Maine's low lobster prices worry Island fishermen

The fall lobster season is expected to open on P.E.I. in a few weeks, but some local fishermen worry low prices in Maine will affect the P.E.I. lobster market.

Reports out of United States have some lobster selling for under $2 a pound.

That has local fishermen casting an anxious look towards the Maine market. However Ian MacPherson, executive director of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association, said hard-shelled Island lobster is better quality.

"There are low prices down in Maine right now and it is due to some significant catches of what are called shedder lobsters. These are lobsters that have a soft shell and generally don't command the prices that the hard-shell lobsters do. It puts a lot of lobster on the market and there are offers to have quite inexpensive Maine lobster be shipped up here for processing," he said.

"We don't want it to artificially pull down our price when really we are talking about two significantly different products," he said.

Some fishermen from Maine say good catches in the Maritimes have had a negative impact on their price.