The boats left the Wharf on Monday morning, as Lobster season in area 25 on the Northumberland Strait began.
Organizer for the Maritime Fishermen’s Union Michel Richard says he has been getting good reports so far, of a plentiful catch, “Some good landings in the Pointe-Sapin, Loggiecroft, Richibucto, Cap-Pele, Cape Tormentine area and the central part as well.”
Richard says one of the challenges the fishermen are facing is the intense heat, “But there appears to be a lot of cooperation between the fishermen and their buyers to come in earlier to put their lobsters on ice.”
Richard says there was no hesitation for the fishermen to head out onto the waters this week, even with a pandemic, “Most of the crew on the ships are two to three people. Distancing doesn’t seem to be an issue because no cases have been flagged. So I think on that part, it’s going well,”
The lobster season runs until October 11th.
Richard doesn’t expect the fishermen will know until at least later this week or next, about how much they’ll get for the catch, “Our fishermen are being told by Processors that prices will be similar to what they were in the spring. In the spring, the prices ended up around $4.50 or $5. That was for canners and market.”
He says, considering the market challenges of the pandemic, many fishermen believe as they did in the spring, that is they can get those prices for their crustaceans, then it will be considered a good season.
