$200K lobster shipment blocked by fishermen

Fishermen in P.E.I. blocked a $200,000 lobster shipment destined for the US from leaving the island, in a protest against unfairly low lobster prices, this past Saturday.

According to CBCNews, lobster fishermen across the Maritime have been protesting low lobster prices, which vary across the three provinces and range from between $2.75 and $3.75 per pound for canner lobster, and between $3.25 and $4 per pound for market-sized.

Many fishermen say anything less than $5 a pound is unreasonable, due to the rising cost of fuel and bait. 

Tensions remained high after a hundred fishermen continued their blockade of the Beach Point processing plant in P.E.I. on Saturday, despite an injunction being filed against them earlier in the week.

In eastern New Brunswick, lobster fishermen tied up their boats for a fourth day on Saturday to protest the low prices they are receiving for their catch.

Lobster is Canada’s most valuable seafood export. Around 50,000 to 55,000 tonnes of lobster is caught annually in Canada, with 78% headed for the US market, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to the Canadian economy.

Flickr Photo by: klwatts

STORY WRITTEN BY: SPOON JUNG