P.E.I. harbours need major dredging, not ‘putting little bandages on it,’ DFO is told [Video]

Some P.E.I. fishermen are calling for more thorough dredging of the Island’s harbours after a challenging start to the lobster fishing season on the North Shore.

More than a dozen North Rustico lobster fishing boats were stranded offshore by a combination of sandbars, high winds and an extremely low tide on Tuesday afternoon, and issues were also reported in Naufrage and Milligan’s Wharf. 

That led some fishers to hit the water early Wednesday, with some rushing through their gear to ensure they made it back into the harbour before low tide. 

“Personally, myself, I missed two full days due to wind and because of the tides,” said Blake Buote, who has been fishing in North Rustico for about 25 years. “I missed about a third of a day because we had to rush the hauled gear to get in before the tides were too low.” 

Year after year, the conditions in harbours across the Island seem to be getting worse, Buote …