Low Lobster Prices Causes Worry

The consumption of lobster, considered a luxury product, has dropped considerably on the American and Canadian markets during this period of economic recession. This drop in the consumption has caused a serious drop in price.

As well, the lobster fishermen of the Atlantic Provinces and of the Gaspesia request an emergency meeting with the Federal and Provincial Ministers to attempt to find a solution to this problem. In a communique, The Union of Fishermen, who represent some 9000 fishers, estimate that the authorities are ignoring the important benefits of this fish. The price paid for the lobster is actually somewhere around $2.75 to $3.50 per pound, which hasn’t been so low in thirty years.

The fishermen of Prince Edward Island are harvesting less lobster then they can, for fear that they will not be able to sell the product. They must limit their catches because the buyers on the wharves refuse to give them more than $3.50 per lobster.

For their part, the Fishermen’s Association of the Iles-de-la-Madeleine, the industry and the Deputy of Gaspesia have launched a vast campaign to convince consumers to buy Quebec lobster, last Friday evening.