Nova Scotia lobster catch on South Shore broke records in 2014
In 2014, 700 license holders on the South Shore caught nearly 6,000 metric tonnes of lobster
Last year's lobster catch on Nova Scotia's South Shore smashed all previous records.
Federal fisheries scientist John Tremblay has been tracking lobster abundance and says the high landings are phenomenal.
"All lobster biologists continue to be surprised and amazed at this species."
Tremblay just released an assessment on lobster fishing areas on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia from Cape Breton to Shelburne.
In 2014, 700 license holders on the South Shore caught nearly 6,000 metric tonnes — the most ever recorded.
"Our commercial catch of lobster is the highest we've seen recorded going back to the 1800s, in LFA 33 and LFA 34, which is southwestern Nova Scotia," Tremblay said.
A variety of factors may be at work, he said. There are fewer cod to eat juvenile lobster, climate change could be moving the lobster biomass north to colder water, and in some areas the government has increased the size that lobster can been caught.
"Conditions seem to be very good for lobster survial and growth right now. Whether those conditions are related primarily to physical or biological elements, we still have to determine."
Given the number of smaller lobsters being seen, DFO expects this trend to continue.