Dumping Day set for Tuesday morning for Queens County fishermen

Lobster traps on the wharf in Port Medway. Fishermen head out to start their season on Tuesday morning. (Rick Conrad)

Queens County fishermen will be heading out to set their traps on Tuesday morning at 7.

Known as Dumping Day, the first day of lobster season on the South Shore is usually the last Monday in November. But weather delayed the opening this year to Tuesday.

Lobster fishing area 33 covers ports from Cow Bay to Shelburne, while LFA 34 takes in the rest of southwestern Nova Scotia and Digby county.

Fishermen in LFA 34 will head out at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

About 680 vessels fish out of LFA 33, according to the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association.

The first day can be a long one. While LFA 33 crews can set their traps beginning at 7 a.m., they can’t start hauling them in until midnight. Some boats come back to port, but others decide to stay on the water for a few days.

Lobster is Nova Scotia’s biggest seafood export, with $1.3 billion shipped out of the province in 2023.

According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, overall catches in LFAs 33 and 34 were down last year, but still combined for a value of almost $318 million.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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