‘It’s a lot of boats on the water’
Winter season opens in lucrative lobster fishery along Nova Scotia’s southwest coast
It is one of the country’s most lucrative fisheries — and on Tuesday about 1,500 fishing boats laden with lobster traps headed out onto the water in darkness along Nova Scotia’s southwest coast.
Fisheries spokeswoman Debbie Buott-Matheson said about 5,200 captains and crew set out from an area that includes six counties from Halifax to Digby.
“It’s a lot of boats on the water today and a lot of activity, so safety is key,” she said.
“We have boats on water keeping eye on things and making sure things are safe.”
The so-called “dumping day” was delayed a day due to high winds, but Buott-Matheson said the weather was holding steady.
Fishermen can start hauling in their catch at 12:01 a.m. today.
It’s a critical opening for many of the fishermen, most of whom can make their living for the year in a short time, BuottMatheson said.
This year’s fishery starts up after months of controversy that resulted in protests by some fishermen in September. They maintained that Indigenous fishermen were using their food, social and ceremonial fishery as cover to illegally sell lobster out of season.
Tensions escalated in October after a drydocked boat owned by a non-Aboriginal fisherman was torched, followed a few days later by a boat owned by a Mi’kmaq man.
Later Tuesday, Buott-Matheson said there had been no incidents, protests or safety-related, on the water.