Yarmouth County history: Lobsters opened at 70 cents a pound

FROM 1969

The lobster-fishing season in southwestern Nova Scotia was off to a great start, according to a story in the Vanguard from early December 1969. Indeed, the headline over the article spoke of “whopping catches” in the first week or so of the new season. One buyer said early-season catches were so good that, as the Vanguard put it, “pounds, cars, crates and all other holding facilities available were filled up.”

The Bluenose ferry, which sailed between Yarmouth and Bar Harbor, made a special Sunday trip to accommodate U.S.bound lobster trucks. Nearly all areas were reporting better catches than the previous year. Lobsters had opened at 70 cents a pound, 10 cents up from the opening price from the year before. As of Dec. 1 – the start of the second week of the season – the price remained 70 cents, the Vanguard reported.

Recent published accounts of the plight of Halifax hospitals had prompted the Vanguard to run a story about the Yarmouth Regional Hospital, which “desperately” needed an expansion. A consultant’s report from the previous year – 1968 – had recommended immediate action, but none had been taken. Since the hospital’s opening in 1961, the workload had grown considerably – and this trend was expected to continue – but the facility had remained the same size. The most urgent need for improvements was said to be in the outpatient and radiology departments and the laboratory.

“Plunge now if you’re intending to plunge.” That was the message to Yarmouth-area tourism operators from Michael Knight, provincial deputy trade and industry minister, who was speaking at a meeting of Yarmouth County’s tourism association. He was referring to the expansion of hospitality facilities to meet what was expected to be a higher demand for accommodations once a new ferry service was in place between Nova Scotia and the U.S. The new service, which would connect Yarmouth and Portland, was slated to start in the summer of 1970.

FROM 1979

A new lobster season began with low prices and poor weather. Lobsters opened at $2.25 a pound, down 75 cents from the season-opening price of a year earlier and well below the $3.50 figure that had been the average for much of the 1978-’79 season. Windy conditions for the first few days made things harder for fishermen, although conditions improved later in the season’s opening week.

The Municipality of Yarmouth had approved, “in principle,” the proposed development of a mall on property off Starrs Road. Downtown businesses already had expressed their concern about the impact the project could have on them. At the time, there were two shopping malls, both on Starrs Road, both within the Yarmouth town limits.

Some of the people in the news in 1979:

• Pat Murphy was the new warden of the Municipality of Argyle.

• Dr. Margaret Churchill of Yarmouth had been elected president of the Nova Scotia Medical Society.

• Capt. Wally Strickland was the new commanding officer of the Yarmouth Lions Air Cadets. From 1989

As the 1980s were drawing to a close, the era of passenger rail service in Yarmouth also was nearing the end of the line. In mid-January or so 1990,

Via Rail’s train would pull out of Yarmouth for the last time, bound for Halifax. And while many people may have been sorry to see the train go, the call to maintain the service hadn’t been as loud at this end of the province as it had been in the Annapolis Valley region.

The Yarmouth County athletic awards were presented and the evening’s special awards went to three people who had made their mark in baseball. Duane Doucette, who had pitched in the 1989 Canada Games, was athlete of the year. Paul Melanson was coach of the year. Tom White was sport volunteer of the year.

The official start of winter was still four weeks away when the Yarmouth area had its first snowstorm of the season on Nov. 23. Total accumulation: 21 centimetres.