Along the Eastern Shore, lobster
fishermen set their first traps of the season on April 19th. The hard
work of getting ready is over.
Boats have been freshly painted; engines have been oiled and repaired.
Pots, old & new, line the wharves.
While the
fishermen waited for open season, some prayed for good weather. Others
will take their chances on the whims of nature, believing only in Lady
Luck and the 2009 market.
Among themselves, they speak in hushed tones about
prices, possibly lower than last year's top of $4.36 a pound.
In the industry, there is talk of proposed bridge financing to get them
through the downturn in the US economy, one of the province's biggest
markets.
While thousands
of pounds of last season's catch lies frozen in processing warehouses,
the NS government has introduced a loan program for new fishermen, effective
April 1st.
For all the back breaking labour and long hours, it doesn't look great,
but Nova Scotia's fishermen are undaunted. They've been setting lobster
pots for years and will continue although, as one fisherman put it "This
year, we'll probably be working for our stamps" (unemployment insurance).
Along the
coast, lovers of the tasty crustaceans wait too, for the Lobster Suppers
now being announced in church bulletins. Many are dated after Mother's
Day, "when the price goes down" locals will tell you.
That's
all well and good for us 'coasters', but for those of us inland wondering
where to buy lobster, here's a compendium of links. I've included wholesale
buyers information, as well as where to order 6 to 6,000 lbs of lobster
(for the smaller parties!), fresh Digby scallops, Malpeque oysters and
more. Be sure to check the sidebar to the right for lore, cooking and
eating tips, a live lobster cam, and a picture of "Bluenose",
a rare blue lobster. Don't worry, the last I heard, "Bluenose"
is alive and well and living at The Fish Basket in Eastern Passage.
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Nuggets
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The
second best time is now". Chinese Proverb Trail Stop Tree
Seedlings
"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated
refrains
of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring
after the winter." Rachel Carson
Where
on Earth is
lobster
fishermen set their first traps of the season on April 19th. The hard
work of getting ready is over. 
