THE LOBSTER OUTLOOK
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
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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
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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.
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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,
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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.
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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.