Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Assoc.

The PEI Fishermen's Association (PEIFA) and the LFA 24 and LFA 26A PEI Lobster Advisory Committees formally submitted the following two requests for spring lobster season extensions to the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO):

The LFA 26A season opening was postponed to Monday, May 11th for LFA 26A. A request for a season extension of 11 days and a closing date of Saturday, July 11th, 2015 was requested for this area.
The LFA 24 season opening was postponed to Friday, May 8^thfor LFA 24. A request for a season extension of 8 days and a closing date of Weds, July 8^th, 2015 was requested for this area.

The PEIFA await a decision from the DFO and will update the membership as soon as a decision is made.

2015 was an extraordinary spring with heavy ice coverage throughout the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Northumberland Strait and particularly within harbours; causing major delays in the opening of our lobster fishing season. We are hopeful consideration will be given to this industry to compensate for these lost days of income.

Each day lost in the fishing season directly impacts our island economy. A loss of up to 1.5 weeks impacts not only the Captains and crew members, but also plant workers, local businesses and other seasonal workers that depend on the fishery for their annual income. PEI Landed value alone represents 135M to the Canadian economy.