NR-MAR-04-04E
LOBSTER SEASON OPENS IN EASTERN NOVA SCOTIA AND THE ATLANTIC COAST OF CAPE BRETON
April 29, 2004
Dartmouth, N.S. - The 2004 lobster season has arrived for close to 950 fishers along Nova Scotia's eastern shore, Atlantic coast of Cape Breton and in Bras d'Or Lake.
The two-month season opens on May 1 in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 28, which encompasses Bras d'Or Lake, and May 10 in LFA 29 that extends from the Canso Causeway to St. Peter's. Opening dates are May 15 in LFA 27 from Cape North to Louisbourg, and May 19 in LFA 30 from Louisbourg to St. Peter's.
Fishers in LFA 27 each have a limit of 275 traps, while those in LFAs 28, 29 and 30 have a limit of 250 traps.
According to Neil A. Bellefontaine, DFO's Regional Director-General for DFO's Maritimes Region, favourable environmental conditions and cooperation from fishers on conservation measures have helped improve landings in recent years.
"Landings increased by 38% in 2003 - for a total of 2,000 tonnes - contributing $27 million to the Cape Breton economy," Bellefontaine said.
Since 1998, DFO has worked with fishers in these areas and elsewhere in Atlantic Canada to implement conservation measures to improve the health of lobster stocks. The main objective is protecting mature reproducing females. Fishers in each LFA have been able to select measures best suited to their area. In eastern Nova Scotia, measures include maximum size, restricted "window" size for female lobsters and v-notching.
On the Eastern Shore, the two-month season opened April 19 for LFAs 31B and 32, and will open on April 29 for LFA 31A. The lobster fishery in these three areas was worth $10.6 million in 2003, with landings of almost 800 tonnes, an 18% increase from 2002.
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Additional information on lobster management in the Maritimes Region is available at:
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/infocus/2004/20040325/sheet-feuillet3_e.htm
A map of Lobster Fishery Areas in Atlantic Canada is available at:
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/infocus/2004/20040325/maps/lobster.jpg
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