Delayed start to lobster season off Cape Breton pleases fishermen

Fishermen in a large Cape Breton lobster fishing area say delaying the start of the season by a week should improve the chances of good weather and better catches.

Chris MacDonald, a member of a lobster advisory group for an area from Cape North to Gabarus, says May 11 was the preferred opening date for fishermen in his area of False Bay and Port Morien.

He says fishermen in the area opted for that date when they were asked for their choice.

He says the weather will likely be calmer to give the lobsters a little more time to move and trap.

Fishermen had understood that the recommended opening date would be May 4, but an e-mail from the chief of resource management for eastern Nova Scotia indicated it would start a week later.

Fishermen say they are seeing more weakened lobsters and spawning lobsters that have to be put back into the water, which some link to warmer water temperatures.