N.B. lobster fishery's 'terrible' season ends

Many fishermen are scrambling to pay their bills as a disappointing lobster season in northeastern New Brunswick ends Tuesday.

The Maritime Fishermen's Union says because of low prices, the season has been one of the worst in years.

'I'm not going to make any money this year, you know? Not one cent.' — Herménégilde Robichaud, lobster fisherman

Zoel Losier, standing at the Val Comeau wharf, in the fishing boat he bought just three years ago, has major payments to make on it. But the 50-year-old said he's not sure where he'll get the money.

"We're just having bad years and we're just trying to make a living," Losier said.

"But the way the price is going there, it's just terrible. There's no way you can survive with that."

The fishermen's union said lobster prices have plummeted more than 30 per cent from last year, and that means a troubling drop in revenue for the 700 fishermen in the fishing zone.

Herménégilde Robichaud, a fisherman for 37 years, said this is the worst season in memory.

"I'm not going to make any money this year, you know? Not one cent," he said.

Union proposes reducing licences

Emanuel Moyen, a spokesman for the Maritime Fishermen's Union, said immediate solutions are needed to prevent another disastrous lobster season next year.

He said none of the fishermen he knows earned a profit this season; instead, many suffered major financial losses.

One solution the union proposes is reducing the number of fishermen in the region. It wants the government to buy back some fishing licences to decrease the supply of lobster and potentially drive up the price.

Moyen said they need help from the provincial and federal governments to prevent another devastating season next year.

Earlier this month, federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea announced $65 million to help Maritime fishermen. But Moyen said that given the depth of the crisis, that money is not enough.