Too much competition in Maritime lobster fishery, says Shea

The Maritime provinces need to stop competing against each other, says federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea, and proceed with a lobster levy to promote Canadian lobster internationally.

"It became abundantly clear to me in travelling internationally that the industry has been doing way too much competing against each other instead of working together to get products to market," said Shea.

P.E.I. fishermen have voted in support of the levy, New Brunswick fishermen are still consulting, but lobster buyers from southwestern Nova Scotia rejected the Maritime levy in a unanimous vote last month.

Shea said as far as she knows Nova Scotia is still interested.

"The whole notion of having a levy to promote Canadian products certainly would be beneficial, but I can't speak to what Nova Scotia may or may not do," she said.

The Maritime levy would raise millions of dollars to promote a generic Canadian-branded lobster by charging one cent a pound from fishermen and one cent from buyers.

For mobile device users: Do Maritime lobster fishermen need to work together more to be successful?