A mandatory lobster handling course is being implemented in Nova Scotia.
The department of fisheries and aquaculture is now asking lobster buyers to complete the course by 2017.
If not, buyers’ licenses will not be issued or renewed.
Minister Keith Colwell says lobsters need to be handled delicately, and typically they’re not.
“If we can get more lobsters on the marketplace in a better quality, we can actually increase the market value for lobsters and help the local economies.”
Lobster is the most valuable export in Nova Scotia, bringing in more than $891-million in 2015.
Colwell says a substantial amount of lobster has been lost due to mishandling.
“Every lobster we lose not having proper handling practices in place on lobsters means we are losing revenue for the Province of Nova Scotia and for rural communities in Nova Scotia.”
Colwell expects the course will cost under $100 and will be provided in different locations across the province, starting this spring.
