By Luke Arbuckle

luke@peicanada.com

Experts are warning much of the ice surrounding PEI, particu-larly in the eastern end, could remain well into the start of the 2014 lobster fishing season.

Paul Veber, Canadian Coast Guard superintendent of ice oper-ations for the Atlantic region said ice thicknesses around PEI this winter are well above the 30-year average and it’s impossible to know if the waters will be clear by May 1.

“When you look at the entire Gulf of St Lawrence, the ice condi-tions are well above average. It’s not just the conditions of the ice, we’re looking at the prolonged cold weather we’re having,” Mr Veber said.

“From the combination of all the factors we’ve looked at this year, it’s probably been a couple of decades since we’ve seen an ice season such as this. Having said that, the Northumberland Strait is typically challenging ice tends to get thicker than in other places.”

Mr Veber said the heaviest ice is located in the Northumberland Strait, but it’s thick in other places as well.

“The heaviest ice for sure is in the Northumberland Strait where the ice is anywhere between 70 to 120cm thick and some is even heavier than that,” he said.

“That’s normal. It tends to sit in there a little bit longer than what we’d see north of PEI because it takes a little bit longer to break up. That’s just the way it works in the Strait. Off to the east of PEI, there’s similar conditions, but once you get up to around East Point and along the north shore, it’s a little bit heavier again. Around North Cape and along the western side of PEI,

conditions are pretty good and starting to lighten up a little bit. There are still patches of heavier ice, but certainly, the further east you go, the heavier the ice is.”

Mr Veber said it’s impossible to predict wether or not the ice will have disbursed before May, but according to the Canadian Ice Service in Ottawa, the odds are slim.

“The ice dissipation will depend on a couple of factors. There’s still some cold temperatures in the forecast so that’s not going to help

improve the ice conditions,” Mr Veber said.

“It’s very likely by the opening of the lobster season, the ice will be reduced to what we call strips and patches, but even that can be a concern for any gear used out on the water. It will take some time to flush out and from what we’re hearing from the Canadian Ice Service in Ottawa, they’re looking at an ice season about 10 days longer than what we’d typically expect on a normal year.”

Mr Veber said he monitors the

ice in the Atlantic on a regular basis, but it’s still too early to know what lies ahead for sure.

“We look at trends and averages in terms of the trends and what we’ve seen in the past,” he said.

“We monitor it daily and things can change quickly. There’s always a variance between one year and the next so it’s really difficult to say on the first of May what the ice conditions will be.”

Mike McGeoghegan, president of the PEI Fisherman’s Association said he’s been watching the ice

and has growing concerns about fishermen getting on the water on time.

“The ice this year certainly looks serious, I’ve been having a good look at the ice charts and we’re pretty solid out there” Mr McGeoghegan said.

“Currently we’ve got about 90 per cent ice coverage all around us and that’s definitely a concern to anyone wanting to safely navi-gate our waters. A lot can happen in the next few weeks, but when you’re looking at this much ice this late in the season, it’s something we need to pay attention to.”

Mr McGeoghegan said the only open water he’s aware of right now is on the Island’s north side and unless the ice starts to disap-pear many people in the industry will need to reevaluate their sea-sons and their marketing.

“There’s just a little sliver of open water on the north side of the Island right now, the straight is full and continues right around the Island,” he said.

“If fishermen lose part of the season to the ice, it will increase demand and change the market plans of a lot of people.”

PEI Fisheries Minister Ron MacKinley doesn’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing and is opti-mistic about the ice conditions.

“A delay in the season could result in an increased demand for lobster and end up benefitting fishermen. I know fishermen are eager to get back into the swing of things and try to make up for a tough year last year if they can, but a small delay could be a good thing for everyone. It’s supply and demand.”

Mr MacKinley said ultimately, what happens, happens and only time will tell what the ice condi-tions around PEI will be come May 1.

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“It will take some time to fl ush out and from what we’re hearing from the Canadian Ice Service in Ottawa, they’re looking at an ice season about 10

days longer than what we’d typically expect on a normal year.”

Paul Veber, Canadian Coast Guard

All eyes on record ice as lobster season nears

GraphicTHE EASTERN

THE LIVELY ONE

West Prince Graphic

Karen Gallant fishes with her husband Lee in North Rustico. The lobster fishery is extremely important to the Island’s coastal regions and has been a building block in the creation and establishment of the prov-ince of Prince Edward Island.

PEI Fishermen’s Association photo

Emily Gregory of Beach Point holds a hefty lobster. Emily’s mom, Angela Gregory-MacLeod, submitted the photo to a PEI Fishermen’s Associa-tion Photo Contest where it won a prize. Angela Gregory-MacLeod photo

Emily Gregory of Beach Point holds a hefty lobster. Emily’s mom, Angela Gregory-MacLeod, submitted the photo to a PEI Fishermen’s Associa-tion Photo Contest where it won a prize. Angela Gregory-MacLeod photo

Last year’s Blue Fin Tuna Cup had an added twist. Usually all teams had to catch and release their fish, but in 2013 one tuna tag was raffled off among the cup’s eight teams. The tag winners, led by Rod Mac-Neill, caught a 7.8 footer Friday, August 23, the first day of the competition. Mr MacNeill’s team sailed on the Way Point 04, captained by Kenny McRae. The crew is shown with their catch at Jude’s Point Harbour. From left are Brad Gallant, Kenny McRae, David MacMurdo, Rod MacNeill, John Hogg, Marvel Stewart, Allison Watson and Mark MacEwen. Mr MacNeill said he used the Tuna Cup as an appreciation event for his company’s suppliers, customers and transportation crew. Zack Metcalfe photo

Northport fisher-man Brad Kinch caught this colour-ful lobster on Tues-day, May 21, 2013. He released it. Zack Metcalfe photo

Prince Edward Island fi shers prepare for the 2014 fi shing season

Shane Matthews photo

Aerial photo of PEI’s Confederation Bridge showing heavy ice conditions March 2014