Baby lobsters released into ocean on last day of Lobster Festival

SHEDIAC, NB —

About 4,000 baby lobsters were released into the ocean Sunday on the last day of the Shediac Lobster Festival.

More than two dozen people, including Shediac Mayor Jacques LeBlanc, gathered on a fishing boat to watch the lobsters being released.

“The idea is that the 4,000 lobsters that we’re putting out today corresponds to about the number of lobsters that are being consumed during the festival,” said Martin Mallet, director of Homarus Inc. a non-profit organization that is trying to insure the sustainability of the lobster industry.

“From an economic perspective, it’s very important and from a social perspective, it’s also very important, and from a historical stand point also,” Mallet said.

“The lobster fishery and everything that came with it in the past, has had a huge impact on the way we live today and the way we regard ourselves.”

The Lobster Festival in Shediac is the biggest event for the town that calls itself the “lobster capital of the world” and has a giant lobster as one of its main tourist attractions.

This year marked the 65th anniversary for the festival and organizers planned two World Record attempts to mark the occasion.

The first, on opening night, saw organizers make a 69-foot lobster roll in an attempt to break the record for the world’s longest, while the second record, the largest lobster dinner with 1,000 people, got underway Sunday evening. There has been no update yet whether either record attempt was successful.

The total attendance number for the festival has not been released yet, but Mayor Jacques LeBlanc is calling it a success.

“We don’t have the exact details, but I’m very convinced that the numbers have significantly increased,” he said. “The lobster festival for the town of Shediac is the icon… is our brand. We are the lobster capital of the world.”