Ready, Set, Fish

Lobster season was declared open for fishermen on the Northumberland Straight, Monday morning, but the new season also renews fears about the sustainability of the fishery, given the high costs and, now historically, low returns.

According to CBC News, some fishermen are expecting to earn approximately $3.25 for canning sized lobster, and up to $3.75 for a market-sized catch. While those figures are up slightly from the lowest prices, they are still considered extremely low.

“[I] go out every day expecting to do better than the day before, knowing lots of times I won’st but hoping I will,” Gary O’sHanley, a veteran lobster fisherman, told New Brunswick’s Times & Transcript. “That’s what makes a fisherman a fisherman.”