Canadian lobster industry gets US$500,000 marketing boost

The Atlantic Canadian lobster industry will get a marketing boost of close to US$500,000 in joint funding, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food (MAAF) and Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans (MFO) announced on Monday (Mar 2).

MFO minister Gail Shea said the government is aware that the lobster industry has been hit hard by the economic downturn but that would not change the fact that Atlantic lobster is high quality, healthy food with high consumer appeal.

MAAF's Agriculture and Food International programme is providing US$328,750 to the Fisheries Council of Canada to initiate a global promotional effort to the struggling industry.

The governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island will jointly contribute an additional US$126,250 to the project.

Prince Edward Island's Minister of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development Neil LeClair said the lobster industry has come forward with a strong marketing plan not only to respond to the current market downturn but also to set the stage for future growth.

While the project will work on maintaining the US as the Canadian lobster industry's largest market, it will also include market development programmes for emerging markets, particularly in Europe and Asia.