Lobster harvesters in Atlantic Canada to vote on increasing minimum legal size this year

Fishermen in Canada's biggest lobster fishing dis‐ trict will vote this spring on whether to increase the minimum legal size of lob‐ ster they catch.

Lobster harvesters in southwestern Nova Scotia, and others throughout At‐ lantic Canada, must decide if they will match an increase coming south of the border. At stake is maintaining ac‐ cess to the United States market.

"It will be an individual vote. That's a big decision that every single enterprise and owner has to look at from their own business," said Heather Mulock, execu‐ tive director of the Coldwater Lobster Association, which represents fishermen in lob‐ ster fishing area 34 (LFA 34).

In late May or June, the 979 licence holders in the area will be asked to vote on whether to match increases in allowable U.S. catch mea‐ surements that will come in‐ to effect Jan. 1, 2025, and again in 2027.

Live Canadian lobster that fall under the new limits would not be allowed into the U.S.

That includes bonded shipments of lobster under the new minimum in the U.S., according to an information package sent to fishermen in southwestern Nova Scotia.

Drawbacks to not con‐ forming with U.S. min‐ imum size

That could block trucking of "undersized" Canadian lob‐ ster across the border for flights to Asia from airports in Boston or New York.

The American size in‐ crease was automatically trig‐ gered by surveys in the Gulf of Maine showing declines in young lobster.

Next January, the new le‐ gal carapace size in Maine will be 84 millimetres. It will increase to 86 millimetres in 2027.

Both are higher than 82.5 millimetres, the length used in most of Canada.

In LFA 34, the initial twomillimetre size increase about the thickness of a loonie - affects between 12 to 15 per cent of the catch, said Mulock.

Accepting new min‐ imum size would in‐ crease throw backs

If fishermen opt to increase the minimum to match the new U.S. measurement, esti‐ mates show the lobster they would have to throw back will increase in length by 10 to 15 per cent and be avail‐ able for harvest next season.

"We are a live market. We do have to look at this and take it seriously. Thirty-nine per cent of our market is the U.S. Ultimately, the decision is what is in our best interest from a market and economic point of view and for sustain‐ ability," she said.

The information package presented to fishermen says China is the leading export market for live lobster caught in LFA 34, accounting for 45 per cent of sales.

If harvesters opt to main‐ tain the status quo, "other countries, like China, could pick up the 'slack,'" says the document. "However, at what price?"

"China is aware of the U.S. measure increase and will most likely capitalize on this by reducing their price to purchase our product. In essence, China would be pur‐ chasing product that cannot be moved easily elsewhere having the upper hand in ex‐ port negotiations," the docu‐ ment said.

Fishermen were told the Canadian market could not absorb the 12 to 15 per cent surplus.

No consensus on what to do

The individual impacts on Maritime lobster fishing areas were presented to fish‐ ermen and buyers at a meet‐ ing Tuesday in Halifax held by the Lobster Council of Cana‐ da.

There was no consensus on how to respond to the looming increase in the U.S. minimum.

Harvesters in some lob‐ ster fishing areas in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have min‐ imum carapace sizes well be‐ low the 82.5-millimetres stan‐ dard.

Others in Quebec and parts of Cape Breton have larger minimum sizes.

"They don't have to de‐ cide to do anything, but if they want to make some changes for conservation or for economics, they need to build consensus within their LFAs or their associations and take it to DFO and ask for a change," said Geoff Irv‐ ine of the Lobster Council of Canada.

"It's really up to the har‐ vesters and the associations to do that,' he said.

Landings fall in southern Nova Scotia

The decision on increasing the Canadian minimum comes as landings fall in southern Nova Scotia.

"We have been seeing de‐ crease over the last number of years, particularly in the Bay of Fundy in LFA 34," said Adam Cook, a Fisheries and Oceans Canada biologist for lobster in the Maritimes.

Last year 15,263 tonnes of lobster were landed in LFA 34 worth $305 million, according to preliminary stats released by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

That was a decrease of 4,379 tonnes and worth $143 million less than the 2021-22 season.

Cook says there is a chance the stock could dip from the healthy down to the cautious zone.

"But we're not there yet. That's the best way to put it," he told CBC News Tuesday.

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