Nova Scotia lobster season to kick off in parts of province
The season would normally have begun at the beginning of May, but ice in the water is causing delays
Lobster fishermen in some parts of northern Nova Scotia and western Cape Breton will finally be able to set their traps this week.
The season would normally open at the beginning of May, but the ice stuck around much longer than usual.
Dan MacDougall, president of the Gulf Nova Scotia Bonafide Fishermen's Association, says that many harbours were frozen. He adds that even as the thaw began, the risk of damaging equipment remained.
"There was ice hanging around enough that it could destroy your gear, your lobster traps and gear. It would hook into your gear so it wouldn't be prudent to put gear in the water with all that ice around, so basically that's the reason for the delay," he said.
There is an upside to the delayed start.
"Inventory is low. Demand seems very strong, so we expect coming out of the starting gate the prices to be quite a bit better than the last few years," said MacDougall.
The season will open Monday in the Antigonish area and on Tuesday along much of western Cape Breton.
There's still no opening date for lobster fishermen north of Inverness, where there's still a fair amount of ice offshore.