December 13, 2019 โ A sixteenth of an inch doesnโt seem like much. But it added up to a whole lot for Nova Scotia lobstermen in December 1989.
A new law had been passed in the United States that increased the minimum allowable size of lobsters for import, by that seemingly insignificant margin.
The CBC camera showed a live lobster being measured using a specialized device.
But as Halifax reporter Paul Barr explained, the difference was anything but insignificant.
โThat might not sound like much of a change to a non-fisherman,โ he explained. โBut in reality, it means as much as a quarter-pound increase in weight.โ
That meant that fishermen were spending time catching lobsters they couldnโt export.