PEIFA declines lobster season extension

The Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association won't be asking the federal government to extend the spring lobster fishery despite a slow start to the season.

Executive director Ian MacPherson said they held a number of meetings with representatives from all harbours to weigh the pros and cons of asking for an extension.

In the end, he said, it came down to protecting the resource.

"That tends to be, you know, the focus of determining the end season dates and that would be based on what the fishers are observing on a local level," he said.

"Even though catches have been down, there's been an offset in prices and it would perhaps be better to end the season on the planned date."

Flexibility moving forward

MacPherson said rough weather kept catches down this spring, however there were higher prices being paid at the dock.

He said the water was very cold when the season started out and remained cold much longer than usual.

"As climate changes and conditions change, moving forward I think there needs to be some flexibility in all aspects looked at," he said.

"There may be times in the future where the season could be extended."

The final day of the 2016 spring season will be June 30.

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