Federal officials say ice, like the ice seen in this April 2022 file photo of Sydney Harbour, is increasingly disappearing from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, impacting coastal communities. (Tom Ayers/CBC) Ice has been steadily disappearing from the Gulf of St. Lawrence — record low levels were recorded last winter — and federal officials say it could be gone altogether within 20 years. Officials say it’s a clear sign of global warming and it’s raising concerns about the effects on the shoreline and on coastal communities around Cape Breton Island. “You know, we could be wiped out in a couple of years with this warmer water,” said Greg Organ, a fisherman in Neils Harbour, N.S. Climate change has meant Cape Breton fishers don’t always have to haul their boats out of the water in winter to avoid the ice, Organ said during an interview last March while he was home on a break during the halibut fishery, which used to start after the ice was gone. “The drift ice is almost non-existent and like 40 years ago, 50 years ago, it was here till usually the middle of April at least, and even into May there’d be drift ice and we couldn’t go [fishing], but now we can go. “This is our third year in a row that we’ve had a fishery in March, so it’s definitely changing.” But Organ said the warmer water could introduce disease . He fears it will drive the catch farther away. “I’m no expert, but I know they used to have a lobster fishery down off New York and those southern states and as far as I know it’s all gone. Everything is moving north looking for cold water.” Lowest ice in 12 of last 15 years Environment Canada senior meteorologist George Karaganis […]