Long days, growing frustration at Covehead Harbour as dredging continues

Concerns are growing for P.E.I. fishermenover navigating around sandbars after a lobster boat got stuck in Covehead Harbour Thursday afternoon the latest incident in what's been a week of rough sailing for some Island fishermen.

The Transportation Safety Board has also had investigators at Hardy's Channel after a lobster boat got stuckthere Monday. A spokesperson saidthey're still gathering and assessing information.

"It's making longer days, burning more fuel and trying to revolve our day around the tides," said Jeff Shaffer, a deck hand on a boat inCovehead.

"Instead of just leavingat normal time, we're coming when the tide's at the highest, and try and race and try and get it done before the tide is gone out, but it doesn't work out," Shaffer said. "It's definitelyadding a couple hours to our day."

For instance Shaffer said theyhad to cut their fishing day short Thursday because the boat was in port re-fueling when the tide went out, making crossing the sandbar impossible.

Week-long struggles

Dock workers saidthe latest crew to get stuck Thursday afternoon was trapped on a sandbar for about five hours.

CBC spoke with the captain of the boat that got stuckat CoveheadThursday,who said hewants to know why more dredging wasn't done in April before the lobster season started.

Earlier this week, fishermen at Covehead were unable to get past a sandbar and were redirected to dock at TracadieHarbour or North RusticoHarbour.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans iscontinuing its surveys of Hardy's Channel and Covehead Harbour, looking to see if the areas need to be dredged.

'It causes quite a mayhem'

Even with adredger on site,dredging has been delayed because conditions on the water have been too rough to operate the equipment.

"I just want to see them get it all dredged out," said Tyler Stanley, who helps unload fishing boats at Covehead.

"It's slowing down production out here, it's slowing down the fishermen and everyone's just having a hard time getting through it. It causes quite a mayhem."

Fishermen are coming into port several hours later than usual and are concerned about getting their catch into coolers in a timely manner, Stanley said.

P.E.I. Fisheries Minister Robert Henderson told CBCNewsit will take at least four more days before the area is properly dredged and thatfishermen should be cautiousheading out onto the water.

"I urge all fishers to take these equations into context and make sure that they're properly making decisions when they're loading their boats, to entering in and out of a harbour, to make sure that they take weather conditions into a factor," he said.

For safety reasons, dredging can't take place when conditions are too rough,Henderson said.

There are also dredges in place at North Lake and MalpequeHarbours, Henderson said.

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