Closure proposed for lobster fishery
Idea gets thumbs down from fishing reps
A proposal by the Nova
Scotia Seafood Alliance to temporarily close the lobster fishery in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFA) 33 and 34 due to the collapse in the marketplace because of COVID-19 was not getting industry support last week.
An industry conference call involving about a dozen industry representatives resulted a consensus by the majority that there be no variation order to close the lobster fishery in LFAs 33 and 34.
“We all recognize that we are in trying times and uncharted waters; however, let each fisher and buyer determine their own activity,” stated the Scotia Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association in a social media post.
A memo from the Alliance posted to Facebook on Thursday, March 12, outlined the results of an emergency conference call held earlier that day to discuss the unprecedented market situation.
“Over 75 companies participated in the conversation and agreed all lobster harvesters in 33 and 34 should immediately stop fishing and that a variation order be issued” by DFO, stated the memo. “The current reality is that more lobsters have been harvested during the most recent production cycle than the industry can absorb and market generally and particularly so under the unique circumstances of an international health crisis. The collapse of a variety of markets in the Pacific Rim, Europe and now North America make the challenge monumental as of today and for the short-term future at least.”
LFA 33, which spans the province’s south shore, and
LFA 34, which takes in southwest Nova Scotia, make up the province’s largest lobster fishery and also the largest lobster fishery in the country. There are around 1,660 lobster licences and thousands of fishermen employed on boats.
Not all lobster dealers agree closing the fishery is the best way to deal with the situation.
“The answer is not shutting down the industry,” said Erica Smith, president of Fishermen’s Premium Atlantic Lobster Inc. on Cape Sable Island.
What has happened, said Smith, is a lot of bigger players have ended up with a significant amount of inventory on hand because of the collapse of the Chinese market in late January.
“They have waited too long to deal with the old product. Not everyone is in that boat but there’s enough of them in that boat that it is really impacting the industry.”
Not every buyer is the same situation, Smith said.
“I didn’t tube lobsters this year. That wasn’t my strategy going into the season because I knew that China was even rocky before it became rocky.”
Smith said she is worried that if the fishery were to shut down and exporters just tried shipping held lobsters instead of fresh-caught lobsters, it’s going to hurt the industry’s image.
“That is not the answer,” she said. “I personally think the federal government should step in and try to get some of the bigger processing plants working, subsidize them and actually start making some deals with companies that have tubed lobsters to try and get it cleaned up.”
Smith said the inventory has to be cleaned up.
“We can’t not move forward as an industry until it is. If we don’t have these held lobster cleaned up in two to three weeks, we’re going to be in a serious mess going forward because we will not be able to deal with all the fresh stuff coming in.”
She said all lobster dealers have taken some kind of financial impact from the situation, but some companies have lost a lot of money.
“This whole situation, fear is taking the lead,” she said. “People are not sitting back and practically thinking if we take this step what the outcome is going to be. It’s not a good situation but China is coming back a little bit.”
Jane Deeks, press secretary for federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, said COVID-19 is a rapidly evolving global challenge, and the health and safety of Canadians continues to be the top priority.
“We know that many industries, including our fisheries, are facing a serious decline in exports. We have been and will continue to monitor this situation closely. Any decisions going forward will be made only after close consultation with all of our industry partners.”
Leo Muise, executive director of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, had said early in the day on Friday, March 13: “I am trying to connect with the fishing organizations and DFO to see if we can meet to discuss the current situation and work together on a possible solution.”
The correspondence from the Alliance’s emergency conference call stated that the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance was suggesting a variation order be temporary “while economic, trade and logistics circumstances are evaluated worldwide on a continuous basis” by a committee of representative stakeholders.
Muise said Friday the Alliance was “asking for a temporary closure of two to three weeks with a review every three or four days to see if and when the market improves. In the meantime, it’s business as usual.”