Lobster catch weak in strait

The lobster fishery along P.E.I.'s Northumberland Strait is off to another slow start this year.

The season started Friday for the North Shore and the eastern part of the Northumberland Strait. There are reports of some good catches on the North Shore, but fishermen on the strait are finding the season is off to a slow start. Brian MacPhee hauled 300 traps Monday and didn't quite fill two trays for his efforts.

"Not a whole lot. Probably 130 pounds or so," MacPhee told CBC News.

"That's what we've been getting. It's started off pretty slow."

Many fishermen in Sourissaid they're they're getting 250 grams or less per trap, as opposed to1.5 kilograms in North Rustico.It's the second year in a row they've had such a slow start. Francis MacPhee, who has fished lobster for 46 years, said there are lots of theories but no hard answers about the poor catch.

"Some people say it's the water temperature. Some more people say it's pollution. I don't know," he said.

Local lobster processors are already running and hungry for product. The Ocean Choice plant in Souris is trucking in lobster from Newfoundland until the supply from P.E.I. improves.

Butseveral fishermen in Souris said they believe catches will improve as the water warms up, since that's what happened last year.

"Everybody says it's cold water, but they're not crawling around anyway now," fisherman Terry Carter said.

"It was about three weeks before we saw any amount of fish [last year]. No panic yet."

Apart from whether they will see more lobster in their traps, fishermen are still facing the unknown ofhow muchpayment they'll get. Dockside buyers haven't yet announced what they'll pay this year. Fishermen expect to know later this week. Top prices in Nova Scotia so far this year are $11 a kilogram.