Name: Commercial lobster fishing season kicks off amid hefty tariffs
Uploaded: 2025-11-25T00:51:02.851Z
Duration: 3 min 9 s
Description: The commercial lobster fishing season in southwestern Nova Scotia kicks off as fishing boats race to dump their traps in prime locations for catching the crustaceans. Live lobster exports to China are down by 50 per cent since March when China imposed a tariff on Canadian lobster.

The commercial lobster fishing season in southwestern Nova Scotia kicks off as fishing boats race to dump their traps in prime locations for catching the crustaceans. Live lobster exports to China are down by 50 per cent since March when China imposed a tariff on Canadian lobster.

Nova Scotia

The commercial lobster fishing season has officially begun in southwestern Nova Scotia, marked by the traditional 'dumping day' when crews set out before dawn to lay their traps. This region, home to Canada's most lucrative lobster fishery, sees most fishermen earn their annual income within a four to five week period, creating a high-pressure environment.

This year's season faces additional challenges as Canadian lobster exports to China have dropped by about 50% due to retaliatory tariffs imposed by China in response to Canadian tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Despite these hurdles, the United States remains the largest market for Canadian lobster, and the season continues with approximately 1,450 boats participating.

Commercial lobster fishing season kicks off amid hefty tariffs

It is one of the most important days of the year for commercial lobster fishermen in southwestern Nova Scotia. The lobster season officially kicked off earlier this morning with the annual dumping day. Crews took to the sea before the crack of dawn, including in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, as well-wishers sent them on their way. And Brett Ruskin has been following this story for us throughout the morning from Gunning Cove, Nova Scotia. I know, Brett, you talked about the sights and the smells. So how is it looking and smelling this morning? If this looks like a fish head next to me, Marianne, it's because it is a fish head and smells exactly like you can imagine a severed fish head would smell. But that smell is delicious to lobsters that are going to be eventually crawling into this trap once it gets dumped into the Atlantic Ocean here off the coast of Nova Scotia. So this is the most lucrative lobster fishery in the country here in southwestern Nova Scotia. It's divided into two areas, lobster fishing area 34, lobster fishing area 33. They left and left port at different times this morning. So I was able to catch up with both of them and see both departures of the different boats. So at 5 a.m. and then at 7 a.m. And again, it's a race to go out and dump your traps in your favorite fishing spots that you've probably fished over the last number of years or generations to try to, again, make the most amount of money that you can in the short time that is typically devoted to this lobster fishing season. Most people are going to be making their annual income in the next four to five weeks. And so there's lots of pressure, lots of stress and some danger and some risks as well. I spoke with the head of the Lobster Council of Canada talking about some of the challenges with dumping day. Have a listen. Our exports are down by about 50% to China due to these tariffs. So we're advocating aggressively with the government to try to do something about these tariffs. I was just in China. There's some positive signs, certainly. But where Canadian lobster is priced much more aggressively because of the tariffs, our competitors have been able to come in from other lobster producing areas and take some of our market. So we have to work harder to get that back. Now, obviously, that was information about the tariffs that some of the Canadian seafood is under right now. These are retaliatory tariffs that the Chinese government have imposed in the last 12 months or so in response to Canada's tariffs on electric vehicles, Chinese electric vehicles coming here to Canada. So China has imposed these tariffs, making it a little more difficult to send this lobster product to China. But there is still the largest consumer of Canadian lobster, which is the United States. And so that is where most of this lobster is going to go. So once again, dumping day well underway here on the East Coast with, again, southwestern Nova Scotia sending about 1,450 boats out early at daybreak this morning to kick off lobster season here in this part of the province. You are a trooper, Brett, to stand beside that fish head, as you said. Thank you so much for your coverage this morning.

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