N.S. lobster season delayed in one fishing area, but set to go ahead in another
However, it's not unusual for the start of the season to be postponed
Nova Scotia’s weather forecast has prompted a staggered start to Dumping Day — the launch of Canada’s largest and most lucrative lobster fishery.
The federal Fisheries Department says fishers in Lobster Fishing Area 33 on the province’s south shore can go ahead with dumping their traps this morning.
But the department says the opening of the fall season in Lobster Fishing Area 34 along the southwestern coast is delayed due to high winds.
A spokesman for the department says if the forecast calls for winds in excess of 26 knots, or roughly 48 km/h, the opening is automatically delayed.
Lex Brukovskiy, president of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union Local 9, says the next possible day they can dump their gear will be Dec. 2.
He says it’s not unusual for the start of the season to be postponed.
“It’s nothing new for us to stay tied up here for a couple of days after the season was supposed to be open,” Brukovskiy says. “In fact, I don’t remember the last time we were actually able to set our gear on the last Monday in November.”
He says boats are loaded down with lobster pots on Dumping Day and often extra crew are on board, making the boat more vulnerable to high winds and roll overs.
Brukovskiy says the call will be made Dec. 1 whether LFA 34 can proceed on Wednesday.
He says fishers need at least a day to bait their traps. For his part, Brukovskiy says he has herring and redfish in the freezer ready to bait his pots.
