A Nova Scotia fisherman who was visiting his son with leukemia in hospital was devastated to return to his boat to find $1,200 worth of lobster had been stolen.

Trevor Jollymore made the discovery Monday after spending five days with his son, Sean, who has been battling cancer for more than two years.

“I pulled up on the rope because it’s a sinkable rope, and it was cut as clean as anything. They were gone,” Jollymore said.

It was a heartbreaking discovery for Jollymore, whose family has been fishing out of Mahone Bay, N.S., for seven generations. And it’s unlikely the theft would’ve been easy – the trap was loaded with 125 lbs. (or 56 kilograms) of lobster.

To make matters tougher, the lobster season hasn’t been particularly bountiful this season, and the cage represented a significant chunk of income for the family.

Kate Jollymore, Trevor’s wife, said the news was hard to take.

“It’s basically kicking a person when they’re down. Our son has been in leukemia treatment for 26 months,” she said.

It isn’t the first report of missing lobster in the area. Trevor Jollymore said other fisherman have reported similar thefts in the nearby Aspotogan Peninsula.

The family doesn’t expect to get their lobster back, but they hope that by sharing their story, the thieves will be caught.

With a report from CTV Atlantic's Ron Shaw.