In the eastern Cape Breton the lobster catches were on par or a bit better than last year but the prices were on the low side, says the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. According to Paul Gentile, acting director to the department, the catches were perhaps a bit above average in the southern portion of the region, while central and northern portions were on par with last year.
Gentile informed that the prices were a bit low due to demand and the strength of the Canadian dollar in the U.S, marketplace, so for some they found it challenging because they were having relatively decent landings but the pricing was impacting their capacity to offset costs. He added that soaring fuel prices were a major concern for fishermen in the area.
There is no denying fact that fuel prices had reached national highs in a lot of cases and the fishing industry hampers most as it requires diesel fuel just like anyone else needs to run their plant or their equipment. In Cape Breton area the catches of lobster turned out good enough this season but as the demand decrease the prices of lobsters also went down and that affects the lobster fishermen in the area.
