HALIFAX—The first generation of electric lobster boats could soon be arriving in Nova Scotia.  

The Lektrike’l Walipotl Membertou Electric Lobster Boat Commercial Fishing Demonstration Project—a partnership between Membertou, Oceans North, Allswater, and BlueGrid—announced today that work to build and commercially demonstrate the lobster fishing vessel powered by electricity will soon commence.  

“Membertou is incredibly proud to be moving forward with the development of Canada’s first electric fishing vessel,” say Terrance Paul, Chief and CEO of Membertou. “The electric boat is a natural next step in our drive to become clean energy leaders and will play an important role in unlocking the benefits of marine electrification for the next generation of fishers.”   

The project team has been working for several years to assess the benefits of marine electrification in Canada, including climate benefits from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and economic benefits from locally producing modern, state-of-the-art electric vessels, explains Sheena Kennedy, Oceans North’s Executive Director.  

“The Membertou electric boat is an exciting milestone in Canada’s marine energy transition,” says Kennedy. “The project demonstrates how climate action presents an economic opportunity for Canada’s fisheries and boatbuilding sectors while significantly reducing impacts on the environment.” 

The latest step in the project follows the completion of an energy audit of several Membertou fishing vessels and a detailed vessel design, which ensures that the all-electric fishing vessel will match and exceed the performance of their current vessels.  

In 2023, Oceans North released the Nova Scotia Lobster Fleet Electrification Assessment, which found that established battery-electric technologies combined with many vessels’ predictable, close-to-shore routes meant a substantial part of the fleet could be electrified. The current vessel design will also serve to electrify a variety of workboats beyond near-shore fishing boats to include aquaculture boats, workboats, tour boats and patrol boats.  

“This is the kind of project where everyone brings something essential to the table,” says Rob Crutcher, President and CEO of Allswater. “For Allswater, it’s about creating the design and making sure the build comes together the way it should. People talk about electric boats as ‘the future,’ but we’re actually building one and showing how it works in real fishing conditions. That’s what makes this project so exciting.”  

At the same time, the group studied the associated bi-directional charging infrastructure that could help unlock the full value of electric vessels by allowing them to store and return energy to the grid when idle, potentially generating extra revenue for fishers and enhancing the resilience of coastal grids.