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For many visitors to Nova Scotia, lobster is as essential to the Maritime experience as beaches and tartan. Lobster harvesters in Cape Breton, though, have noticed over the years that fewer and fewer people visit their wharves to purchase lobster. The group representing these harvesters, Lobster Fishing Area (LFA)-27 Management Board, saw a need to study and increase local interest in local lobster.

They turned to Dalhousie’s Management Without Borders class for help. MWB is composed of graduate students from the Faculty of Management’s four schools—the Rowe School of Business, the School of Information Management, the School of Public Administration and the School for Resource and Environmental Studies—as well as students from the Marine Affairs Program in the Faculty of Science. The unique course pairs these interdisciplinary students with Nova Scotia businesses and organizations. Jenny Baechler, MWB coordinator, explains the process: “In the spring, we send out a call through various networks for partner organizations. The organizations connect with the MWB team and together we craft project descriptions that allow students to tackle specific problems facing our community partners.” The students review the proposals and rank their preferred projects. In groups, they work closely with the organizations over the course of the fall term. “We work really hard to make sure those projects are not make-work projects,” explains Baechler. “There needs to be clear value for the organization and for the students. Some organizations know exactly what they need but don’t have the resources to complete it, and others know they need something but don’t have the expertise on hand.” In the case of the LFA-27 Management Board, she says, it was a blend. “They had a really good sense of what they needed, but the student team also had the opportunity to be creative in how they approached the problem.”

The group of students performed both secondary and primary research, surveying residents of, and visitors to, Cape Breton on their perception of local lobster and direct purchase from harvesters. MWB projects end with a deliverable, such as a feasibility assessment or a marketing plan, and in this case, the students delivered an analysis of the lobster market in Cape Breton and a communication plan for the group of harvesters. “The team produced recommendations that the organization could implement,” says Baechler. Based on these recommendations, the LFA-27 Board launched a website, capebretonlobster.com, and became involved with social media to address topics such as the source of the lobster, how to handle and cook it, and sustainability. “The website was launched to potentially brand Cape Breton lobster as separate from Canadian lobster across the board, as an alternative to New England lobster perhaps,” explains Baechler. “It’s creating a Cape Breton lobster brand, and the MWB students had a role in that.”

Baechler notes that this project fits in with Dalhousie-wide and provincial initiatives. “It aligns with aspects of the president’s strategic plan and with the Ivany report. It incorporates aspects of community engagement, rural development, sustainable prosperity, and ocean sciences.” And besides the relevance of the project, Baechler adds, “I’m happy that it showcases that students from Dalhousie are working on community projects across the province, not just here in Metro.”

The Management Board was pleased with their experience, says Baechler: “The team worked well, and were effective and efficient in their work, and friendly. The relationship between the partner and the team was strong. They were very happy with the results.” The students also benefited from the project, which encompassed the multidisciplinary nature of MWB. “The initial project description did a really good job of appealing to students with a variety of skills and professional interests,” says Baechler, pointing out the project’s relevance to students of all four schools. Significantly, two of the students working on the project are from Cape Breton, and were happy to contribute to their region. While these students don’t have direct ties to the lobster industry, “it is part of the identity of the island,” says Baechler, who also hails from the region. “Everyone in Cape Breton has a connection in that sense.”