OTTAWA: As fishermen in other areas prepare to return, the opening of the lobster season for fishermen in Antigonish and Inverness counties has been delayed.
Last week, Fisheries and Oceans Canada confirmed that the 2020 season for Lobster Fishery Areas 26A and 26B, covering the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, has been rescheduled to May 15.
Fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan told The Reporter that the DFO has been working closely with member associations, processors, and harvesters across the country to determine what is needed to have a safe fishing season.
“With these delays, we are maintaining a shared opening date for lobster fisheries across the Gulf region, helping ensure continued cooperation across the industry,” Jordan said in a statement. “The additional time will enable processing plants to prepare their facilities and workforce for the upcoming season, and allow everyone across the industry to put in place the necessary health and safety measures in response to COVID-19.”
Last week, Jordan also announced $62.5 million in new assistance to the fish and seafood processing sector. This new Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund will help businesses: access short-term financing to pay for maintenance and inventory costs; add storage capacity for unsold product; comply with new health and safety measures for workers; support new manufacturing/automated technologies to improve productivity and quality of finished seafood products; and adapt products to respond to changing requirements and new market demands.
The Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund will be delivered through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Further details on how and when processors can apply for assistance will be confirmed at a later date.
Earlier this month, Jordan issued a statement, stating that despite allowing fisheries to open and declaring fishermen and plant workers an essential service, it is not business as usual.
The minister said the fish and seafood sector is essential to Canada’s food supply chain and many coastal communities depend on it for their own food and economic security.
In the case of processing plants, the longer the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the harder it becomes for them to operate, Jordan said, pointing to rising costs and strains on efficiencies.
Jordan said measures announced by her government are designed to help as many Canadians as possible and ensure all sectors are able to get through this difficult time. She noted that the eligibility expansion of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) includes seasonal workers who have exhausted Employment Insurance benefits. Recipients are allowed to earn up to $1,000 per month while also collecting the CERB.
But even after federal and provincial officials deemed the fishery an essential service, lobster fishermen in areas around the Strait area debated whether to return to the water, especially groups in Inverness County.
Cape Breton-Canso MP Mike Kelloway said he’s been speaking with constituents and local leaders regularly, and among fishermen and their groups, opinions are divided.
Jordan told The Reporter it is up to fishermen in each area to make the final decision when and whether to return to the water. Even if a group decides not to return, harvesters are permitted to fish when the season opens, and in areas where the organizations vote to fish, individual fishermen have the right to stay home.
All processors in Nova Scotia agreed to delay the season until at least April 20 while procedures and protocols are implemented, and workers are trained.
Provincial spokesperson Marla MacInnis told The Reporter that fish plant workers are exempt from the five-person rule but all other social distancing and public health protocols must be adhered to in all other day-to-day activities, unless it would impact safety.
The provincial Health Protection Act was also amended to include workers in the fishing and offshore industries. Now any offshore worker, fisher or temporary foreign worker entering the province must self-isolate for 14 days.