A good season
Spring lobster fishery wraps up in most ports
Despite nearly a month of mostly poor weather conditions during the two-month spring lobster fishery, Tignish fisherman Jamie Aylward says he has nothing to complain about. Except for a few fishermen from Point Prim to Victoria who started their season a week later than the rest of the spring boats and still have a week to go, the season ended Thursday.
The season normally ends on June 30, but the 2017 season started a day early to avoid setting on a Sunday. Thus a June 29 finish. It gives fishermen more time to get everything put away before the Canada Day holiday, Aylward agreed.
“I’m ready to be done; it’s nice to have a change of pace.”
All around him, fishing boat crews were offloading gear, most of them using tractors to transfer water-logged lobster traps onto the wharf or right onto wagons. He got a head start on landing day by bringing 90 traps ashore on Wednesday. Aylward said he had his highest
season ever and he thinks most of his fellow fishermen in Tignish had similar results, and that’s after missing five fishing days due to weather. Further along the wharf,
Jody Gaudet had his sons helping him put the traps away.
“A good year, “he said in assessing the season.
Shore prices were the highest
ever, too, somewhere between $6 and $7 a pound depending on location and buyers.