ALBERTON - A Prince Edward Island lobster dealer is keeping his fingers crossed that inventories will keep moving.
"We've been buying every day since the season started, and selling everything we can get our hands on," reported Philip Milligan, owner of Milligan's Fisheries.
His company buys from fishers on wharves from Alberton to East Point.
Milligan said heavy catches Monday and Tuesday raised concerns about whether plants could handle the supply, but landings have since levelled off.
Like other buyers, Milligan advised fishers that they might have to establish boat quotas, but the company owner said those quotas never really went into effect for his boats.
Most of the product Milligan's Fisheries handles makes its way to processing plants.
Milligan suggested higher than normal catches early in the season has placed added demand on processing plants. The peak normally hits around mid-May, he said, and P.E.I. plants arrange for immigrant workers to arrive around that time to help them keep up.
Doug Fraser, president of Alberton Fisheries Ltd., admitted the situation remains tense, with processing plants maxing out on production pretty well every day.
"We talk back and forth to see how close they are to maxing out," he said, and they look for ways to keep product moving.
"It's moving, but tomorrow's another day," said Fraser, adding that Mother Nature would probably do everybody a favour if she kept boats at the wharves for a day.
Fraser said fish plants would benefit from more workers. Just a week into the season, he said workers are already tiring from the long hours.
Mothers Day, Fraser added, is a concern. If there is a shortage of plant workers on Sunday, then Saturday's catch could cause a backlog for the start of next week.
While Fraser suggested landings are on par with last year, he admitted prices have nose-dived this week to $2.75 a pound for canners and $3.50 a pound for market lobsters.
Buying, moving lobster in West Prince
- Published on May 8th, 2009
- Published on June 21st, 2010
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Eric McCarthy
ALBERTON - A Prince Edward Island lobster dealer is keeping his fingers crossed that inventories will keep moving.
"We've been buying every day since the season started, and selling everything we can get our hands on," reported Philip Milligan, owner of Milligan's Fisheries.
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Comments
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- Retailer
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:08:50
Jamie,,dont forget full stamps for 9 months when the seasonis over,,,,what 500 a week for 50 weeks,,,,25k not bad,,,,most people on the island dont make 25k working 45hous a week jobs for 52 weeks,, so get real!
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- dee
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:08:15
what the fisherman have to do is estabelish ontario buyers and get more then double they work way to hard to only get 2.75 a lb look at the guy that sells the oysters he makes millions i now a guy that takes 200 dozen lobster every weekend to ontario and gets $75 a dozen the fisherman should get together and i will haul there truck loads and sell them for them and we can all make a good buck
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- red
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:07:44
I think that if you gave some of these fishermen a boeing 747 they'd be upset with the color. people who can't help themselves can't be helped. Whats up with this buddy with all the undersized lobsters. How bout you fishermen burn him out. like he burned the rest of you. by the way i like my planes red, with crome bumpers, and spinners.
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- PATRICK
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:07:22
Dee, duh $8100 aweek for ten weeks is $81,000 plus they get pogey, now who is stupid??
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- Blaine
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:07:21
Patrick,everyone dont average 500lb a day.But lets do the math since your not so bright.A decent landing being 20,000lb and a poor one at 8000lb depending on location.
Boat and gear payment=$40-$60,000
Fuel bait and hired hand=$15-$20,000
Thats $55-$80,000 for anyone who purchased a gear on the North Side in the last 5-7 years.
$20,000lbs at an average of canners and markets of lets say $3.25=$65,000
even if some land $30,000 {verry rare}
thats still only $97,500 before expenses
if the top fishermen are lucky they will pocket $30,000 if they dont have a breakdown.but that is a handfull of the top fishermen.95% will be lucky to even break even.Most will make their interest payments only.The ones i feel sorry for are the fall fishermen that start in Augest.their catches are down and prices are usually lower. -
- Frank
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:07:08
The boys in Alberton like every harbour work hard for their money and can't seem to find it. Good to see the last Provincial Budget included a plan if things happened to the lobster fishery. Wait, no it didn't. Isn't Minister Neil LeClair doing an excellent job.
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- toby kief
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:07:01
hey Dee here's a question then why only work for 10 weeks of the year when they've got to live for 52 i think thats what stupid. Get real; jobs where you can make a living instead of gambling. And expecting to be bailed out year after year. there are more people around who need a hand with real needs who don't have $200,000 worth of equipment to fall back on, that the government, or shoulod i say me the taxpayer, payed for. You who can't make it work are obviously outsmarted by Lobsters. I applaud the men who put their heads down and getterdone, I feel ashamed to share an island with the ones on compass everynight. Don't you have traps and a boat that needs tending.
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- here's a fact
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:06:53
There are around 1300 licensed lobster fisherman on PEI. Lets say that half of there wives draw EI. For good measure I'll say 200 of the owners don't draw EI. So that leaves us with 1750 owners and wives drawing EI.
1750 x $18,000 = 31.5 million Dollars
Let me say that again 31.5 million dollars that the fishermen gets that the average tax payer doesn't. -
- Sandra
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:06:40
In my opinion the fishermen and women work their butts off during the fishing season. And for the owners of the boat getting $2.75 a pound is a joke.. As for you JOE the fishermen being stupid and whinning(really nice by the way) well we have no one to blame but our goverment.... So I would advise you unless you know for sure what you are talking about to stop posting your comments on here! There is still some people on this Island that support and want to help the fishermen!
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- Person
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:06:16
WOW why dont all of you Grow up and stop fighting on this,,,,, DO you not realize what's going on in this world today??????? And not every Fishermen are like the ones your talking about so before you start putting down people in the fishing industry think about everyone ..... Get a life......
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- Hal
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:06:12
How very true joe these guys are the same as the ones at the racino trying to double their rent money. they could care less about their family's well being.
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- joe
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:05:50
Lobster fishing in my own humble opinion is not the industry to get into if you want to feed your family. You the fishermen everyone of you entered this industry with dreams of matresses made of money, and sure a good percentage of you do sleep on pile of wealth. However many more do not. If you can't make it work your not trying or your just too stupid. Those fishermen in hard times let this be your wake up. Don't spend the next 15 years whining, that the fishery is going to hell, cuz your the problem. Get out now and go work at the potatoe packers. Fishing is like Farming and they're both the same as poker, someone will lose.
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- me
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:05:44
This is just my humble opinion, but many people are having a tough time, people with families etc and the majority of them are not fishermen. Now, my question is this, who is going to bail out the person who is struggling on a minimum wage job ( sometimes holding down 2 or 3 jobs) trying to pay his/her mortgage, pay bills, feed and clothe his family? Certainly do not see any government handouts coming their way. Now don't come back at me and say welfare, not everyone wants welfare, some really do want to work.
So to the lobster fishermen, not saying you do not work hard, but i have a hard time feeling sorry for you when thousands of people are all struggling. Perhaps during the wealth of plenty times you should have banked some money for a rainy day. Oh and not everyone gets to write off repairs on their income tax. -
- Linda
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:05:14
If they had kept the other factory opened in Tignish and if they let Howard's Cove open, they wouldn't have a problem mprocessing lobster. Since the Polar Fiasco and the closure of those two plants there has been nothing but problems. They had lots of people from the West End of PEI trained and willing to work at the plants but they have no one down East. Now they have to import people in. I can see why workers from the West End don't want to relocate to work at the processing plants. SOLUTION. Let Howard's Cove start Processing again.
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- PATRICK
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:05:03
Help me with my math;
500 pounds at$3.50 =$1750
2 helpers at $125 each= $250
Fuel =$150
Balance left=$1350 X 6 days=$8100
Yes there is a boat payment and license fee, however, it doesn't amount to $8100.
Where am I going wrong with my math
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- dee
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:04:58
hey patrick thats for 10 weeks they gotta live for 52 stupid
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- Jamie
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:04:02
Opinions aside, it is really disappointing to see how jealously fuels the majority of the comments. I really do believe many people would rather see every industry on PEI fail rather than see a few earn a good living, we watch sports starts, ceo's, politicians, etc make millions but a heaven forbid a farmer or fisherman have a new truck, new house etc. People really need to see the big picture....the more money these primary industries make the better everyone else does.
If everyone on here thinks the grass is greener go try it or shut up. -
- Sandra
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:03:05
In my opinion the fisherman/woman work there butts off during fishing season and for the owners of the boats getting 2.75 a pound is a joke! And as far as you go JOE the fishermen whinning and stupid( real nice) it is actually the goverments fault. So unless you know what you are talking about I advise you to stop the insults!
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- George
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:02:44
But retailer, how much profit is being made by people in your business by simply moving the product to the customers, and you didnt have to get up early, or haul in traps or risk your life and limb to do so, but you still profit off the product, care to share how much. People have been chanting FOR capitolism and now it rules all so GET USED TO IT.
