P.E.I. fishermen hit the water as fall lobster fishery starts

With no size increase, fishermen optimistic of good catch rates

Fishing boats sailed into a stiff breeze Thursday morning as they set out from West Point Harbour on the opening day of the fall lobster fishery. Boats from Tignish to Victoria share the Northumberland Strait fishing grounds with fishermen from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Their season runs until Oct. 9. - Eric McCarthy

WEST POINT, P.E.I. — Get the lobster pot ready.

Approximately 20 minutes after the fall lobster fishing season opened, loaded fishing boats from Howard’s Cove were already passing the West Cape coastline Thursday morning en route for West Point and beyond.

Prince Edward Island fall lobster fishermen set out from ports from Tignish to Victoria on Thursday morning as their fall season officially got underway at 6 a.m

The fishery takes in the western half of the Northumberland Strait and also involves mainland fishermen from Chatham, N.B., to Amherst, N.S.

The 225 P.E.I. boats, based on DFO numbers for 2018, account for about 32 per cent of the fishing effort in LFA 25.

There are 471 New Brunswick boats and 15 Nova Scotia boats in the fall fishery.

The lobster fishing season runs until Oct. 9.

After carapace size increases over the last three fall seasons, there is no change in the measure this year.

Any lobster with a carapace length less than 77 mm must be returned to the water, the same as last year’s requirement.

Despite the size increase over the past three years, the Prince Edward Island boats continued to post record landings, and with no further increases scheduled, fishermen are confident landings will be up again.