Fisheries ministers working to lessen impacts
Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Loan Board payments and interest deferred until June 30
Financial measures have been introduced and conversations are ongoing, but no matter how you slice it COVID-19 is having an unprecedented impact on the southwestern Nova Scotia lobster industry.
What started out as a good season with strong markets and shore prices in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) 33 and 34 on Nov. 26, 2019 quickly disintegrated when the Chinese market collapsed at the end of January, leaving many dealers with inventory on hand and nowhere to sell it.
With COVID-19 now running rampant throughout North America, the situation has only gotten worse.
“The unpredictability of this situation continues to be the only thing we can take as a certainty,” said federal fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan in a statement on March 19. “As minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, I am committed to providing the Canadian fisheries and aquaculture sectors the support needed so they can continue to provide the world with sustainablysourced, high-quality, high-value fish and seafood. I am in regular contact with many harvesters, processors, and representative groups to hear their concerns, understand the economic challenges this pandemic poses, and ensure their voices are represented.”
In southwestern Nova Scotia and along the province's south shore, the lobster fishery runs from the end of November to the last day of May. This time of the year typically sees a slowdown in fishing activity due to weather. However, a steep drop in the shore price over the past few weeks (the price paid to fishermen has been hovering around $4, whereas at this time last year it was around $10 or $11 per pound), coupled with the inventory of lobster that isn't moving, has caused many fishermen to debate whether it's even worth going fishing at all.
Jordan and provincial fisheries ministers in Atlantic Canada and Quebec are working collectively to discuss ways to support the seafood industry during the COVID19 crisis. The five provincial ministers have begun weekly discussions to share ideas and discuss developments and options and were joined last week by Jordan.
“Nova Scotia’s ongoing collaboration with Minister Jordan and the federal government, and our strong working relationship with the other Atlantic provinces and Quebec benefit the commercial fishery in our region,” said Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell. “I look forward to our continued co-operation in the future as we gather information from our local industry and hear their concerns during this difficult time coping with COVID-19. By communicating and working closely together and with the federal department, we can better help our fishing industries meet today’s challenges.”
In their call last week, ministers discussed the importance of the fishing and aquaculture sector to their individual provinces, the importance of food supply and their desire to work together with their respective industries to minimize the impact of COVID-19 as much as possible, to ensure people remain safe. The provincial ministers agreed to work collectively with the federal government on ways to lessen impacts.
One measure in support of Nova Scotia’s fishery sector announced on March 20 by the Nova Scotia government is to defer payments and interest for government lending programs until June 30, including loans under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Loan Board.
At the federal level, economic measures, including new Employment Insurance benefits, income replacement and increased access to credit for small businesses have been announced, said Jordan.
“During these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever that we work across all levels of government to ensure Canadians are safe and local economies are supported,” she said, following the conference call with the provincial fisheries and aquaculture ministers from across Eastern Canada.
“Seasonal opening and closing decisions will continue to be based on good fisheries management principles,” she added. “Rest assured, we are all determined to provide the hard-working women and men in our fisheries and aquaculture sector with the support needed to continue in this resilient industry for generations to come.”
In addition to export concerns, potential temporary foreign worker shortages is another issue affecting parts of the processing end of the fish and seafood sector.
Nova Scotia’s fish and seafood exports reached $2.3 billion in 2019, a 13.6 per cent increase over 2018 export earnings. Lobster was the province’s most valuable export species in 2019, valued at almost $1.2 billion.