A chilly morning didn’t stop Eastern Passage community members from gathering on the shoreline of McCormacks Beach to support their fishing crews as vessels headed out to sea for “Dumping day.”
READ MORE: Lobster season in southwestern Nova Scotia delayed due to weather
“We’re here to wish the fishermen good luck with their catches and good luck on the water,” said Marina White.
White and her friend Sharon Hurshman braved the brisk morning temperatures to show their support for the fleets.
“It shows them moral support and lets them know that the community cares about them and their catch, because we’re going to eat it!” Hurshman said with a chuckle.
“Dumping Day” is known throughout Nova Scotia as the opening day of lobster season.
READ MORE: Lobster season off Nova Scotia closes with high prices, good catches: fisherman
The start of the season is weather dependent, and this year cold winds and early smatterings of snow pushed the day back from Nov. 27 to 28.
“It’s a really busy time of year for our season, they’ve been gearing up for weeks and I bet a few of them even slept on their boats last night,” Angela MacLean said.
This year marks the first time an official ‘Dumping Day Sendoff’ was held at Fisherman’s Cove.
Nearly 20 Cape Cod fishing boats steamed through the gut of the cove just after daybreak, a hearty sign the fishing community is rebounding from a fire that gutted the back end of their local fish plant.
READ MORE: Fire destroys Capital Seafood fish plant in Eastern Passage
An electrical fire tore through Capital Seafoods on the evening of Nov. 16. The plant is owned by a Chinese firm and the owners have said they plan to move forward with a rebuild.
In the meantime, plans are underway to have the fisherman sell their catches to the plant and have it stored in tanks at the facility while they wait to be exported to the seafood market.
READ MORE: Capital Seafood hopes live lobster operations continue after devastating fire