The Heightons Have Always Been Lobster Fisherman

Well, except me. I like to eat lobster. Does that count? I once taught a kid who looked like a lobster? Does that give me cred on the boat? Sad that the price of lobster has fallen so much and I am embarrassed to say that I will take advantage of this first thing in the morning. River John NB is the old country for my family and I am about as removed from the sea as anyone can be. Now all I have to look forward to are the angry lobster fisherman that I have pissed off as much as the taxidermists.

"RIVER JOHN — A leading lobster fisherman hopes the price of lobster will rise above the price of bologna. If it doesn’t, lobster fishermen will be facing a tough time, Northumberland Fishermen’s Association president Ron Heighton said Saturday. Bologna sold at a New Glasgow Sobeys on Saturday for $7.69 a kilogram, which is a fraction of a cent less than $3.50 per pound. Fishermen along the Northumberland shore are getting $3.50 to $4 per pound, depending on the size of the lobsters. With an average catch of 200 to 300 pounds, there are days it doesn’t pay to take the boat from the wharf because the cost of hired labour, fuel, bait, insurance and licences add up quickly, Mr. Heighton said. "I have to make $500 to break even," the River John resident said. "The price is down and we expect it to go down further after Mother’s Day. It always does." The lower prices coincide with a drop in demand. "We’re not selling as many, because people aren’t eating out and they’re not eating lobster," Mr. Heighton said. He’s heard of a couple of lobstermen who aren’t fishing this year. In other parts of the Southern Gulf, landings are higher, he said. The Southern Gulf region includes the Gaspe Peninsula, New Brunswick, the Magdalen Islands, Prince Edward Island and northern Nova Scotia. In Prince Edward Island, some catches have reached a tonne. Buyers are limiting those fishermen to 500 pounds because the market is so poor, prompting some fishermen to stay home. "If someone would give me 500 pounds I’d click my heels," Mr. Heighton said. He added that lobster populations along the central part of the Northumberland shore are adversely affected by tides that wash around both ends of Prince Edward Island and carry away lobster larvae. "The centre part of the Strait seems to be the dead zone." He blames the ebbing economic tide for poor sales, noting that in the United States some restaurant chains report losing millions of dollars every two weeks. Mr. Heighton has a message for those who’ve decided against a feed of lobster this summer. "They’re full, with a hard shell — the highest quality you’ll ever get."