EASTERN PASSAGE, N.S. - Lobster is the top seafood export in the three Maritime provinces and according to fisherman Carl Allen, it’s an industry that runs on diesel. That means skyrocketing fuel prices are causing a lot of financial pain. “Everybody should be worried about the fact that everything you interact with has been on one or several truck trailers that are powered by diesel fuel,” said Allen. He has a boat with a fuel tank that holds 1,100 litres of diesel. “That tank will last me three days, so I am looking at two fill-ups a week,” he said. Lobster and other fishing boats using expensive fuel represent only a portion of the affordability issues facing people who work in the commercial fishing industry. Trucks that also use diesel are passing on their extra shipping costs with surcharges. “Whoever is getting their products is going to have to say at some point they cannot eat that (cost) and then pass it on to the consumer,” said Allen, who works in the Northumberland Strait in the Lobster Fishing Area 25. “And this is happening at a time when bait is more expensive than ever.” As the cost to harvest, ship and deliver lobster and seafood to a store goes up, so do the prices customers pay. “The correlation between diesel prices and food prices that you see at the grocery store is one of the highest of all factors,” said Dalhousie University professor and food researcher Sylvain Charlebois. “And the other problem that lobster harvesters face is they do not set prices which means they are hit on both sides.” The price of Seafood has gone up so much in recent weeks some people are taking it off their shopping lists. “We used to buy a piece of haddock for $10 or $15,” said Bud Stevens as he finished shopping in Dartmouth, N.S. “Now it’s $25 or $30.” Allen is worried that some in the fishing industry won’t be able to survive and stay in business. He said the size of their catch isn’t the problem, it’s high-priced diesel and overhead costs cutting into profits and crushing their bottom line. “Biologically, these fisheries are sustainable,” said Allen. “But financially? That becomes a different conversation.” According to Allen, many boat operators would like to get off diesel and switch to hybrid-electric motors to save money. However, he said that technology is still evolving for fishing vessels, and changing over from diesel engines could be expensive and come with a lot of upfront costs.
