GRAND BANK, N.L. — Grand Bank harvester Jason Matthews sees the benefits of setting up a lobster holding pound on the town’s waterfront.
“The biggest problem up this way is trucking, and anybody who knows anything about lobsters, well, when you get them out of the pots, they have to be kept in pounds before you can truck them because the survival rate is better on them,” he recently told The Southern Gazette.
“I would imagine a lobster pound, yes, it should bring better quality and, in return, be better for fishermen, I guess.”
An old waterfront shed belonging to the Grand Bank Harbour Authority will soon serve that purpose for one company in the province.
A permit was approved for Quin-Sea Fisheries Ltd. to construct a pound in the building during Grand Bank council’s meeting on Feb. 26.
Town manager Wayne Bolt said renovations would include the installation of a refrigerated and aerated tank to keep live lobsters at a high quality.
Coun. Jack Burfitt added he was told there may be some minor exterior renovations to the structure as well.
Bruce Burt, of the Grand Bank Harbour Authority, told The Southern Gazette Quin-Sea has signed a five-year lease for the building.
For Matthews, the company’s plan created a bit of an initial inconvenience.
“We actually had pots in the building that they’re leasing. We were renting space off the harbour authority,” he said.
With the 2019 lobster season quickly approaching, Matthews said he’ll soon start getting gear ready. A temporary space was found to keep the pots for the time being, he said.
“I would imagine that over the summer or fall we’ll just build a spot to put them in, I guess,” he said.
Calls and emails to Quin-Sea officials for additional details and comment about the lobster pound were not returned by press time.
