As Nova Scotia moves toward net zero, one of the most intractable challenges it faces is in transportation, which currently makes up roughly 30 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions; heavily reliant on fossil fuels, it will require a lot of investment in infrastructure and technology to lower that number.

In a coastal province, there’s also a particular kind of transportation that needs to decarbonize: fishing vessels.

But with efforts to support the electrification of fishing boats gaining steam — including new initiatives launching this year — decarbonizing the fishing sector is increasingly possible.

In the Maritimes, fishing boats are a significant source of emissions. A 2023 report by Oceans North estimated total annual emissions from the Nova Scotia lobster fleet to be 82 million kilograms of C02, the equivalent of what’s produced during the same period by approximately 35,000 cars.

Eliminating these emissions has advantages for fishers, as well as the planet — but it’s a complex transition.

Sue Molloy, CEO and founder of the electric drive system developer Glas Ocean Electric, says one of the challenges in electrification is replacing equipment that may not be depreciated (and that, in the case of a conventional lobster boat, comes in at around $700,000).

“We’re asking small businesses and individuals to electrify and take on the burden of that cost,” says Molloy, noting that it’s similar to the challenge of getting people to consider electric cars. “We need to have some way to offset the initial capital crunch that’s required.”

This past June, the province announced $6.5 million in funding over three years to, among other things, help adapt electric and hybrid technology for fishing vessels.

That fund will cover a portion (up to $250,000) of the cost of switching to a system like Glas Ocean Electric’s.

Glas Ocean’s technology is a hybrid system which retrofits existing vessels to have a battery as well as a diesel engine. The diesel engine operates while the vessel is steaming out to fishing grounds, and the battery is used while fishers are moving between traps (which is then charged when the boat returns to shore). This reduces fuel consumption, as well as noise and vibration for those on board.

Molloy says having a program that covers some of the costs of switching over to their system makes it more feasible in both the short and the long term.

“We need to have options for [fishers],” she says. “The piece from our side is that by allowing us to get these systems in place — in the coming years we can bring the cost of these systems down.”

Funding is also going toward developing the infrastructure to help fishers and fishing communities adopt new technologies, with two demonstration studies on electric vessel conversion.

Wes Surrett, Northern Regional Manager for IGNITE Atlantic — one of the recipients of the fund, says the organization is conducting research in two areas of the province (Digby and the Eastern Shore) to gather information on what it will take for those communities to electrify their fleets — and specifically, the infrastructure needs and grid requirements to make that happen.

“The hope is that we will come out with something that other rural communities can use when they are mapping the requirements for their wharves,” says Surrett.

That research, conducted through a partnership with the marine electrification software developer, BlueGrid, will include sessions held in each of the communities later this summer, to gather data on the local level, so that decision makers can be better informed.

“It would be silly to spend a billion dollars in transferring a fleet over to electric if there’s no place to plug them in, or it may not be appropriate for that area, depending on the use of the vessel,” says Surrett.

Glas Ocean Electric, which is also conducting one of the demonstration studies, is doing its own research [with communities] to help the government, wharf operators, and fishers understand the potential of going electric, including information on necessary wharf upgrades, and the amount of fuel that could potentially be displaced.

Gathering this information is part of a transition that goes beyond the boats themselves, and when making as significant a change as electrifying a fishing fleet, proponents say it’s important to take the steps that will help ensure buy-in from the people and communities who are most affected.

“In order for us to deploy this in a way that makes it safe, comfortable, appropriate, and economically viable, we have to build infrastructure,” says Molloy.

This means not just boats, but the network of support, including mechanics, etc., that makes those boats effective.

“We have to build a system that makes sense.”

The Climate Story Network is an initiative of Climate Focus, a non-profit organization dedicated to covering stories about community-driven climate solutions.