Homarus Americanus (Lobster) Fishing
in Atlantic Canada
Harvesting Practices by
Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU) Fish Harvesters
The Lobster Fishery in a nutshell
• Lobster harvesters in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia own
and operate their own fishing enterprise
• Harvesters fish other fishing licenses, thus are multi-species
fishers (i.e. herring, scallops, mackerel, etc.)
•There are over 10,000 lobster harvesters in Atlantic Canada,
creating employment for another 30,000 helpers and over
10,000 fish plant workers
•1,500 of these harvesters are members of our organization
(Maritime Fishermen’s Union - MFU)
• Each boat employs an average of 2 helpers
• Homarus Americanus fishing
Areas (Canada and USA) in
red
• MFU Fishing areas indicated
with blue arrows
Boats are 45 usually feet in lenght made out of wood or more recently made
out of fiberglass – this is a typical example of an MFU harvester lobster boat
Older more recent traps
Oldest traditional traps
捕捞龙虾的陷笼示意图
Modern lobster traps used most commonly today
Hoop where lobster
enter – also serves
to eliminate the
entry of larger
lobsters
Bait introduced into the
trap to attract lobster
Escape mechanism
to let smaller
lobsters exit the trap
A great variety of bait in used to attract lobster into the
traps such as herring, mackerel, plaize, etc…
Traps are released and boeys indicate their
whereabouts so they can be retreaved at a
later date…
The lobster boat has a series of tools crucial to its function – but none
as important as the winch – used to lift the lobster traps into the boat
A reverse view of the winch used to lift
traps from the water as demonstrated
here…
We have ourselves one good sized
lobster in a trap!!
Before the lobster can be taken to shore, it
must meet some legal size requirements –
this is measured with the metal instrument
depicted in this photo…
The legal size of the lobster carapace is measured from the two points
showed below… if the lobster is too small, it is released into the water
immediately.
Lobster claws are most commonly banded with elastics to avoid
their use as weapons between themselves – this ensures better
quality in the end
Bands used usually give indications
of where they were caught
This is a female lobster with eggs attached
to its tail. An egged female is immediately
returned to the waters so it can hatch its
eggs and bear small lobster larvae for future
years.
It is possible to tell if a lobster is male
or female by checking under its tail…
Modern technology is used for fishing and
for safety purposes
It’s supper
time!!!
Now this seems
like one great treat!
The clean blue seas where lobster fishing is a
way of life…
… and where not only harvesters can enjoy the benefits
of the blue ocean… with beautiful beaches and
recreational boating…
This is our reality always near blue waters
of some form and lots of it!
… there is nothing quite like the feeling of taking
on the ocean in a fishing boat as the sun shines
on your face…
We hope this presentation gives you a better
idea of « one day in the life of an MFU lobster
fish harvester ».