Lobster landings hit record levels in 2009
The Guardian
Prince Edward Island lobster landings reached a record high in 2009, but that was negated by record low prices for fishermen.
The total landings were 22.9 million pounds, up by 4.7 percent over 2008. The previous high was 22.7 million pounds in 1991.
The figures were released today by Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development Minister Neil LeClair.
LeClair said he is encouraged by the strong landings, but is disappointed in the low prices received during the past season.
The landed value is estimated at $75 million, a drop of 25 percent from last year’s value of just over $100 million.
“The 2009 lobster season was marked by low shore prices, the negative impacts of exchange rates, constraints on capital and declines in food service sales, particularly in the United States,” said LeClair.
“However, the continued higher landings indicate the resource is well-managed and sustainable as we move forward.”
Landings were higher in each of the province’s three lobster fishing areas. In the spring fishery in LFA 24, total landings were 14.4 million pounds, up by 2.9 percent from 2008.
Total landings in LFA 26A during the spring were 5.0 million pounds, up by 3.75 percent over the previous season.
The highest increase was in the fall fishery in LFA 25 where total landings were up by 15 percent over last year, reaching 3.49 million pounds. This is the fifth consecutive year of increases in the western Northumberland Strait.
“It is most encouraging to see landings increase in LFA 25, which had seen serious declines in earlier years,” said LeClair.
“My department continues to monitor the state of the resource in all areas through our lobster resource monitoring program and the data will be available later this year.”
LeClair said that the department is working closely with all sectors of the industry on its Five Point Lobster Plan to address the challenges it is facing. That plan includes low interest loans for all eligible fishers, marketing and promotion, new product development and rationalization of licenses.
He said the newly-established Lobster Council of Canada will also be working to strengthen the industry, which has been hit hard by market conditions.
“As new initiatives in market and product development are being implemented, all sectors of the industry should be encouraged by the fundamental health of the resource,” said Minister LeClair. “I am confident that we can build on the strengths of the industry.”
The lobster fishery employs 6,500 people in the fishing and processing sectors and normally contributes $250 million to the provincial economy. It accounts for 65 percent of the landed value of all fisheries in the province.
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Cry Me a River from pei writes: Fisherman break records and still complain all at once!
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Quiet Observer from Charlottetown, PEI writes: Let me get clear on this. In a lobster market that was already over-supplied, lobster fishermen who refused to voluntarily reduce their catches to reduce supply, actually went out and had their highest catches ever to add to the over-supply already on the market.
Then they turn around and complain about low prices and ask the tax payers to bail them out.
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Dick Buttkiss from Charlottetown, PE writes: Quiet Observer....sounds like you hit the nail right on the head!!!
The lobster fishermen on PEI are just greedy and obviously don't understand the business, otherwise they would have gladly reduced their quota this season, caught less lobsters so the supply would go down and the price would go up. They figured since the price was poor this season that they had to catch even more lobsters to make money, well they will find out next season when the price is even lower than it was this season.......then they will be crying for another government handout instead of doing the right thing and decreasing the amount of lobster they catch so the lobster supply will diminish and the price will go up.
Its not rocket appliances people!!! Reduce the supply, the price goes up because their is a demand. Keep the supply high and the prices will continue to go down.
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chris misener from pei writes: i agree we need a trap reduction but the problem goes alot deeper...
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PEI fisherman from PEI writes: It is quite obvious that you people with nothing else to do except make comments about things you know nothing about, are not in this industry. Maybe you would like to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars plus lots of interest on these loans and pay more for expenses than what you take in and then maybe you can make statements/comments on what is really true. If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all!
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TA from pei writes: PEI fisherman...are you for real...You run a business and don't understand the rule of supply and demand. No one would say anything about the fisherman if they didn't constantly want government money. Who pays the government? FYI its us tax payers. Record breaking catches then when the lobsters are gone they blame DFO. Give me a break.
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Dick Buttkiss from Charlottetown, PE writes: PEI Fisherman....sell your fancy trucks, ski-doos, sea-doos, ATV's, Campers and all your luxury items that you don't need in order to live a comfortable life and then come talk about how hard you have it. You might have big expenses and big debt but who got yourself into that debt??? The fishing industry has been just fair for the last 10 years or more, but yet people still sink money into it instead of getting out of it. Don't cry to me because you borrowed more money than you can afford to pay back.
Anyways....what are you worrying about.....there will be some kind of government handout coming your way next season....so don't worry about it!!!
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Cry Me a River from pei writes: To Pei Fisherman..your the one who paid the hundreds of thousands to fish...any other private business owner doesn't get the breaks you fisherman do! Quit your whining and go get a full time job!
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Lobster from PEI writes: Don't be upsetting the lobster fisherman. You know the truth hurts. I'll bet they were even higher than that if you take into account what was sold directly off the boat. One day I seen one fisherman who sold his whole catch & needed more to fill orders.
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steve from pei writes: just those gov't workers on here complaining about the fishermen...must be hard getting all the nice cozy jobs from ghiz while sipping your hot coffee would be the hardest part of your day
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bannie ============== from chtown, pei writes: you have a point steve and mr ghiz is
helping mr murphy keep his business
lucrutive as coffee again goes up.
Yes Chris please explain to the cryers
how deep it goes.
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chris misener from pei writes: listen guys just picture the job loss on this island with out US...FROM BUYERS ON THE WHARF, TRUCK DRIVERS.. PROCESSERS... and inderectly all the salespersons...i have a family, i work hard...as i have always said if its all that... GET INTO IT.. but a bunch of well lets say jelly fish who cant even say there own name...well thats ok...just keep crying that river...
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Old MacDonald from A Farm, EI EI OOOOOO!!! writes: Give it up Steve and all you other tax sucking fishermen.....you are outnumbered again...
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Bertie from AB writes: Maybe the rest of you islanders should sell off your ATVs and Skidoos before asking the rest of Canada to bail you out.
I can't believe some of these comments were typed with a straight face.
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Really though steve..... from pei writes: Has Ghiz given anyone a job? I mean if by job you mean PNP units then I guess he did...
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Steve from PEI writes: For all you folk who think we have it easy: check the Eastern Graphic, lots of gears for sail in the Strait and in the Gulf.
For the people who say fishermen get all the handouts: Look at the unions out there. Every other profession is just as bad, especially the government workers, so don't tell me fishermen get it all.
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Michael Nesbitt from Miscouche, PE writes: I have heard a lot of talk of paying fishermen to retire over the past couple of years. Minister LeClair even notes rationalization as one of the factors in this article.
One thing that is missing from the information is the number of fishers involved in this catch. How many boats were on the water this year? What was their average trap load? How many fishers were involved this year, compared to previous years?
Is enough being done to ensure sustainability for those in the industry, whether self-directed or imposed?
Where is the rest of the story?
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Reall tho steve from pei writes: You have a union of sorts...take a look at the right hand side of this page and vote on whether you support Mr.Drake or not...he just happened to be one of those greedy fisherman who couldn't help himself...fisherman couldn't have a union-how would they ever agree on everything??
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