PORTLAND, Maine — August 8, 2012 — Canadian lobstermen set up blockades at factories, and six to eight plants in Atlantic Canada stopped processing operations Tuesday amid intensifying protests demanding that the plants not accept low-priced Maine lobster.
Last week, lobstermen blocked trucks from delivering lobsters to plants in Shediac and Cap-Pele, New Brunswick. The blockades have raised fears among Maine lobster dealers that ship tens of millions of pounds to Canadian processors annually.
Fishermen on Tuesday blockaded more processing plants, claiming the low price of Maine lobster is driving down the price of Canadian lobster. By late Tuesday, four to six processors in New Brunswick and at least two in Prince Edward Island had agreed to suspend operations for at least two days, Maine Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher said.
Maine lobster dealers now are scrambling to find processors elsewhere in Canada who will take their product. Dealers are having to slow down their lobster purchases from lobstermen, potentially creating even more of a glut of lobster and driving down prices even more, Keliher said.
‘‘It’s too soon to call it a crisis, but it’s a serious situation,’’ he told The Associated Press. ‘‘Right now, from my perspective, it’s potentially going to get worse.’’
Canadian lobstermen say the low price of Maine lobsters is driving down the price they'll get for their catch when their seasons open. Videos and photos show large groups of protesting Canadian lobstermen dumping Maine lobsters in the street and holding signs saying things like, ‘‘No More U.S. Lobster.’’
A deal reached last week among New Brunswick Fisheries Minister Michael Olscamp, processing plants and the Maritime Fishermen’s Union called for New Brunswick lobstermen to be paid at least $2.50 a pound for lobster that was going to be processed and $3 a pound for product for the live market.
Read the full story from the AP at the Boston Globe.