said, ‘I just fell overboard,’ and I never said another word. The guy ran to the wheelhouse, shut the autopilot off. He knew what to do. I never helped him with anything. He swung the boat around, got it right close to the buoy, gaffed it and got it aboard.” DeMings’ crew always wear PFDs while lobster fishing. He promotes never going into

a situation alone or without telling someone where you’ll be. “I could be laying at the bottom of an engine room after falling off a ladder with a broken ankle. With cellphones, it’s usually in my pocket, but when something like that happens, chances are a cellphone is probably up by the wheel.” Fishermen, he says, are also not taking the same risks with the weather as they did in the past. The old-school mentality of you’ve got to go isn’t what it used to be. “People are thinking in their minds, if there is bad weather coming, that they’ll put more bait in the traps and let them sit a little longer .... The weather is not what it used to be, with the tides stronger than ever. Thirty knots of wind today is not what 30 knots of wind used to be.” “Anybody with any kind of drive wants to go, we all want to go. But at the end of the day, my crew’s safety is everything. They come first. If its minus 25 or 30, I think, ‘Do I want to put my crew out in that kind of weather? Would I want to work in that?’ I try to put myself in their shoes.” Or, more correctly, in their boots. And thoughts are always of family. His family. His crew’s families. “Making sure that everybody comes home to their families is one of the biggest things everybody should be looking at in this industry,” says DeMings. “We’ve got to catch fish and lobster and we all understand that. But making sure we do it as safe as possible, making sure that everyone gets home safe, is the number 1 priority.”

Customer Pick Up and Delivery Free Estimates & Insurance Claim Assistance Direct Repair Programs with Insurance Companies and Dealerships Rental Car Arrangements on site Complimentary Detailing Towing Arranged Offsite estimates 7943935

Call Troy or Kory Today! Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM Email: hubertcollision@eastlink.ca | Phone (902) 648-2603

2616 Highway #3, Pubnico, N.S. paulmarine.com paulmarine@eastlink.ca 902-762-3301 • Fax: 902-762-2484

Your Yamaha and Suzuki dealer in SouthWest Nova Scotia! 7941837

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Overheard during lobster fisheries dispute TINA COMEAU SALTWIRE NETWORK Tina.Comeau@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

“This is not about creating a brand new fishery outside the law. This is about actualizing a fishery that always had a right to exist .... In this instance, that means working in partnership with First Nations to launch a fishery that members of their community can earn a moderate livelihood from. It means working together to ensure the fishery is viable, sustainable, has the tools it needs to succeed and where conservation of the resource for generations to come is key.” — Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, Oct. 1

“There is really strong evidence that a huge, huge amount of lobsters are being removed from this important breeding ground each year. Let’s be very clear here that our issue is not with Indigenous people. Our issue is with the federal government and the fisheries minister and their unwillingness to enforce existing Canadian fisheries policy and law.” — Colin Sproul, Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association “Both sides have every right to being upset and annoyed, especially because “Commercial fishermen should be at of the inability to make something the table when it comes to talks about happen and come to a satisfied agreethe sustainability of our resource ment. Our job collectively is to help in the future; that’s a really reasonboth sides to find a path forward and able ask. But we’ve been nothing but to live in peace and harmony and to stonewalled by the federal governhave a sustainable lobster fishery for ment. We just simply want DFO to generations to follow. We are just the do what they should have been doing gatekeepers of this valuable resource.” for the last 10 or 15 years. Enforce the — Sterling Belliveau, rules that are out there.” former Nova Scotia fisheries minister — Bernie Berry, Coldwater Lobster Association “I blame Minister Jordan and whoever she is getting advice from. My view “These guys have the right to protest. is that DFO have mishandled this I don’t have a problem with them pro- situation terribly when they should testing. I just want to make sure none have been following their own recomof our belongings are vandalized. I’m mendations. Along with inadequate not here to argue with them because consultation with commercial fisherthey have a valid point and we have men, it appears that there has been no a valid point. Still, this isn’t solving consultation with enforcement staff anything. It’s dividing, more than any- on this file.” thing, because things are being said — Alan Clarke, retired DFO that shouldn’t be said on both sides.” head of enforcement — Ronnie Augustine, for southwest Nova Scotia Indigenous fisher “Our communities worked tirelessly to “Twenty-one years ago, we won our build bridges and repair relationships case in the Supreme Court, the ruling with non-Mi’kmaq fishers and comfor Donald Marshall, that we can pro- munities .... All that work over the vide a moderate livelihood through past decades is quickly being eroded by our fishing. For 21 years we’ve been at others who will soon leave this area, the table asking DFO, asking the gov- leaving us to pick up the pieces.” ernment, to come to terms about what — Chief Carol Dee Potter, is a moderate livelihood and yet we Bear River First Nation haven’t been able to agree. Honestly, I feel like we’re just put on the back “Sipekne’katik is not a First Nation burner.” located within our district and it — Robert Syliboy, did not consult with us prior to the Indigenous fisher implementation of its fishery in our adjacent waters .... We continue to “We’re not looking for access; we alhope for real collaboration (ourselves) ready have access. We’re here. They with DFO. We are all better off workneed to uphold our right and to keep ing together. We are open to a frank all of the commercial and non-native discussion of these issues with our fishermen away from our people. Just friends and neighbours. However, our give us the space and respect that we moderate livelihood treaty rights are need and deserve.” constitutionally guaranteed and we — Chief Mike Sack, will not allow them to be ignored any Sipekne’katik First Nation longer.” — Chief Deborah Robinson, “I’d say that my dad would be proud Acadia First Nation of me right now. I’m feeling pretty good.” — Randy Sack, son of Donald Marshall Jr. about receiving his band’s first moderate livelihood licence

1-800-595-4737

Wishing All Our Fishermen a Safe & Prosperous Season “We’ve Got Your Lumber” • Woodcrest Kitchens • GE Appliances • Global Windows & Doors • Plumbing

• Electrical • Power tools • Lumber • Roofing • Flooring • Wood stoves FINANCING AVAILABLE THROUGH NS POWER

138 Starrs Road, Yarmouth mouth Ph: 902-742-3511

7943548

Photo courtesy of Carla Allen

• Heating/Cooling • Ventilation • Refrigeration • Furnaces Walk-in Coolers, • Plumbing Chillers, Ice Machines • Services • Heat Pumps

WE HAVE TECHS NEAR BY TO SERVICE YOU! www.rhynosltd.com

7943189

t was a difficult few months heading into the start of the commercial lobster season, given a fisheries dispute that was playing out in southwestern Nova Scotia. Since this edition of Lobster Outlook had an earlier deadline, the latest news on the dispute is being reported in SaltWire Network newspapers and online. In the meantime, here’s a look back at what some people had to say at times during the dispute.

“Until an agreement is reached with DFO, there cannot be a commercial fishery outside the commercial season. I want to be clear that DFO continues to address unauthorized fishing. Fishing without a license is a violation under the Fisheries Act and anyone fishing outside the activities authorized under a license may be subject to enforcement action.” — Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, Sept. 16

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

FROM PAGE 2: MARKETING Some restaurants in Nova Scotia even pulled lobster off their menus. There are around 3,000 commercial fishers who directly draw a livelihood from the LFA 34 fishery. Although not everyone participated in protests or were present during the heated confrontations and ugly disturbances, the industry as a whole was painted with the same brush. Asked if there was concern from the lobster council over the impact and damage the lobster dispute could have on the reputation of the lobster industry — and whether calls of boycotts could occur — a few weeks leading into the season, Irvine said this was absolutely a concern. “Everyone should be con-

TRADE MATERIALS Additional materials are being designed to be distributed at trade shows or to download online. Content will include messaging around sustainability, nutrition, cooking options and product types, all highlighting the diversity of Canadian lobster products.

MARKETING PROGRAM PLANS FOR 2021 Traps head out to sea on the opening day of the 2019 LFA 34 lobster season. TINA COMEAU • SALTWIRE NETWORK

cerned about the market damage that is being reported locally, within Canada, the EU and China,” he said. “Everyone must remember that

everything they do and say, especially on social media, can and will hurt our industry, our export prices and shore prices.”

He said the council’s stance on the dispute had always been to call for calm and for a negotiated solution to happen as soon as possible.

Have a Safe & Bountiful Lobster Fishing Season

• More French content in Canada • Expand social media into the US/EU markets • Continued partnership with Chinese and EU consultants • Additional content creation, including more video

2018 Ford F-150 XLT

$38,996

2017 GMC SIERRA 1500 SLT

$37,144

2015 Toyota Tundra Platinum

from your friends at

$40,950 LARGEST PRE-OWNED INVENTORY IN THE TRI-COUNTIES

Platinum member

7946548

7943246

YARMOUTH MAZDA 44 STARRS RD. 902-881-9666

YARMOUTHMAZDA.CA

We wish you much success and a

Safe Lobster Fishing Season

Wishing Our Fishermen A Very Safe & Successful Season

Your Locally Owned & Family Operated

✓ Windows ✓ Siding ✓ Paint ✓ Doors ✓ Lumber ✓ Power ✓ Trusses Tools

Canada’s Only Furniture SuperStore

✓ Plumbing ✓ Electrical

Furniture • Appliances • Mattresses • Electronics

136 Haley Road, Yarmouth 902-742-7604 Locally owned and operated by SKY-TEC Electronics Ltd.

742-9181 Fax 742-1226

191 Pleasant St., Yarmouth, N.S.

Mon. - Thurs 9 am - 6 pm Fri. - 9 am - 9 pm Sat. - 9 am - 5 pm

7942208

HOURS

7941854

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

14c 14b

Quebec

15 14a

18 ce ren

r ive

w . La

13b

23 in

E d w a r d I s la n d

Charlottetown Moncton

26a

Halifax

mit

Li e r o h

Sable Island

31a

31b

Offs Yarmouth

Sydney

Nova Scotia

26b

Saint John

St. John’s

St. Paul’s Island

Fredericton

Magdalen Island

New Brunswick

Newfoundland

13a

20a

20b

Corner Brook

Gulf of St. Lawrence

Quebec

U.S.

Gander

Anticosti Island

Atlantic Ocean 40

Lobster Fishing Districts in Atlantic Canada

Seasons 3-8

April 20 – July 15

June 5 – August 5

May 15 – July 15

9-12

April 20 – July 30

May 20 – July 31

May 9 – July 9

13a-13b

19/21

36-37

April 20 – July 5

May 9 – July 9

May 10 - July 10

14a-14b-14c

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

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

May 5 – July 10

April 30 – June 30

May 19 – July 20

2nd Tuesday in November – June 29

20b

31a

June 1 – August 12

May 8 – July 7

April 29 – June 30

Closed to inshore-offshore lobster fishing

31b-32

May 20 – August 10

August 9 – October 10

April 19 – June 20

7947469

H.M. Huskilson’s Funeral Homes and Crematorium www.huskilson.net Shelburne & Lockeport Yarmouth & Wedgeport Barrington 902-875-2368 902-742-3626 902-637-2247

Last Monday in November – May 31 35

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

Area open all year

Note: Minimum size of lobster varies by district

• Windshield Repair • Household Glass • Automotive Accessories • Rust Block • Tinting 259 Pleasant St., Yarmouth

902-742-6911

www.speedyglass.ca

7946754

Wishing Our Lobster Fishers A Very Safe & Successful Season

33-34

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Interesting facts about lobsters Canadian Atlantic lobsters are truly fascinating creatures. Here are some interesting facts you may or may not know about this charismatic crustacean. HARD-SHELLED VERSUS SOFT-SHELLED

Since the Atlantic lobster must moult (shed its shell) in order to grow, it will display a thinner, softer shell after it has moulted. In Canada, the lobster season is staggered around the summer moulting period and the majority of Canadian Atlantic lobsters are harvested hard-shelled. MOULTING

This is done throughout the life of the lobster to enable it

to grow. During its first year, a lobster will moult as many as 10 times. Lobsters will continue to moult approximately once a year until maturity. Older lobsters may moult only once every two to three years. REGENERATING LIMBS

Lobsters can regenerate appendages lost to predation. This would include their claws, legs, antennules and antennae. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, lobsters will also drop a claw. LOBSTER TEETH

Lobsters have teeth. However, instead of being found in the mouth, they are found in the stomach.

THE HUNTER AND THE HUNTED

GROWTH CHART

Lobsters are active hunters, feeding on a variety of animals, including crab, shellfish, marine worms, starfish, sea urchins and fish. Larval and post-larval lobsters are prone to predation by crabs and finfish species. Lobsters become less vulnerable to predation as they grow, except during moulting periods when they shed their hard outer shell. STEAM SCREAM

The Atlantic lobster does not have any vocal cords and, contrary to rumour, it does not scream. The sound heard when boiling lobster is only the steam escaping from the shell.

NUTRITION

It takes a lobster around six to eight years to reach a market weight of approximately one pound. Lobsters grow quicker in warmer water and can achieve market weights in less time. NO PAIN

Researchers say the Atlantic lobster does not feel pain when immersed into hot water due to its decentralized nervous system; it has no brain, just a series of ganglia. LOBSTER CLAWS

Hard-shell lobster meat is not only considered to be the tastiest, but it is also proven to be the most nutritious. This is because lobsters that are soft-shelled lose nutrients as part of the moulting process. They also absorb considerable amounts of water. GO TO SLEEP

You can put a lobster to sleep by inverting it onto its back for a few minutes. Some people will do this before cooking and placing the lobster in boiling water. LONG LIVE THE LOBSTER

A lobster has two different types of claws: the crusher claw and pincher claw.

Lobsters are said to be the longest-living crustacean, capable of reaching up to 50 years.

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

and

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

Wishing our Lobster Fishermen a Safe and Prosperous Season! 66 Water Street, Yarmouth, NS

902-742-3320

56 Hawthorne St., Yarmouth, NS

902-742-1476

7943553

7941840

Waterview Machine Works

NEED LOBSTER BAIT? WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED WITH NORTHERN PROPELLER CLAMS

12 kg Givee our Northern Proppeller Clams a tryy this lobsterr season. Lobsters can’t resist their strong ocean ﬂavour and scent, while their tough texture withstands the roughest of harvesting conditions. Wild-caught from the North Atlantic and available in frozen 12kg blocks. Call or email today for more details. clearwater.ca | cdnsales@clearwater.ca | 902.457.8154

7946675

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

COVID-19 on lobster industry’s radar The pandemic had many impacts on the last season. What about this year? @SaltWireNetwork

When the last commercial lobster season in southwestern Nova Scotia opened a year ago, a pandemic had not been on anyone’s radar starting out, but it sure was ending off. Heading into this next new season, the pandemic remains on people’s minds, especially since when it comes to COVID-19, nothing is certain. “As we head into the fall, there is major concern of the second wave that is hitting the European Union and the United States very hard and I would expect will provide the same kind of uncertainty for dealers/processors and live shippers that we saw in the spring,” Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, said in outlining what the situation was like a month before the LFA (lobster fishing area) 33 and 34 seasons were set to open. “The lack of stimulus programs in the U.S. and prediction that 25 per cent of independent restaurants will go out of business will also be factors

THE SITUATION LAST SEASON

During the last lobster season, the industry saw live lobster exports to China drop significantly in January and February, when the coronavirus outbreak created a drop in market demand due to government-imposed travel restrictions resulting in closed restaurants, hotels and retail markets. Air cargo shipments to China and other overseas markets from Halifax were temporarily suspended. Although China is an important and lucrative market, Irvine said the situation had a big takeaway. “The key for long-term success is to continue to diversify our market both in terms of countries/regions and product types (processed and live) and to ensure that we continue to promote and build the Canadian lobster brand in every mar-

ket.” This past winter, COVID-19 created stress in the LFA 34 season that had started out promising with catches and the price paid to fishermen. The highest the shore price went during the 2019-20 season was around $10 a pound in January. While the price normally would have stayed at that level or climbed over the winter months, very soon thereafter it dropped and kept falling. Irvine said COVID-19 had many impacts in Atlantic Canada. A chronic labour shortage in processing plants was made worse by the New Brunswick government’s ban on new foreign workers just as other seasons were opening in the spring. This affected the volume of lobster that could be processed. “We were also uncertain of the market impact, with restaurants typically buying 75 per cent of lobster in all forms,” he said. “This was a major

factor that impacted season changes in the gulf and Bay of Fundy and the courage of dealers to put away product to sell through the summer and fall.” Throughout the past year, the lobster council and industry did modelling work to determine how markets in Asia, Europe and North America could rebound and take available processed and live lobster. “Our predications of ‘stranded lobster’ were mostly much higher than what materialized for a number of reasons that we could not have predicted,” said Irvine. These reasons included lower landings due to season changes; weather and effort; ongoing labour issues; much faster returning markets in Asia and North America and a far lower volume of lobster stored by dealers due to the uncertainty. CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

2021 MAZDA

NO SURPRISES

THE REAL DEAL!

"Blackout Edition" 3 SPORT GX Black Alloy Wheels - "FAST" Stock Tinted Windows # 2860 Vent Visors Blacked-out Emblems NO SURPRISES ALL INCLUDED Automatic Transmission Price: $26571.50 2.0 Liter 4 Cyl. Engine Rebate: $750.00 Heated Seats + HST: $3873.23 Back-up Camera Final Price: $29694.73 Car Play - Android Auto On The Road 8.8" Display Finance $0 Down LED Headlights 60 mon. @ .99% -- $510/mon Blind Spot Monitoring 72 mon. @ 1.49% -- $434/mon Rear Cross Traffic Alert 84 mon. @ 2.5% -- $388/mon Air Conditioning Lease 24,000km/yr Power Group 36 mon. @ 1.8% -- $512/mon UNLIMATED MILEAGE 48 mon. @ 2.2% -- $451/mon WARRANTY 60 mon. @ 3.2% -- $424/ mon and MORE...

NO FINE PRINT

Tina.Comeau@SaltWireNetwork.com

that impact demand. However, other channels in live retail are showing promise to balance the market, albeit typically at lower prices.” A bright spot in advance of the season was that for the past few months, Asia, and specifically China, had so far avoided a major second wave.

NO SURPRISES

TINA COMEAU SALTWIRE NETWORK

YARMOUTH MAZDA 44 STARRS RD. 902-881-9666 YARMOUTHMAZDA.CA 7943247

arent Transp Pricing

When the 2019-20 lobster season in LFA 34 got underway last November, the impacts of a COVID-19 pandemic were not on anyone’s radar. But people are thinking of COVID-19 as this next season gets started. TINA COMEAU • SALTWIRE NETWORK

Go ahead, treat yourself

2021 TRX420 Rancher® WEEKLY

4.9

Tax season is just around the corner. Let our Tax Experts help you file your return, and make sure you get the most back.

FOR 72 MONTHS

GW SAMPSON Co LI MITE D www.gwsampson.com *TAXES EXTRA

STOP BY ONE OF OUR LOCATIONS:

7946768

902-765-3357

HRBLOCK.CA

21 Warwick Street Digby | 902-245-5400 308 Main St Yarmouth | 902-742-8402 42 Hwy 330, Barrington Passage | 902-637-2513 218 Water St Shelburne | 902-875-4270

7946550

STARTING FROM

FILE YOUR FISHING RETURN WITH H&R BLOCK.

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

FROM PAGE 8: COVID-19 “Our modelling did help the sector and governments understand the challenges,” Irvine said. “We also saw a major switch in all markets, but especially North America, from eating lobster in restaurants, which were not open or operating at 25 to 50 per cent capacity, to buying processed (tails and meat) and live lobster products at retail, e-commerce and home delivery,” he said. More people dining at home because of the pandemic helped to drive demand for premium seafood. Whereas in normal times, crab and lobster were mostly consumed in restaurants, these two species saw a high sales growth during the pandemic. “Clearly, people wanted a treat while they were stuck at home,” Irvine said. Another driver of consumption in the U.S. and Canada was pandemic support programs that put cash in people’s pockets. A lack of programs

COVID-19 testing and cases have been in the news a lot over the past year. How might it impact the 2020-21 lobster season? COMMUNICATIONS NOVA SCOTIA

COVID-19 working group that has held weekly or biweekly Zoom calls that reviews the ongoing impact of the pandemic and shares market reports and data with the industry. There has also been regular contact with Cana-

going forward will be something to watch, Irvine said. ON THE RADAR

Since early February, the Lobster Council of Canada has had a standing

dian trade commissioners in Asia and Europe. Updates help the industry with decisions surrounding harvesting, processing, live shipping and marketing/ sales. A big decision fishermen in LFAs 33 and 34 faced this past spring was whether it was worthwhile to continue fishing until the season closed on May 31. Facing the uncertainty of dropping prices coupled with high expenses, fishermen had to ask themselves, “Is it worth it to keep fishing?” Many decided it was not and hauled up their traps early. “Nothing is normal,” Yarmouth County fishing captain Shawn Muise, who is also a director with the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association, said at the time. He continued fishing until the end of the season, but noted others were too worried to take the risk. “When COVID started and as the price started to drop, you could see it in the fishermen’s faces,” he said. “The drive was gone. This fleet didn’t haul like we normally do all spring. It’s not that we didn’t want to go. We didn’t know if we should go.”

Best Wishes

for a Safe & Prosperous Lobster Fishing Season!

RENTALS AVAILABLE BOOK NOW TO ENSURE YOU GET THEM! CALL HEATHER TODAY! 10620 Hwy 3, Yarmouth NS, B5A 4B1 902-749-1700 Toll Free: 1-833-843-0372

WWW.TRICOUNTYTRACTORS.CA

The experienced business lenders at your locally owned Credit Union understand our local fishing industry.

7942458

10590 Hwy 3 Arcadia (Airport Stretch) Yarmouth, NS Phone: 902-749-1416

7941802

sales@tuskettoyota.ca | service@tuskettoyota.ca www.tuskettoyota.ca

CHRIS D’ENTREMONT Member of Parliament for West Nova/ Député – Nova-Ouest

• License Financing • Boat Financing

www.coastalfinancial.ca

www.caissepopclare.com

Yarmouth (902) 742-2123

Meteghan (902) 645-2661

Wedgeport (902) 663-2525

Small Business Center (902) 769-5312

Tusket (902) 648-2322

Church Point (902) 769-3132

West Pubnico (902) 762-2372 Barrington (902) 635-4781 7941784

Best Wishes for a Safe & Prosperous Lobster Season 368 Main Street Room 223 Lovitt Plaza Yarmouth, Nova Scotia 902-742-6808

778 Main Street Kingston, Nova Scotia 902-242-3605

Monday - Friday 10 am to 2 pm

Tuesday & Thursday 9 am to 3 pm

Toll Free: 1-866-280-5302 chris.dentremont@parl.gc.ca

7943557

Have a safe and prosperous season!

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

HERE’S LUCY

Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl helps drive winter tourism on South Shore Lucy the lobster will make her Groundhog Day prediction once again KATHY JOHNSON SALTWIRE NETWORK Kathy.Johnson@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

Lucy the lobster Lob-STAR will be back on the North East Point waterfront on Cape Sable Island on Feb. 2, 2021, for her fourth Groundhog Day prediction, kicking off the month-long Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl. “We are not 100 per cent sure what Lucy’s splash may look like next year,” says Suzy Atwood, director of marketing and tourism development for the Municipality of the District of Barrington. “We may do a combination of an in-person event and a livestream event; those details are still being worked on.” Lucy’s first three weatherpredicting antics have made international headlines. Last year, Bill Murray, star of the

Lucy the lobster Lob-STAR stretches her claws out as Donna Hatt helps her onto her weather-predicting perch on the North East Point waterfront, located in the Municipality of Barrington, during her third Groundhog Day prediction on Feb. 2, 2020. KATHY JOHNSON • SALTWIRE NETWORK

1993 movie Groundhog Day, “chimed in on an article that ran in New York identifying

Lucy the lobster as one of the most unique lobster hog experiences in North America,”

said Donna Hatt, Lucy’s handler, at last year’s event. Meanwhile, plans for the 2021 Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl are shaping up. The popularity of the festival has grown annually, boasting more than 150 lobster and lobster-related events, experiences, live music, art showcases and workshops, sporting events, special activities and overnight packages last year. A survey of listed businesses who participated in the 2019 Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl indicated the festival raised the profile of their business/organization, increased the number of guests coming to their business/ organization and gave them a chance to take advantage of new marketing activities for the region. Further to that, some in-

dicated they kept the same business hours, while others indicated they decided to increase their hours of operation, with many offering new services and/or products specific to the festival. The Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl media campaign by Tourism Nova Scotia, in partnership with the South Shore Tourism Co-operative, won the 2019 Explore Canada Industry Award of Excellence. The Nova Scotia Lobster Crawl was held for the first time in February 2018. Created by the South Shore Tourism Co-operative, the event invites guests to come to the South Shore, from Barrington to Peggys Cove, to sink their claws into the tasty crustacean on its home turf and enjoy a month-long celebration of lobster and lobsterthemed experiences.

Best Wishes

for a Safe & Successful Season

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

7941846

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

A LIFE ON THE SEA

Lobster career spanned seven decades Clark’s Harbour fisherman first started fishing in 1949

KATHY JOHNSON SALTWIRE NETWORK Kathy.Johnson@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

This year will be the first time in more than 50 years that Edwin Nickerson will be ashore when the lobster boats leave the Clark’s Harbour wharf on dumping day. “I’m going to miss not going,” says the Shelburne County resident. “But I could be around [the wharf] when the boats go out.” “I enjoyed the anticipation of going out there. The first day seeing what you’re going to get. It’s exciting. Sometimes you didn’t get too much, but sometimes you do good. The last two or three years I went, we did really good.” Nickerson, 85, began his career on the water seven decades ago in 1949, when he was 14. A student he was not. “I didn’t want to go to school. I hated school. I would still hate school if I had to go,” he says. “My parents told me, ‘Either go to school or you got to go to work,’ so I went fishing with my father some, then lobstering came. My brother Gerald wanted me to go with him.” It was just the two brothers aboard a 40-foot boat, recalls Nickerson. “It was quite a big boat for that time. It was about the only one around here. He had it rigged up on the opposite side. Everybody was rigged up on the starboard side and he had his rigged up on the port side,” he remembers. “He got it from up Wedgeport way somewhere.” Fishing back then was not like fishing now. “It was hard. Everything had to be done by hand. You can

Edwin Nickerson watches from atop of the wheelhouse while the crew load lobster traps aboard the fishing vessel Haw at the Clark’s Harbour wharf on dumping day 2019. KATHY JOHNSON • SALTWIRE NETWORK

imagine me being 14. I wasn’t too good. I only weighed 125130 pounds back then. The traps were heavier than I was. He had to do the bigger part of the work.” While fishing with his brother long ago, in “a good week” Nickerson earned maybe $15. “The biggest part of it I gave to my parents,” he says, just keeping some spending money for himself. Nickerson also fished lobster and groundfish with his father, who was well known in the community as six-fingered Tommy; he had six digits on one hand but was missing three on the other due to a hunting accident. Back then, lobsters were 30

cents a pound. “He would save a couple crates of lobster. They would go up five cents. Today, five cents you would say that ain’t nothing, but if you got it back then, it was quite good.” “They were hard years, but you couldn’t get no better times. The people were friendly and good and everybody was getting along good.” In 1955, Nickerson made a career change from fishing and went to work for Canada Steamship Lines, transporting freight on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. “I sailed on the lakes for 10 years and then I came home and (eventually) got my own boat,” he says. He bought his

BEST WISHES

lobster licence around 1970. “I don’t think it was over $1. It might have been $2, but I don’t think it was.” Nickerson’s first boat, the Marilyn and Thomas, was built in Pubnico by Harold d’Entremont. That was followed by the E.L.N., built by Clark’s Harbour builder Keith Smith. Both were wooden vessels. In 1980, he purchased his first fibreglass vessel, Haw, and finished his career with it. The vessel is still active in the fishery. “I’ve gone every year,” Nickerson says. “I gave up captain about five years ago. I went two days last year: dumping day and (the first) hauling day, but I couldn’t stand it.”

“I enjoyed it, lobster fishing. It was hard work, but it was good. You were on your own. You had some bad years and you had some good years.” Nickerson’s fishing career also included handlining, longlining and trawling for groundfish. He says there have been a lot of changes over the years. The transition from wooden traps to wire traps made a lot of difference, he says. “You could fish better and it made it a lot easier. Wooden traps — most made 100 to 200 traps a year. You had to go cut your bows, steam them. There was a lot of work to it.” But it was just part of the job. “You got used to it,” he says, “so you didn’t really mind it.”

for a safe and prosperous

FISHING SEASON! Shelburne Furniture & Appliances Ltd.

147 Water St., Shelburne 902-875-3173 Starting at We are a

for a Safe and Prosperous Lobster Season! 7941857

55 Starrs Road, Yarmouth, NS B5A 2T2 Toll Free: 1-888-742-1922 Direct: (902) 742-1922 (902) 742-1800 www.trinav.com

dealer for

$19.99

www.shelburnefurnitureandappliances.com

7945615

l u f s s e c c u S d n a e f a S a u o y g n i h s i W . n o s a e S g n i h s i F r e t s b o L lA l The Best!

BEST WISHES FOR A SAFE & PROSPEROUS LOBSTER FISHING SEASON!

Zach Churchilll MLA Yarmouth

396 Main Street Yarmouth - Suite 100 ca@zachchurchill.com

7941859

(902) 742-4444

7948651

Located in the heart of Canada’s commercial fishing industry in Southwest Nova Scotia

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

7943998

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wedwnesday, November 25, 2020

HELP FROM ABOVE

Training to save lives

TINA COMEAU SALTWIRE NETWORK Tina.Comeau@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

As always, there will be a flotilla of vessels on the water — and more offering protection and, if needed, rescue from the sky — when the commercial lobster season opens in southwestern Nova Scotia. But even during the fishing season, preparedness training is also happening. There was evidence of this in Yarmouth this past winter, when CH-149 Cormorant helicopters could be seen coming and going from the Yarmouth International Airport. At the time, it had left people wondering if an emergency was underway. There wasn’t — yet. Rather, the crews were training to prepare for emergencies and rescues that might occur. A successful week of day and night training was conducted by 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron during the week of Feb. 10 to 14. The CH-149 Cormorant helicopters were deployed to conduct maritime extraction training — also referred to as boat hoisting — with participation from various vessels in southwest Nova Scotia. Capt. Zach Sawyer of 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron had shared information from that emergency and rescue training. He explained the training is important for the Cormorant crews to maintain their skills, given that maritime rescue is a core mandate of the Royal Canadian Air Force SAR (search and rescue) system. “While 413 Squadron trains throughout the year, having a week dedicated to improving this skill specifically is advantageous,” he said. The training involved lowering and hoisting the helicopter’s two SAR tech members, as well as any equipment or medical supplies they may need, to and from the helicopters to a vessel below.

“This area is one of the busiest fishing regions in the Maritimes and presents some of the most technically challenging offshore missions for SAR crews, so it is important to train with the local community.” Capt. Zach Sawyer 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron

The Tusker 3 crew from 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron practised hoisting techniques at night, working with a fishing boat over St. Mary’s Bay this past winter. LEADING SEAMAN L-P DUBÉ, 14 WING IMAGING

An example of where this would be required in a reallife scenario would be when a crew member onboard a fishing vessel has had a medical emergency or the vessel itself is in danger and people have to be removed from it. Several commercial fisheries companies and also private fishing vessels took part in the training exercises. The vessels involved were primarily from the ports of Yarmouth, Pubnico, Digby Neck, Shelburne and Cape St. Mary’s. “This area is one of the busiest fishing regions in the Maritimes and presents some of the most technically challenging offshore missions for SAR crews, so it is important to train with the local community,” Sawyer explained. Also taking part in the training exercises were Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary members, Canadian Coast Guard vessels and the United States Coast Guard. Weather conditions weren’t always optimal; there were rough seas during the week when the training occurred and 18 full-hoist sequences were carried out. But isn’t that kind of the point? After all, weather conditions aren’t always ideal when search and rescues happen for real. “The crews noted having a bit of bad weather is actually valuable for training as, more often than not, when a real SAR mission happens, the weather is not co-operative,” said Sawyer. “In the unfortunate event someone requires help from the SAR system, all involved will be better prepared to have a successful outcome.”

Two 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron Tusker 1 search and rescue technicians check each other’s gear before hoist training to the Lady Comeau fishing vessel during training that took place in southwestern Nova Scotia over the winter. LEADING SEAMAN L-P DUBÉ, 14 WING IMAGING

A 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron Tusker 2 search and rescue technician is hoisted from the Bobby D fishing vessel during training this February. LEADING SEAMAN L-P DUBÉ, 14 WING IMAGING

413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron search and rescue technicians practised hoisting techniques this past winter, working with the U.S. Coast Guard Eastport over the Atlantic Ocean in American waters, off the southwestern end Corp. Kenneth McCann, a 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron flight engineer, of Nova Scotia. The CH-149 Cormorant helicopters used in the training were oversees a Cormorant’s flight preparations at the Yarmouth International Airbased in Yarmouth while training went on. port. LEADING SEAMAN L-P DUBÉ, 14 WING IMAGING LEADING SEAMAN L-P DUBÉ, 14 WING IMAGING

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

SAFETY TAKEWAYS

Neil LeBlanc survived mishaps and tragedies on the water when he was a lobster fisherman. He says it’s not easy to talk about, but it is important because there are always valuable safety takeaways from any experience. TINA COMEAU • SALTWIRE NETWORK

‘Bad things can happen on nice days’ How lessons learned from fishing mishaps, tragedies can help save lives TINA COMEAU SALTWIRE NETWORK Tina.Comea@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

Neil LeBlanc still remembers the moment he and a crew member made eye contact after the man had been pulled overboard from their lobster vessel. A rope was clenched in the man’s hand. “I remember him looking right at me. As soon as we made eye contact, he was gone.” Where his face had been, now was only water. But their glance, lasting only seconds, was long enough to let that crew member know this: They would get him back on that boat. The chaos in the water was in stark contrast to the stillness of that April 2016 day. The tides were strong, but there were no ripples on the water, LeBlanc says. Their vessel was maybe a half mile from the last of the Tusket Islands. But as they were hauling a trawl, an anchor got stuck on bottom. And then the rope got tight. “I’d say we had seven or eight traps .... I said, ‘Boys, be careful. The rope is tight,’” recalls the Wedgeport, Yarmouth County resident. “I got the boat turned around. All of a sudden, the rope slipped out and the pot went overboard. We yanked it back. When we got it boarded again, I said, ‘Stand back, boys, she’s tight. The anchor is hooked.’” From there, things happened fast. LeBlanc saw his crew member holding a rope attached to the trawl. “I was like, ‘Let it go! Let it go!’ I was hollering ‘Let it go!’ It came right to the back of the boat and he went with it,” he says. Gone. Just like that. “He was obviously caught somewhere,” LeBlanc says. “It happened so quick.” THINGS CAN HAPPEN FAST

LeBlanc knows from experience how fast you can disappear from the deck of a vessel. In the early 1990s, he was a crew member aboard a vessel. It was not a pleasant day; it was windy and rough. You could hear the wind howling through the aerials of the boat.

“The boats were calling me and asking me questions. I wasn’t always answering. … When I made it to Little River ... a friend was there waiting for me. I docked the boat and as soon as I took that thing out of gear, I fell to the floor. I had enough.” Neil LeBlanc

They were fishing lobster, but the vessel was a longliner, so it was high — and it was rolling. Other boats were turning back. LeBlanc and his crewmate, his cousin Jamie LeBlanc, insisted they should turn back, too. But the person hired to captain the vessel said the forecast called for better weather. The crew kept fishing, even though two disagreed. “We had about 15 pots aboard and I heard ‘BOOM!’ All the traps on deck hit to the side, some rolled over the side. The pot we were working with fell overboard.” And so did LeBlanc. “I grabbed the rope going down and every time the boat would roll, it would shove my feet deeper.” He tried to grab the gunnel (the top edge of the hull), but couldn’t. He tried again. And again. And again. “I felt the boat come down along my legs and I put my feet on the gunnels. When the boat came up ... they grabbed me right by my ankles and pulled me aboard.” As with anything in life, there are always lessons to be learned. And with every mishap, accident or tragedy at sea, there are takeaways. What lesson does LeBlanc point to from this experience? “It’s not worth it. Turn

top of the bulkhead. Through every crack, water was pouring into the engine room. LeBlanc turned to his uncle LESSONS LEARNED and said, “Call for help! We’re ON THE WATER sinking!” He says one thing that went For much of his fishing career, wrong is they slacked their LeBlanc would scatter knives speed. As soon as they did, the in places throughout the boats boat got sluggish and heavy, he captained or fished on. He not giving the crew time to dipped them in Vaseline so deploy pumps. By now the the salt water wouldn’t rust water was in the wheelhouse them. They weren’t used day around their feet. to day. They weren’t removed His uncle, the captain, got from their spots. They were on the rails, the mast and next on the VHF radio to alert nearby boats. to the life-raft. “He said, ‘Boys, I’m sinking. Why? This is my position.’ He said “Because when we were sinking with Uncle Kevin, we it clearly. They asked for it again. He said, ‘I’m only giving didn’t grab a knife from the it one more time. Here’s my wheelhouse,” LeBlanc says position.’ We had to get out.” about an incident that hapThey put on survival suits, pened on Nov. 27, 1995. climbed onto the bow and Another lesson learned. made their way to the lifeIt was the opening day of raft. the lobster season in LFA 34. “Jamie, my cousin, went LeBlanc, his cousin Jamie, his to go get the life-raft. On uncle Kevin LeBlanc and another person on the boat were our survival suits, the boots unloading traps from the ves- are always bigger to fit your sel Simon Jacques on dumping boots. He was sliding down day. It was a year or two after the wheelhouse. The life-raft the incident that saw LeBlanc has a brace and his boot got yanked out of the water by his jammed. The boat was sinking and he was stuck,” LeBlanc ankles. says. As they were sailing, LeB“I had to go underwater and lanc’s uncle said, “Boys, I smell unbutton his boot. I was lookfuel. Something’s not right.” They lifted the engine room ing for a knife to cut off his boot. I couldn’t get it out. We hatch and discovered water was coming up through the struggled and struggled. The

around,” he says. “There’s no money that can buy your life or your time.”

water was coming up and up and up. Finally, I got him out.” “After that, I taped a knife on the life-raft stand, full of Vaseline, shoved it in and it stayed there. The following season, I put a brand new one in there.” The lobster vessel Lady Wallace (which, incidentally, sank in the opening days of the season in 2014 with all its crew rescued) came to the Simon Jacques crew’s rescue as they waited in the life-raft. And fishermen came to the crew’s rescue in another way. After the crew secured another vessel to keep fishing, fishermen donated traps to get them geared up again. When asked what caused the vessel to sink, LeBlanc says they’re still not 100 per cent sure. They wondered if the weight of the lobster traps on a fibreglass hatch may have caused a corner to break, allowing water washing across the deck to flood inside. He says there were many other takeaways from that incident. Not everyone had survival suits back then, so more people started buying them. Bilge alarm purchases also increased. “Other things I started doing is, every fall, we would vacuum all the bilges. Clean, brush and scrub all the bilges clean so that in case of emergency, it’s going to work — not be jammed up with rubber bands and little lobster legs.” LeBlanc also never again left the wharf if a pump was not working on a boat. A HERO ON THE WATER

That November 1995 sinking demonstrated things can go very bad very quickly. But that calm April day in 2016, LeBlanc says, also shows how things can go wrong at any time. As soon as their crew member Wayne Jacquard had gone overboard that day — as soon as their eye contact had been made — LeBlanc was turning the boat around to retrieve their man. Helping him onboard with the rescue was crew member Alderic DeViller, known to his friends as Beef (his nickname). CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

FROM PAGE 14: ‘BAD THINGS’ The rope Jacquard was hanging onto in the water was going out with the rest of the pots. They couldn’t lift it from the boat because it was so tight. LeBlanc ran to the back, cut two pots off the groundline and flipped the rope out of the hauler to give it slack. He then put the rope back in the hauler, put the boat in gear and turned it around. They started pulling, pulling and pulling. It was a relief when they spotted their crew member again. He was a heavy man dry, let alone soaking wet in oil gear and boots. They got him to the side of the boat and the rail, but couldn’t board him. They eyed the horizon. Not a boat to be seen. No help. From the water, Jacquard told them to get the ladder. LeBlanc tightly held onto him while DeViller retrieved the ladder from the top of the wheelhouse. It took a long time, but he eventually came back with it. They put it over the side. By now, Jacquard was spent. He didn’t have the energy to climb the ladder. “He looked at me and he let go. Underwater he went,” LeBlanc says. “I jumped right over the side of the boat. Down the ladder and I grabbed him by the scuff of the neck and I hauled him.” He signalled to DeViller for a rope, then tied a half hitch and secured it around the man. LeBlanc told him, “You’re not leaving on my watch.” Driven by adrenalin, LeBlanc got back inside the boat and put the rope in the hauler. It was a struggle, but he and DeViller got their crew member onto the boat. Everyone was thankful. LeBlanc took Jacquard inside, got off his wet clothing

Pictured here is the Simon Jacques, which sank at sea in November 1995 on the opening day of the lobster fishery. All four people aboard got off safely. CONTRIBUTED

Alderic DeViller didn’t come back home one day from fishing. His family, friends and crew members say he was a hero on the water that day. CONTRIBUTED

and wrapped him in a blanket, all the while thinking, “Why isn’t Alderic helping? Where’s Alderic?” Something wasn’t right. “I went back on the deck,” LeBlanc says. That’s where he found DeViller. By then his friend and crewmate was already gone. It’s believed he had a heart attack. He was 50. As he steamed toward the wharf, LeBlanc struggled with what he was going to say on the VHF. “I knew there were family members listening that knew these people,” he says, releasing a very heavy sigh thinking back to that moment. “I said it was a mayday

but it’s over now. We’re on our way. I’m requesting two ambulances at Little River Harbour. I said I have one man who is hypothermic and one man is in cardiac arrest. I didn’t say he was dead.” “The boats were calling me and asking me questions. I wasn’t always answering,” he says. “When I made it to Little River ... a friend was there waiting for me. I docked the boat and as soon as I took that thing out of gear, I fell to the floor. I had enough.” Since then, LeBlanc has battled cancer twice. But that day on the water, he says, was a day from hell. LeBlanc says Jacquard later told him, “I

knew you were going to pull me back.” Their friend DeViller, LeBlanc says, was also a big part of saving a life that day. “He definitely did everything that he could with what he had,” says LeBlanc. “He obviously wasn’t feeling well.” But he hadn’t said anything. DeViller’s obituary described him as a loving, caring, giving and very hardworking man who would do anything for anyone. “Not only was he our hero, but he left this world as one as well,” it read, saying DeViller was a true family man and so proud of those he loved. DeViller’s family never blamed LeBlanc, he says. It was just a tragic day when things very much went from bad to worse. So, what lesson can be taken from this? “That bad things can happen on nice days,” LeBlanc says. “It was the nicest day ever. You never expect it to happen, but things can go

wrong on nice days. Never let your guard down. Always be ready.” LeBlanc did go fishing again after that terrible day. It got easier to be on the water with each passing trip. Besides, LeBlanc says, “I knew that’s the risk I take when I put my feet on the boat.” But he doesn’t fish anymore. “With all the other struggles that has happened in my life, I know that all of our time is limited here and I just want to have my two feet on the ground and spend as much of it as I can with my immediate family,” he says, adding he does all he can for his wife, Shannon, and their sons, Dillon and Nolan. He’s still friends with DeViller’s family. And while it’s never easy to talk about things that happened on the water, it’s important, he says. Safety is the most important discussion the fishing industry can ever have. “You just never know what might happen,” he says. “You just never know.”

Collision Repair | Insurance Partnerships 24/7 Accident Assistance

Best of Luck for a Safe & Prosperous Fishing Season!

Wishing our Fishermen a Safe and Prosperous Season!

160 Starrs Road, Yarmouth NS T O W N

O F

902-742-2780

S H E L B U R N E 7942468

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

Have a safe and prosperous season!

7941838

Wishing All Fishers a Safe & Successful Season! Mayor, Councillors & Staff

902-648-3307 www.garian.ca 7941786

7947675

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Lobster terms 101

Banding: Placing a strong elastic around the claws of live lobsters, allowing for handling among harvesters, buyers and processors. It also helps to control the quality of the lobsters. Banding is done on the fishing vessel when lobsters are taken out of the traps. Banders: Extra crew members who are hired on boats to help band the lobsters in the first few weeks of the season in the fall, when catches tend to be higher. Berried lobster: A female lobster with eggs under her tail. Under Canadian law, berried lobsters must be returned to the sea. Brine: Salt water. 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. Dumping day: The opening day of the lobster season when traps are set at sea. 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. Hauler: An electronic device that is located at the stern of the boat and hauls traps out of the water. Jumbos: A whole lobster weighing more than three pounds (1.4 kilograms). LFA (lobster fishing areas): Atlantic Canada is divided into

fishing regions or zones. These LFAs have their own applicable fishing seasons. Some conservation measures may differ from LFA to LFA. For the lobster fisheries that open off southwestern Nova 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 lobsters weighing one to three pounds (450 grams to 1.4 kilograms). Moult: When a lobster sheds its shell so that it can grow larger. Pincher claw: Of the claws on a lobster, it is the smaller one.

Popsicle pack: It’s not something children eat 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 lobsters. Seasons: Specific periods of the year defined and regulated by DFO for when a particular area or region can be fished commercially. Selects: Lobsters weighing two to 2.49 pounds (907 grams to 1.1 kilograms). Shedders: Lobsters that are in the moulting or soft-shell stage of growth. Soft shell: 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 the trap is being legally fished by a licensed fisherman. Tinkers: A local term used for undersized lobsters. Tomalley: The green-coloured liver of a lobster. Trawl: A string of traps connected by a line with two buoys marking each end. Traps are tied along the line. Trawls tend to have 15 to 20 traps attached. V-notch: A small V shape cut in the second left flipper to mark breeding female lobsters. V-notched females must be thrown back, regardless of whether they are carrying eggs at the time or not. Tired: What fishers are after a long day on the water.

BEST WISHES FOR A SAFE & PROSPEROUS LOBSTER FISHING SEASON!

Best of Luck for a Safe & Bountiful Season!

• Online Prescription Refills • Flu Shots • Personal Care & More

www.cassanet.com • facebook.com/cassaofficeplus

56 Starrs Road • Yarmouth • Nova Scotia • 902-742-3523

www.shoppersdrugmart.ca

7944289

7947468

Dayton Mall, Yarmouth NS Tel: (902) 742-7566 | Fax: (902) 742-5987

Best Wishes for a Safe and Prosperous Season! BEST WISHES FOR A SAFE & SUCCESSFUL LOBSTER SEASON www.westnova.ca 103 Starrs Road Yarmouth Tel: 902-749-0929

7941515

207 HWY 303 Digby Tel: 902-245-5844

7941845

We Deliver Marine Diesel Committed to Customer Service, Safety and the Community

for a Safe & Successful Lobster Season!

• We Carry High Quality Petro-Can Lubricants • Exceptional personalized customer service • Committed to safety and environmental excellence • Automatic delivery • Giving back to our communities

PHONE: (902) 762-3299 7941845

UNIT #1, 292, HWY 335

PUBNICO, NS MOBILE SERVICE TUSKET TO SABLE RIVER

7946553

Shelburne

902-875-3711

Yarmouth

902-742-5450

Woods Harbour 902-723-2455

Digby

902-245-2202

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

SAFETY TAKEAWAYS

‘I remember hearing the wall of water coming’ Rogue wave leaves behind damage, but also safety lessons

TINA COMEAU SALTWIRE NETWORK Tina.Comeau@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

As Cody VanBuskirk and his swordfishing crew laid in their bunks, the Shelburne County fisherman could hear the wall of water coming. To say it was a rude awakening when their fishing vessel rolled on its side after being struck by a rogue wave is putting it mildly. “A big wave hit the side of the boat and pretty much rolled the boat right upside down. It rolled ’er right on her side so deep that it smashed windows on the starboard side and took electronics right off the dash, pushing water in that way too,” VanBuskirk says. “The guys woke up standing on the side of the boat.” VanBuskirk says everything happened fast. “I remember hearing the wall of water coming and hitting the side of the boat and the glass smashing,” he says. He sprang out of his bunk and headed for the wheel. No one was seriously injured, but they did suffer cuts from the broken glass. The crew was 10 or 11 days into a longline swordfish trip south of Sable Island. The forecast had been calling for 40 knots. They decided to take the evening off. VanBuskirk says they watched TV, “had a yarn” and just chilled before calling it a night. Around 45 minutes later, all hell broke loose. “When I got to the wheel, I didn’t even realize it at the time, but I was up to my waist in water inside the wheelhouse,” VanBuskirk says. “I

7941851

Shelburne County fisherman Cody VanBuskirk. CONTRIBUTED

opened up the door to let the water out and the whole back of the boat was underwater.” He put the boat in gear, shoved it down and rode with the wind. Luckily, the engine was still working and the boat had righted itself pretty quickly. “But she had been 90 degrees on her side and half underwater. It took lights out at the top of the wheelhouse,” VanBuskirk says. “Even in the wheelhouse door on the starboard side, the window was pushed inside of the boat. She was so far under the water, pressure pushed the windows in.” “It was just a rogue wave because I was up an hour before that and it wasn’t that rough.” He credits his crew for not panicking as they dealt with their situation. “We got everybody situated and I told everybody to put their survival suits on because we didn’t know what was what. Everything was dark. The VHF (radio) and none of the electronics was working because everything was soaked,” he says. “I got one guy to take the wheel and another guy and I went up on the

wheelhouse to set the EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) off and let somebody know we were in distress.” They also retrieved the liferaft in case there was a second wave. VanBuskirk, who is also a commercial lobster fisherman, says their experience pointed to many safety aspects he feels people in the industry would benefit from knowing about. One deals with the two types of survival suits that are available: one where the gloves are incorporated into the suit’s design and another where the gloves are detachable. “The suits that are all in one would be really good in cold water, but on my boat I would recommend having at least two suits where the gloves are detachable,” he says, noting the gloves incorporated into the suit made it hard for him to punch the buttons on the EPIRB. “Even when the electronics came back on, I had my suit on and I couldn’t press the distress button. I couldn’t talk on the set. I couldn’t work the EPIRB. I had to take the top part of my

No Excuses was the boat Cody VanBuskirk’s crew was on at the time a rogue wave capsized it off of Sable Island, pictured here from another time. CONTRIBUTED

suit off to use my hands,” he says. “One of the other crew members had my suit on that the gloves were detachable, but they were doing other things.” He also says it’s important that people not only make sure their EPIRB is registered, but to know how it turns on and stays on. “I thought I had it. I hit the switch, it blinked. It’s on. I never thought no more of it because you had so much other stuff on your mind,” he says. “When I was talking to JRCC (Joint Rescue Coordination Centre), they said they only got one signal of the EPIRB. I had hit the switch, but it had gone back off.” “So, make sure that EPIRB is on,” VanBuskirk says. “It’s supposed to keep blinking. I saw it blink one time and I didn’t think anything more of it.” Monitoring the weather is a given, but it’s not a bad idea to check different sources. He says they had been monitoring Environment Canada. However, another vessel they spoke with had been monitoring a different weather channel and the forecast was different. Make sure everyone knows

where the suits and flares are on the boat, VanBuskirk says, but also make sure they’re easy to access. “I know some guys will have the suits tucked in a cupboard. In the dark, trying to get them dug out of a cupboard wouldn’t be that easy,” he says. “Ours were laying right on top of the bunks so the guys could grab them. They were right there.” Overall, VanBuskirk says, always take safety seriously. “Every young person is confident or cocky. ‘That won’t happen to me,’” he says. “I know I take things a lot more seriously after that experience.” He also praises the fisheries MED course as being very valuable. VanBuskirk says there is no question things are safer in the industry now than in the past and people are much more safety conscious. Still, fishing remains a dangerous occupation and there are always lessons to be learned. “It was definitely an eye opener for me,” VanBuskirk says. “I did learn a few things, just not the way I wanted to learn them.”

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

MEANINGFUL MESSAGES

Lobster pot trees tell community stories

Symbols of the season on Cape Sable Island and in Port Mouton KATHY JOHNSON SALTWIRE NETWORK Kathy.Johnson@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

By the time the lobster fishing boats head out to the fishing grounds in LFAs 33 and 34, lobster pot Christmas trees will be shining brightly for all to enjoy in Port Mouton and Cape Sable Island on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. This is the third year for the tree at the Port Mouton wharf, while the Municipality of Barrington will be celebrating the 11th anniversary of their lobster pot tree, which stands on the North East Point waterfront near

the Cape Sable Island Causeway. “The idea for the tree was brought to the municipal council back in 2008 by Joan Atkinson,” says Suzy Atwood, director of marketing and tourism development for the Municipality of the District of Barrington. “The council at the time thought it was a great idea and the idea came to life in 2009.” The tree has taken on a few changes over the years in shape and size — and also meaning. “While the tree always had buoys on it for decoration, it wasn’t until seven years ago that we put out the call for

community members to add their own buoy to the tree,” says Atwood, adding that the buoys are placed in memory of those lost at sea, those who have since passed on and also to honour those who are still fishing today. Last year, more than 130 buoys were placed by family and friends on the tree. “Our tree now tells their stories,” says Atwood. “The tree draws visitors each year who come to see the tree, read the names on the buoys, find loved ones’ names and have their picture with it.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Fireworks light up the sky during the 2019 lobster pot tree lighting celebration on Cape Sable Island. KATHY JOHNSON • SALTWIRE NETWORK

Best Wishes for a Safe & Prosperous Lobster Fishing Season!

Seasick? Sore back? We CAN help! Best Wishes for a Safe & Abundant Season!

Terry’s Rentals Inc. 101 Forest Street Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

7948450

902-875-4852

TLC Pharmasave Location: 157 Water Street Shelburne, Nova Scotia

7947691

Locally Owned & Operated Since 1976!

Phone: 902-742-4051 | www.terrysrentals.com

&$!' %"!#$!

FROM COUNCIL AND STAFF OF

360 Main Street, 2nd Level, Yarmouth NS 902-742-7726 • conradhurlbertleblanc.ca

7942207

7946551

Wishing everyone in the Fishing industry a safe and prosperous season!

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

FROM PAGE 18: LOBSTER POT

“We usually do the ceremony mid to late November, just before the season opens [in LFA 33],” Krystie says. “We hope to get more peoThe tree was also used for a ple from surrounding areas to wedding photo shoot last year join in this year,” says Krystie. by a young couple who had “We have a great Santa. The come home from Alberta to kids just love it. Hot chocobe married before the bride’s late, baked goods. Hopefully, mother passed away, adding it can go ahead with COVID.” an endearing story of a daughIn the Municipality of Barter’s love to its boughs. rington, the lobster pot tree In Port Mouton, the lobster lighting is planned for Thurspot tree project was initiday, Nov. 26, just four days ated by community volunbefore the season is schedteers Krystie Gatzke and her uled to open in LFAs 33 and mother-in-law, Janet Gatzke, 34 on dumping day. There An aerial view of the Port Mouton lobster pot Christmas tree. KENNY VEINOT three years ago. event will be in keeping with “I’ve been trying some new COVID-19 guidelines. point in other coastal fishing buoys for decoration. Comgives out treats and presents ideas in our community,” says communities, she thought Both trees will remain lit munity members can place the to the kids. The weather put Krystie. “I’m trying to get a until the new year. why not do the same for Port buoys on the tree in memory a damper on last year’s tree playground set up, trying to The construction and lightMouton? of someone lost at sea, in lighting celebration. Howdo mostly for the younger ing of the Municipality of As with the Municipality memory of a fisherman who ever, at the time this story was Barrington’s lobster pot tree generation. There are so of Barrington’s tree, the Port has died or write their own written, they said this year many young kids out here can be watched online at Mouton tree in the Region of family name on the buoys, they will be keeping a close now.” Queens Municipality is built says Krystie. Nova Scotia Webcams With lobster pot Christwith recycled wire lobster She says on the night of the eye on the weather before (novascotiawebcams.com/en/ traps, with donated lights and tree lighting, Santa comes and picking a date. mas trees becoming a focal webcams/cape-sable-island/).

Wishing everyone a safe & prosperous season!

Best Wishes to our Fishers. We wish you a safe and prosperous season!

R & T Excavating LTD 567 Oak Park Rd., Barrington, NS

902-637-3131 tonya_ryer@yahoo.ca

7946549

7941787

CHARTERED PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS Member of The AC Group of Independent Accounting Firms

COMMUNITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS

Wishing a Safe & Prosperous Lobster Season to All! BARRINGTON 3724 HWY 3, Suite 107 Barrington Passage, NS B0W 1G0 (902) 637-1637 shelburne@bvca.ca

LIVERPOOL 7B Henry Hensey Dr. PO Box 254 Liverpool, NS B0T 1K0 (902) 356-4278 liverpool@bvca.ca

BRIDGEWATER 11 Dominion Street PO Box 29 Bridgewater, NS B4V 2W6 (902) 543-4278 bridgewater@bvca.ca

CHESTER 4171 HWY 3 Office 10 Chester, NS B0J 1J0 (902) 273-3080 chester@bvca.ca

HALIFAX 620 Nine Mile Drive Suite 204 Bedford, NS B4A 0H4 (902) 444-4278 halifax@bvca.ca

www.bvca.ca

CBDC Shelburne 902-875-1133

CBDC Yarmouth 902-742-5364

FINANCING » TRAINING » ADVICE

cbdc.ca

7941771

SHELBURNE 167 Water Street PO Box 989 Shelburne, NS B0T 1W0 (902) 875-1051 shelburne@bvca.ca

Would like to wish all ﬁshermen good luck and best wishes for a safe and prosperous lobster season.

7941781

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

A lobster trap is baited at the Clark’s Harbour wharf on dumping day 2019. KATHY JOHNSON • SALTWIRE NETWORK

Carrying a lobster trap to a waiting vessel during dumping day 2019. KATHY JOHNSON • SALTWIRE NETWORK

Lobster scrapbook

Lobster vessels and crews await the start of the 2019-20 season on dumping day morning last Nov. 26. TINA COMEAU • SALTWIRE NETWORK

Lobster fishermen are silhouetted by the sunrise as their vessel leaves the Pinkney’s Point wharf in Yarmouth County on dumping day morning in 2019. The start of the LFA 34 season took place at 7 a.m. last year instead of the normal 6 a.m. TINA COMEAU • SALTWIRE NETWORK

Best Wishes

FOR A SAFE & PROSPEROUS SEASON

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO STAY CONNECTED AND PROTECTED

After 40 years in business, we have the experience needed to be trusted with your trap needs.

Drop in or call us today and check out our AMERICAN TRAPS and competitive prices!

CELL PHONES – LATEST MAKES •

•

EXCELLENT PLANS REPAIR SERVICE

Also, inquire about our Lobster Pound HOLDING CAGES.

Wishing all our Lobster Fishermen a Safe and Prosperous Season

SPECIALS STARTING AT 129.95 MONTHLY

CALL

3404 Highway 3, Lower Argyle, Nova Scotia

Phone (902)762-2595 Fax (902)762-3449 Email: wwtraps@eastlink.ca

DROP IN

DISTRIBUTORS OF AQUAMESH AND CAVATORTA

www.wadeswiretraps.com

7943241

We now accept Visa and Mastercard

Hours: 8.00 - 5.00 Monday to Friday ‘til Noon Saturday

7945068

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Season-opener starts and misses Looking back on previous dumping days TINA COMEAU SALTWIRE NETWORK Tina.Comeau@SaltWire.com @SaltWireNetwork

There are years the opening of the lobster fishery off southwestern Nova Scotia goes off without a hitch, but not always. The season is always slated to start on the last Monday of November, but sometimes the weather says otherwise. The opening day, when fishermen head to sea to set their traps, is known as dumping day. After traps have been set, boats can start hauling their catches at one minute after midnight, when day two gets underway. Here’s a look at some past season openers.

season wrapping up, fishermen were still being paid $8 a pound for catches. Usually, the end-of-season shore price is in the $4 to $5 range.

2019: ONE DAY AND ONE HOUR LATER

Following a one-day delay caused by strong winds, the lobster season in LFA 34 (southwestern Nova Scotia) and LFA 33 (South Shore) got underway Tuesday, Nov. 26. Boats in LFA 34 were permitted to leave at 7 a.m. — an hour later than usual for this district, which normally departs at 6 a.m. In LFA 33, boats left at their normal 7 a.m. time. One thing that wasn’t normal about the season was the COVID-19 pandemic. Fishermen had no idea of what was yet to come when they sailed out on dumping day.

2014: SIX-DAY WEATHER DELAY

Lobster vessels loaded with traps depart from the wharf in Pinkney’s Point, Yarmouth County, on dumping day morning 2019. Following a one-day delay due to wind, boats in LFA 34 left at 7 a.m. rather than their normal 6 a.m. departure time. TINA COMEAU • SALTWIRE NETWORK

2016: ANOTHER ONE-DAY DELAY

High winds on the last Monday of November postponed the start of the season to the

following day. Throughout the season, fishermen saw high prices that continued to its end. During the week prior to the

After being delayed six days due to the weather, the lobster season in LFA 34, which takes in all of Yarmouth County and chunks of Shelburne and Digby counties, got underway Saturday, Nov. 29. The neighbouring LFA 33 district went with a Friday, Nov. 28, start. It was the second year in a row strong winds delayed the opening. The season should have started Monday, Nov. 24. CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

Best Wishes for a Safe & Prosperous Season

To everyone involved in the lobster industry:

Good luck and stay safe!

Helping you see beyond numbers

201 Water Street, Shelburne (902) 875-3900

The Jackson Building, 230 Main Street Yarmouth, N.S. (902)742-2333

wpacpa.ca

7942607

7942206

All the Best for a Safe & Prosperous Season!

Specializing in Fishing Industry Projects Since 1983 • General contracting services • Building contracting • Fish plant construction services • Lobster pound construction and more

7944290

www.delmarconstruction.ns.ca

7947541

77 Parade St Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Phone: 902-742-4672

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

SCAN & SHOP

FROM PAGE 21:

1995: VESSELS SINK, CREWS RESCUED

2012: SHOULD HAVE STAYED HOME

The sea claimed two vessels on opening day. The four-person crew of a vessel out of Lower Wedgeport abandoned their boat after it started sinking. They were picked up by another nearby boat. No one was injured. Elsewhere, four crew members were plucked from a life-raft and hoisted aboard a helicopter when their vessel, fishing from Abbotts Harbour, started taking on water. The crew suffered various stages of hypothermia.

Days into the start of the lobster fishery, many were saying fishers should have heeded the warnings and uncertainty over price and waited to dump their traps at sea. Fishermen were only getting paid $3 a pound and there was fear the price would drop further. 2009: SUNDAYS — YES OR NO?

In the weeks leading up to the start of the fishery, licence holders voted on whether they wanted to give lobster landings a break on Sundays during the upcoming commercial season. The intention was not to flood the market with a glut of lobster. The year before, there was no Sunday fishing the first three weekends of the season. But that hadn’t given fishermen the prices they were hoping for, so many didn’t see the point of giving Sunday a pass again. 2000: SEASON OPENING, ELECTION DAY

Grey skies, drizzle and a forecast of an easterly gale set the stage for the season’s opener, but the day got off to a quiet and safe start. Included in the season were 12 licences being fished by the Acadia First Nation, which had signed an interim fishing agreement with DFO that month, following six months of negotiations. It was also the 2000 federal election day. It’s a pretty safe bet voter turnout within the industry was low, given that fishermen were busy with the start of the fishery. 1997: ILLEGAL FISHING CONCERNS

Issues of illegal summer fishing had many fishermen worried they wouldn’t be getting their fair share during the lobster season. Fishermen also sought a clear indication regarding Indigenous fishers. They wanted to know whether Indigenous fishers had the right to fish year-round and if they were allowed to sell what they caught. A Supreme Court decision — the Marshall decision — two years later spelled out answers to a lot of these questions. (However, as we’ve seen during 2020, a lot of questions weren’t answered, specifically surrounding the issue of moderate livelihood.)

2021

GMC SIERRA DENALI & DENALI HD

1991: PRICE TOO LOW, WE WON’T GO

SCAN & SHOP

A handful of fishermen organized a fleet tie-up that kept nearly 1,000 lobster vessels in port a week into the lobster fishery. Fishermen were protesting the low price they were being offered, which hovered around the $2.50 mark. 1989: LOTS OF ISSUES ON LAND

As fishermen were busy getting ready for the start of the season, there was concern the United States might restrict the importation of Canadian live lobsters that did not meet the American minimum body size. Also, a coast guard strike saw vessels tied up ahead of the season, leaving fishermen concerned over safety and search and rescue capabilities. There were no major mishaps when the season opened and coast guard vessels were on the water.

2021

CHEVROLET SILVERADO TRAIL BOSS SCAN & SHOP

1972: RESTAURANTS COULDN’T AFFORD LOBSTERS

A newspaper article in the Yarmouth Vanguard stated: “The price opened at an all-time high of $1 per pound to the fisherman.” Later in the winter, the price climbed to more than $2 per pound for the fishermen. It was reported that these prices were so expensive, restaurants couldn’t afford to buy lobsters.

2021

1966: OPENING PRICE 65 CENTS TO $1

1966 saw beautiful opening day weather, with temperatures soaring above normal and calm seas. The opening price was to be anywhere between 65 cents a pound and $1 a pound. The opening price the previous year had been a “record-breaking” 90 cents a pound.

CHEVROLET COLORADO ZR2 BISON SCAN & SHOP

6435 Highway 3, PO Box 100 Lower Woods Harbour, NS B0W 2E0

2021

GMC SIERRA AT4 & AT4 HD

Best Wishes for a Safe & Prosperous Lobster Season!

WELDING SERVICES Welding Aluminum, Steel & Stainless Steel, Anchor Fabrication Pre-made Anchors • Custom Sign Posts

YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS. Business Elite Benefits

ProNova Marine Products Ltd. www.pronovamarine.ca

7941852

Call 902-723-0265 or drop by

Quality Craftmanship Since 1988 Residential | Commercial | New Construction | Renovations

•We provide next available service bay to Commercial customers. •Commercial demos available for emergency use. •Courtesy transportation if no Commercial demos are available. •Access to 24/7 roadside assistance. •Bigger doors and larger hoists for speciality vehicles. •Later hours to accommodate unique Commercial needs. •Dedicated Business Elite Staff Members. •New & Used Commercial vehicles in inventory. •Professional Detailing Centre. •Chevrolet Complete Care & GMC Pro Grade Protection

Scan to find out more about Business Elite

FOR A SAFE & SUCCESSFUL LOBSTER SEASON!

YARMOUTH: (902) 742-7191 BARRINGTON: (902) 637-4045

7945069

177 Pleasant Street, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Phone: 902-742-4569 | 902-742-3690 www.grahamcon.ca

A HASSLE FREE EXPERIENCE Shop Now AT WWW.MURRAYGMNS.CA

7947516

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Serving up lobster recipes MARK DEWOLF SALTWIRE NETWORK

LEMONY LOBSTER ROLLS Makes 6 servings 4 cups lobster meat, chopped 1/4 cup lemon aioli* 6 hotdog buns, toasted Melted butter Romaine lettuce Chives, chopped, for garnish Directions: Place lobster meat and aioli in a bowl. Mix well. Brush buns with melted butter. Top each with a piece of lettuce. Fill hotdog buns with lobster mixture. Garnish with chives. * Make a lemon aioli by placing 4 egg yolks, 2 cloves minced garlic, juice and zest

of a lemon and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard in a bowl. Whisk until combined. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil and 1/3 cup vegetable oil. While whisking, slowly add the oil mixture to the egg yolk mixture a few drops at a time until all of the oil is incorporated. The result should be a rich, creamy aioli. Season the aioli with salt to taste.

LOBSTER AND PEA RISOTTO Makes 6 servings 1.25 l vegetable stock 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 1 small onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 3/4 cup Arborio rice 1/3 cup local white wine

123RF

2 cups lobster meat, chopped 1 cup fresh peas, steamed 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (or other hard cheese)

Directions: Warm stock over medium heat. Place a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon to ensure all of the rice is covered in olive oil and butter. Add the wine. When the wine has evaporated, add the warm stock a ladle or two at a time until absorbed. When the stock is almost fully incorporated, add the lobster, peas and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Serve warm.

123RF

BOATBUILDING AND REPAIR Aluminum – Fiberglass – Steel –Wood

Three Marine Slips - 300, 600 & 1500 tons Propeller Sales and Service STOCKROOM: Paint, Clothing, Marine Hardware 1 d’Entremont Rd., Meteghan River, NS B0W 2L0 Phone: (902) 645-2327 • Fax: (902) 645-2174 www.aftheriaultboatyard.com

Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm Saturdays: 8:00am to 12:00 noon

7948443

Save 6 cents per litre with the Esso Business Fleet Card! Offer expires December 31st 2020. Applications can be picked up in store, or e-mail ashley@philsfuels.com

454 River Road, Exit 30, Barrington

Wishing All Fishermen a Safe & Successful Season! 7942599

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK

Sincere Wishes for a Safe, Healthy & Bountiful Lobster Season! For two years in a row, the McCarron family is proud to share that after less than 4 years in business, Yarmouth Nissan is the recipient of the Nissan Award of Excellence for Outstanding Overall Dealership Performance 2018 and 2019. This award goes to the Top 20 Dealers in Canada with outstanding achievement in Sales and Customer Service. “We look forward to continuing to provide the excellence you expect. This award is attributed to the hard work of the team at Yarmouth Nissan and amazing support from community members such as our brave and hard working fishermen.” Pictured: Deanna McCarron, Sam Doucet, Eric Anderson, Matthew McCarron, Kristen LeBlanc, Mark Rogers, Jordan Muise, Cory Jenkins, Donnie Warner, Dustin Peterson, Kelly McCarron, Lisa Doucette, Garet Lawrence, Robyn Bowler and Chelsea Boudreau

Pictured: Jake Muise, Alyse McCarron and Devon Clairmont

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

7942459