Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) In Nova Scotia. Map from Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Choppy Waters: Southwestern Nova Scotia Lobster Season Faces Market, Weather Challenges

CANADA
Thursday, April 17, 2025, 04:00 (GMT + 9)

As the commercial lobster fishery in LFAs 33 and 34 enters its final stretch, industry stakeholders grapple with inconsistent catches, a sluggish market, and the impacts of global trade tensions.

With just over a month remaining in the six-month commercial lobster season for Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) 33 and 34, fishing efforts are ramping up in southwestern Nova Scotia after a long, punishing winter.

“The biggest problem has been the weather. It’s been bad,” said Mike Cotter, a lobster dealer based in Lockeport, in an interview with Kathy Johnson for the Tri-County Vanguard. “The water is starting to warm up a bit. The catches have picked up a bit. Before, the boats were going out once a week. Now they’re going more often.”

While some improvement in catch rates has been reported, the overall picture remains uncertain. “The catches seem to be coming on a little bit better—nothing great like they were last year,” Cotter added. “We never got any amount until May last year.”

Dan Fleck, executive director of the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association, echoed that sentiment, saying catch results have varied among harvesters. “For some fishermen, landings are up. For others, they’re down,” he said. “Overall, we are definitely down a substantial amount this year.”

Fleck described last season as an anomaly, with unusually high landings in April and May. “May was like our December. We had lots of catches,” he said. “Here we are mid-April and we’re not seeing it. The water is still cold. It’s not looking promising.”

He pointed to changing ocean patterns—possibly linked to climate change—as a contributing factor. “Everybody keeps talking about global warming. It’s definitely changed some of the ocean patterns. The water is staying cold.”

Shore Prices Drop Amid Foreign Market Pressures

Throughout much of the winter, the shore price for lobster in LFAs 33 and 34 remained stable at $15 per pound—a bright spot for many harvesters. That price dipped to $12 in mid-April as other Atlantic Canada lobster seasons opened. Cotter expects further price declines as more supply hits the market.

“Overall, I think the catches are probably down from last year,” Cotter said. “But we maintained that $15 shore price for so long. It wasn’t like last year when it went back and forth. That consistency really helped everybody out quite a bit.”

Compounding market challenges is the recent imposition of a 25% Chinese tariff on Canadian seafood, in effect since March 20. “The market is tough,” Cotter said. “It went to a standstill when the tariff first went on. They were not willing to pay more.”

As prices declined, however, Chinese buyers began returning. “Now that the price is down a bit, it’s at least feasible to ship to China again,” said Cotter.

Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, said it’s too early to gauge the full impact of the tariffs. “The picture will become clearer later in April and into May when all the districts open up and we have a large volume of lobster,” he said.

He noted that U.S. demand will be a key factor moving forward, particularly if concerns about a recession persist. As of April 15, the U.S. had not imposed tariffs on Canadian lobster.

Landings and Value Down Year-Over-Year

The commercial lobster season in LFAs 33 and 34 officially closes on May 31. The 2023–24 season has seen lower landings and slightly decreased overall value compared to recent years.

According to preliminary Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) statistics, the combined landed value for LFAs 33 and 34 reached $534 million in the 2023–24 season—down $9.6 million from the $543.6 million recorded in 2020–21.

Combined landings for both LFAs totaled 22,988 metric tonnes (MTs), a decline of 5,497 MTs from the 28,485 MTs harvested in 2020–21.

In LFA 33, 6,881 MTs of lobster were landed in 2023–24, valued at $163 million. That compares to:

• 7,692 MTs ($154.8M) in 2022–23

• 7,302 MTs ($176.1M) in 2021–22

• 7,269 MTs ($143.3M) in 2020–21

In LFA 34, 16,107 MTs were landed in 2023–24, valued at $371 million. By comparison:

• 16,707 MTs ($334.9M) in 2022–23

• 19,587 MTs ($448M) in 2021–22

• 21,216 MTs ($400.3M) in 2020–21

A total of 1,656 licence holders are active in LFAs 33 and 34—678 in LFA 33 and 978 in LFA 34.

As the season nears its conclusion, harvesters and dealers alike remain hopeful for stronger catches in May—but the outlook remains cautious amid unpredictable weather, global market pressures, and shifting ocean conditions.

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