Rejean Comeau, a lobster fisherman in Val Comeau, says the earlier start and finish for the season will allow a better catch.Rejean Comeau, a lobster fisherman in Val Comeau, says the earlier start and finish for the season will allow a better catch. (Alison Northcott/CBC)

The spring lobster fishing season will begin one week earlier this year in northern New Brunswick, thanks to mild weather.

The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced the change Tuesday, following pressure from the Maritime Fishermen's Union.

The union contends the mild winter and spring have already warmed up parts of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the lobsters are ready to be caught sooner than usual.

Unless fishermen start early, they will likely lose a week of fishing at the end of the season, when lobster catches drop off, said Rejean Comeau, a fisherman in Val Comeau for 30 years.

Losing that week — one eighth of the season — would be disastrous, he said.

So the Fisheries Department has agreed to allow the lobster season across area 23 in northern New Brunswick to start and end one week early, running April 26 until June 26.

Entire area affected

These lobster boats at the wharf in Val Comeau will be hitting the Gulf of St. Lawrence a week early this season because of milder weather.These lobster boats at the wharf in Val Comeau will be hitting the Gulf of St. Lawrence a week early this season because of milder weather. (Alison Northcott/CBC)

The change applies to the entire area, from Dalhousie to Pointe Sapin, said union spokesman Emmanuel Moyen.

That's despite the fact that fishermen closer to the south didn't want an early start because lobsters there tend to show up later, he said.

Lobster fishermen were hit last year with some of the lowest prices in 20 years, with some selling their product for less than $3 a pound.

Those low prices sparked protests from many Maritime lobster fishermen and prompted the federal government to unveil a new $65-million plan to help Atlantic Canadian fishermen, with $15 million of that fund earmarked for the lobster industry.

A new organization, the Lobster Council of Canada, was formed last fall to come up with ways to revive the industry. The council is made up of representatives from fishermen's groups, processors and lobster buyers in Eastern Canada.