N.S. fishermen ready for ‘Dumping Day’

YARMOUTH, Nova Scotia – Hundreds of vessels will leave Nova Scotia wharves on Monday to participate in a fall lobster fishery that is facing some pricing challenges.

The federal Fisheries Department says approximately 1,700 vessels will depart from Digby County to Halifax County on what’s known as “Dumping Day.”

More than 548,000 lobster traps will be set in waters between Cole Harbor and Digby.

However, fishermen are concerned about the prices they’ll receive for their catch.

The high Canadian dollar and a very soft economy in the United States, where most lobsters are shipped, could result in a lower return for the crucial industry.

Terry Zinck, a lobster buyer in Clark’s Harbor, Nova Scotia, said the price paid to fishermen will likely be only $4 a pound in the first few days of the fishery.