Shediac — People in the town of Shediac are reporting that a significant number of lobsters have been leaving the ocean and making their way into the popular beach community, causing growing concern for those in the area.
“They’re everywhere,” said local man Patrick Bouchard. “You can’t walk a block without having to step around half a dozen of the things.”
The large crustaceans have been spotted in parks, on roads and walkways, and in even inside the town’s homes and businesses.
“I was barbecuing and left the screen door open for 2, maybe 3 minutes when I went to the washroom,” said Shawn Gallant, whose home is located over a mile from the water. “I heard this awful yelp and when I came out I saw a couple of lobsters crawling around on my kitchen floor. One of them apparently nipped my 3-month-old golden retriever on the snout.”
Margaret Dorion, who runs a small bakery in the town, fears the invasive creatures could harm tourism in the area. “They’re like angry pigeons with claws, and they don’t get out of the way either,” she said. “It can’t be good for business.” Adding: “As it is now, anyone coming to visit here should just leave their sandals and flip-flops at home.”
The overwhelming presence of the bottom-feeding creatures has been causing problems for motorists in the area as well. “I’ve gotten 2 flat tires now,” said Paulette Jean, citing the broken shells of the animals – which litter nearly every street – as cause. “They’re like smelly glass.”
Mike Richard, who has worked with animal control in the town for more than 18 years, said they’re still working on the problem. “We don’t usually work with sea life, so it’s taking some time to figure out a solution. We’ve tried rounding some of them up and throwing them off the pier, but they just keep crawling right back out of the water again.”
Mayor Jacques LeBlanc said he has already reached out to the premier to discuss putting a cull on the lobsters. “We should be getting a response soon,” he said. The mayor also indicated that he’s looking into employing some of the town’s snow blowers to clear the streets of the bothersome arthropods and their debris. For now, town officials are advising the public to refrain from leaving out any salty bloated meats, or any other form of decaying ocean life that may be attracting the crustaceans.
Well , that’s it . Tomorrow is my day off so I’m going with my snow scoop and help out to clean the streets. Does anyone knows if the mason jars are on special anywhere ???
I thought this was a big hoax of course but decided to go for a walk to see. We are a 5 minute walk from the beach. Sure enough I slipped on one in the front yard and found a half dozen hiding under the car. Apparently they don’t like the bright sunshine and prefer darker damp places. I only saw a few more before I turned around in fear. If there are that many just in my little neighbourhood, there must be tons of them on the beach.
They seem very determined to get to wherever they think they are going. It’s kind of like Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” only without wings. If this is the last you hear of me, know I went down clawing and scratching – no wait – that would be them. To be continued.
BUILD A WALL AND KEEP EM WHERE THEY BELONG!
OMG this is absolutely hilarious…..I must make sure to bring a large cooler to work tomorrow so I can round enough up for a good feed of them on the weekend.
Does anyone know if a fundraiser was set up yet? I’d like to know where I can donate money for the people who have been displaced in this tragic event
I still suffer from PTLD (Post Traumatic Lobster Disorder). People who live outside the “Lobster Capital” of the world have no idea what it is like to still hear the clatter of their little legs and clacking of their claws when you are all alone…. the lights are out, your eyes are closed…… Some nights the only respite I get is by heating some butter and placing it by the bedside.
First, I think this is a complete fabrication; but I welcome these lobsters to make their way down towards the bay of Fundy, and I’ll bring a cooker to the Irving Nature park for a few good feeds. Then I’ll fill my deep freeze, even if I have to take stuff out of it to replace it with the lobster!
So funny…
So in Shediac, lobsters climb on barbecues by themselves…. and people complain… Ptiuu…. I must move to Shediac