At deadline, the commercial lobster fishing season in lobster fishing areas (LFAs) 33 and 34 was slated to open, weather permitting, yesterday on Nov. 24. Together the two LFAs cover an area stretching from Burns Point, Digby Co. to Cole Harbour, Halifax Co. – encompassing Yarmouth, Shelburne, Queens and Lunenburg counties in between.
There are about 1,700 licence holders and each boat has crews of three, four or more people. On opening day – historically referred to as dumping day – vessels stacked with lobster traps, rope, buoys, balloons and other gear head out to sea to dump their traps.
Some of the larger boats will do it in one trip, loading all 375 traps in one shot. Others will make two or three trips.
It’s because of these heavy trap loads that safety becomes a critical concern on the opening day of the fishery, noted Barry Smith of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. Smith said overall the plan doesn’t change much from year to year, nor does the cautions given to fishermen: monitor the weather, check your safety gear as closely as you check your lobster gear and if you’re forced to make a call for help, it’s better to rely on your radio so others can listen in rather than your cell phone where the conversation is only between you and one other person.
However, as much as lobster fishermen are encouraged to be responsible for their safety, officials recognize the unexpected can happen – like mechanical breakdowns or sunken vessels, so an arsenal of vessels and aircraft are deployed or on standby.
The Coast Guard vessel Edward Cornwallis is on standby in the Yarmouth area while the Earl Grey is on standby in the Lunenburg/Lahave area. Coast Guard cutters, like the Westport and Sambro, are patrolling the region in addition to various DFO vessels patrolling on the water. While their primary mandate is enforcement Smith says, “We can use them to respond to a distress if we need them.”
A Cormorant helicopter and Hercules aircraft are also patroling the entire area.
Rescue officials recommend that fishermen keep their radios on Channel 16 so they are aware of any boats that might be in distress close by. And fishermen are being told not to hesitate to call for help if they think another vessel might be in trouble.
Fishermen are advised to wear personal floatation devices and to have a registered EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) on board. Fishermen are also being told not to lend their EPIRBs to other vessels as this, along with an unregistered EPIRB, could slow down rescue efforts.
“We also recommend you don’t stand off too early because the resources won’t be in place yet,” Smith said.
Lobster season safety a priority
By Tina Comeau TRANSCONTINENTAL MEDIA NovaNewsNow.com Officials from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax say the lobster fishery off of southwestern Nova Scotia is the largest fishery in the province, and the most risky, which is why it is devoting many resources during the first two opening days of the fishery.
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