Copyright thenassauguardian
Hurricane Melissa’s passage could impact the crawfish season, depending on how the crawfishing grounds have been affected. Keith Carroll, president of the National Fisheries Association (NFA), told Guardian Business yesterday that notwithstanding that crawfishermen on Long Island had all of their boats left in good condition after the passage of Hurricane Melissa this past Wednesday, crawfish spawning grounds may be impacted, and he is uncertain how he will meet them. “Crawfish prices have gone up to $12.50 per pound now. We started off at $10.00,” he said. “No boats were damaged, but we don’t know how the fishing grounds will be when we get out to them.” Responding to concerns that a possible decrease in supply would raise the price per pound even further, Carroll responded: “It’s according to what’s happening in other countries, but we hope things will settle down, and we can get back to fishing.” Paul Maillis, the NFA’s secretary, said: “We’re receiving messages from our members and other fishermen from Long Island, and seems that their boats are still in good condition, especially closer to where the storm would have passed. So it looks like everything’s going to be okay regarding the fishing fleet. I cannot speak to what is the reality from Ragged Island, Crooked Island, Acklins and the like as yet, because I don’t believe anybody has been able to return to those islands as yet. But thus far, I’m not seeing or hearing anything about the extent of any damage down there, and I don’t anticipate it’s going to be tremendous damage because the storm wasn’t at full strength. He continued: “However, in terms of the impact on the crawfish season, one of the many blessings that storms bring once they’re below a certain size is that they stir up the bottom and cause crawfish to move around. They essentially cause crawfish to gather together and to go on the hunt for food. “In fact, the lobster trappers, the ones who use the wooden slat traps, they anticipate and hope for storms every year, especially cold fronts in particular, to actually create the large lobster movement that then brings in their best trips of the season. “In terms of negative impacts, the water clarity will be an issue for divers. Of course, there will be some residual weather for a while. But other than that, we expect crawfishing to resume as usual in the coming weeks.” Emile Knowles, a crawfisherman on Long Island, said: “The Cochinos banks straight towards Long Island, that means from Cay Lobos to Cay Verde across the middle grounds, got a direct hit. This is an area which is commonly worked by all Long Islanders. “Other boats work these areas as well, and for Ragged Island fishers and boats from adjacent islands, this is 40 percent or maybe 50 percent of the fishing grounds.”
