The new Lobster Council of Canada is studying ways to bring the industry back to profitability by finding new export opportunities and addressing other long-standing concerns. (CBC)Lobster fishermen and processors are hoping a new organization will help chart a course back to profitability for an industry that has financially struggled in recent years.

The Lobster Council of Canada held its first meeting this week in Dartmouth, N.S., and began laying the foundation for a plan that it believes will revive the industry.

Fishermen have been saying that consistently low prices are making it difficult to break even and processors say their markets are drying up.

Greg Thompson, a lobster fisherman from Dipper Harbour, N.B., who was elected to the council's board of directors, said the organization will enable all members of the industry to work together to find ways to open up new markets and address other problems.

Thompson said the council is bringing fishermen, processors and First Nations together to sit on the board with the idea that they will stop blaming each other for their business troubles.

'There's just a lack of communication, a lack of trust.'—Lobster Council board member Greg Thompson

"There's just a lack of communication, a lack of trust," Thompson said. "We have to work together. We can't continue this infighting and hope to be a viable industry."

Lobster fishermen were hit last season with some of the lowest prices in 20 years, with some people forced to sell their product for less than $3 a pound.

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

At the end of the inaugural meeting, Thompson said the council agreed on a game plan that it hopes will start turning around the industry.

Consultancy at work

The council has hired a consulting firm to spend the next few months touring Atlantic Canada to take stock of concerns in the industry. The firm will also study international markets to find new opportunities for the catch.

However, the study is not due to be completed for roughly six months, and that means changes will not arrive before the start of the spring lobster season.

The council recently hired Geoff Irvine, former president of Halifax-based Harbour View Seafoods Ltd., to serve as its executive director.

The council, which was announced last fall in Mill River, P.E.I., by federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea, has a two-year budget of $370,000. The funding is coming initially from the four Atlantic provinces, the government of Quebec, and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Deeper concerns remain

People in Saint John lined up to buy lobster directly from fishermen in December. The lobster market was an idea from local fishermen to combat low prices for their catch. (CBC)Despite the lofty goals of the council, there are still questions from people working in the lobster industry about whether it can solve the larger issues that are making it difficult to be profitable.

Daryn Janes, owner of Fundy Bay Seafood, said he ships 75 per cent of his lobsters into the United States. He questions whether the new council can help alter the slumping U.S. economy.

"Until that turns around, you're not going to see a whole lot of changes in any industry," Janes said.

The lobster catch was good this fall for many New Brunswick lobster fishermen, but what made it difficult was the $4 a pound offered by buyers. Those prices weren't enough for many lobster fishermen to break even, so several of them resorted to alternative ways to turn a profit. Some began listing their catch on the online classified site Kijiji.

In December, many New Brunswick fishermen lined their boats up in Saint John and sold lobsters directly to the public. More than 200 people lined up at the city's Long Wharf to buy live lobster for $5 a pound.