Lobster season begins on the North Shore and in Cape Breton
Floes from the prolonged winter kept fishermen off the water
Traps are being prepared and loaded onto boats by fisherman in northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton for the first day of their lobster season.
"Feels great to get back at 'er," says Colin MacDonald.
At Ballantynes Cove, 20 minutes north of Antigonish, around a dozen fishermen like MacDonald were up before 5 a.m. getting ready.
Fisherman from around Antigonish and Cape Breton have been forced to wait as the the season's first day was postponed. Floes from the prolonged winter kept them off the water.
Now the day has finally arrived, MacDonald says their hopes hang on a good price for their catch. There's also a concern for making up for lost time.
"[We'll] see what happens," says MacDonald. "Hopefully we'll have a decent catch and hopefully everybody will have a decent catch and a good price."
The delay has already presented a lost opportunity for lobster fishermen. Mother's Day is traditionally a day with a high volume of lobster sales.
There's still no opening date for lobster fishermen north of Inverness, where there's still a fair amount of ice offshore.