Present economic crisis have affected the lobster fishery of PEI badly. The prices surged briefly over the holidays, but they are expected to fall again. It is signalling trouble for the P.E.I. spring lobster fishery. It is said that the fishermen of PEI have seen some of the lowest prices they’d had in decades last year, and this year is expected to be significantly worse.
P.E.I. Fisheries Minister Allan Campbell said that the prices have been excellent for consumers recently, around $13 a kilogram, but the good news for consumers has been bad for fishermen who hope to get that kind of price at the wharf. The situation is grave that the minister is said to be holding a series of meetings before the end of the month with Maritime fisheries ministers and with local fishermen and processors to try to find a solution to the problem.
Ken Drake, who fishes out of Red Head Harbour near Morell, informed that there is an urgent need of an income stabilization of some kind where we have a minimum price that it won’t go below. Processors on P.E.I. already have a lot of frozen lobster in storage that they can’t sell. Drake told that a better solution would be for government to buy out licences from fishermen who want to retire.
Even the lobster licence buyouts also fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Now very much is depend on new Fisheries Minister Gail Shea, opined Campbell.
