Storm Fiona hammers Canadian east coast seafood sector

The seafood sector along Canada’s east coast has begun a huge recovery operation after being battered by storm Fiona at the weekend.

Companies are still trying to work out the cost and extent of the damage, but it is likely to run into millions of dollars.

Such events are rare in this part of Canada and Fiona was one of the most powerful storms for many years.

It hit provinces such as Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It tore up buildings and left much of the region without power.

Along with the damage to homes, it tore into fish farms, fishing harbours and seafood processing sites. But reports suggest that the region’s lobster industry in some areas may have been the hardest hit.

However, because the level of lobster fishing is lower at this time of year the damage may not be as severe as it could have been. The industry is likely to ask for an extension to the fishing season to make up for some of the losses.

A huge clear-up operation has begun and it is likely to be several days before the full cost is known.

Osborne Burke, general manager of the Victoria Co-op Fisheries in Neils Harbour, Nova Scotia, told CBC news that the plant suffered “horrendous” damage, and several 40-foot sea containers full of frozen fish were “thrown around like dominoes”.

The extent of the damage to salmon farms is still being assessed but major names such as Grieg and Mowi have facilities in that area.