Good catches and better prices mark P.E.I. snow crab season

Catches have been pretty good. They’re not as good as last year, but. The the overall, the catch rates are very, very good. Yes, the price is a lot better this year. Last year we only had got 225 and to my knowledge they said it last Friday at 375 is is what I’m hearing. So we didn’t get any paychecks yet, but that’s what everybody seems to be. I was talking to New Brunswick yesterday and price seems to be the same up there, 375 and then the water boats I think. Are probably around $4.00. They get to get an extra $0.25 or more for water boats a quota. This year we’re down about 27%. Basically the biomass is down and then as the biomass goes down we fish it at a lesser rate. So like last year we fished it at 42%. This year we’re at 38% quality. And the size of the crab is pretty good. Like we’re seeing a lot of juvenile crabs, small crab, but that’s good because that’s like our next year crab or like two or three years down the road. There’s a you know we do a lot of a lot of measuring so but that’s that’s that’s a good thing. It’s a blessing to get out early we. We’ve got hit with the whales two years ago and it’s just a complete blessing to be out there and at least you know you’re ahead of the game. We’ve had a similar catch results to what, 2022 and 2020 where? This year I found that the. They seem to be pods of crabs, like moving through areas and they’re moving fast. It’s hard to stay with them. Last year we had beautiful weather. We’re having great weather this year, but last year was like beautiful weather. We got this fish every day. We stayed with all these schools of crab as they’re moving. This year. A storm will back you up two days and you’re back out there looking for them as you go out. So, but other than that, it’s it’s just a normal year. People have been spoiled and then some people think that it’s easy, but it’s it’s not easy, it’s fishing.