June 3, 2014 — The lobster fishery in Nova Scotia has come to a standstill, and some P.E.I. fishermen have been told to tie up their boats.
In Nova Scotia, lobster pounds and plants are at near capacity. P.E.I. fishermen have been put on quotas or told not to fish at all.
Fishermen in the those provinces are hearing different reasons for the tie-up. Nova Scotia fishermen have been told there is too much lobster, and no one is buying until later this week, forcing them to hold off on fishing during the short spring season.
P.E.I. fishermen are being told there is a shortage of labour in the processing plants.
In Pictou County and on P.E.I., the season opened in early May and will end in another 30 days.
Ronnie Heighton, who fishes out of Cape John, N.S., just found out Monday that his buyer is shutting him down.
"We were blindsided. Never seen this coming at all," he said.
"We've only got two months. We're not like sou' west Nova Scotia where they have six months to fish. We only have two months here and every day we lose is quite substantial to our overall yearly income."
Heighton says the shutdown this week will cost him about $4,000.