Lobster season begins in northern New Brunswick today, and while weather conditions couldn’t be better, the market conditions aren’t looking so favourable.
Fishermen along New Brunswick’s northern coast say the challenge may not be finding the lobster, but getting a fair price for their catch. Some fear this year's prices may be even lower than last year's.
“Everybody is hoping for the best, hoping the price is right,” says lobster fisher Pam Lambert. “All we can do is hope for the best.”
Representatives from the Maritime Fishermen’s Union are blaming the price-per-pound guessing game on processors.
“Uncertainty in the market situation is the word of the day, especially in frozen markets,” said union spokesman Christian Brun in a statement. “Plant owners are saying very little and harvesters are in the dark. At the very least, catches should be good this year.”
Several fishing boats left the wharf in Neguac, N.B. around 6 a.m. this morning, some of them setting more than 300 traps.
The fishermen won’t know what they will get for their catch until the traps are hauled up tomorrow.
“It’s always been like that,” says lobster fisherman Roger LeBlanc. “We never know the price before we get to the wharf, for some reason.”
Price uncertainty aside, consumers will see lobster in stores soon.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis
