As lobster fishermen stare down the barrel of another tough fishing season, Nova Scotia’s fisheries minister said opening up new markets is key.
Sterling Belliveau said it’s too early to say with certainty, but since the season started Monday lobster prices have been around $3.50 to $4.00 per pound. That’s not far from the $3.25-per-pound prices last year that caused hundreds of fishermen to walk off the job, protesting they weren’t making enough to cover costs.
Belliveau said there’s been progress since then, such as the establishment of a lobster council, adding he’s been pushing federal fisheries minister Gail Shea to put more money into promoting the fishery and opening new markets.
“My personal belief is that we have been marketing lobsters the way our grandfathers marketed,” Belliveau said. “Basically putting them on the back of a truck and delivering them to a Boston-New York market. We need to change that.”
Belliveau said that means looking at new markets overseas as well as at home. He predicted an expansion of last year’s phenomenon of fishermen setting up roadside stands to sell their catches directly to the public. He said there’s already been 175 applications for such stands.
He said another problem is climate change. Belliveau said the water is about 10 degrees warmer than the same period last year, causing lobsters to molt later in the year and be smaller by the time fishing season starts.
