BIOSIS COPYRIGHT: BIOL ABS. Between May-July, 1997, lobsters were collected from 8 harbours around mainland Nova Scotia: Annapolis Basin, Country Harbour, LaHave Estuary, Lunenburg, Petpeswick, Pubnico, Shelburne, and St. Mary's Estuary. Digestive glands were analyzed for the concentrations of 19 metals: arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, copper, cobalt, chromium, lanthanum, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, antimony, silver, strontium, titanium, thallium, uranium, vanadium, and zinc. Overall, Cu was found in the highest con in Country Harbour (15.8 mug/g) and St. Mary's lobsters (15.8 mug/g), may be attributable to past gold-mining activity. When sites were ranked for overall digestive gland metal concentrations, Country Harbour ranked first and contained the highest As, Cd, La, V and Zn, and the second highest Sb, Cu, Mo, Ag, Ti and U. Lobsters from nearby St. Mary's Estuary, ranked second overall. St. Mary's lobsters were highest in Co, Li, and Ti, and second highest in As, Cr, and Mn. Of the 8 sites, Petpeswick positive relationship between copper and silver is consistent at all sites, and positive trends between these two metals and cadmium, zinc, and lanthanum, suggest possible interactions between these metals. With regard to sexual differences, slightly higher levels of chromium, cobalt, strontium, uranium, and zinc were observed in female lobsters, and may be related to increased metabolic demands associated with the reproductive cycle. When compared with sediment metal concentrations for the sam al, contribute to the uptake and accumulation of metals in these crustaceans.