Lobster traps sit on the deck of a fishing boat waiting to be set while another vessel lays at rest at the Seal Point wharf in Port LaTour, Shelburne County. Fishing effort in the six-month commercial lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia will be ramping up in the coming weeks as spring arrives. KATHY JOHNSON - Kathy JohnsonBARRINGTON PASSAGE, N.S.
This season opened with a $7 per pound shore price compared to a record-setting opening price for the 2021-2022 season of $11 a pound in Lobster Fishing Areas 33 and 34. The shore price increased to the $12 range in February, up from $9 to $10 a pound in January, and is currently $13 to $13.50 a pound wharf side. The 2021-2022 season closed in the $10 range, peaking at $17.50 in late winter/early spring.
Looking ahead to April for the fishery, Cotter thinks everything will depend on the weather and catches. “If the water warms up, it’s got to warm up quite a bit, and the catches have to come on… I don’t think the price is going to change as quickly as the Chinese and everyone wants it to change, and I don’t think it will happen until you see some landings.”While there is not much inventory around, Cotter says he is still shipping to China but not as much as three weeks ago.
Brown estimated attendance tripled at this year’s show, compared to last year when attendance was down 60 percent.