A scallop dragger has resumed efforts to retrieve the rest of the Swissair passenger jet that plunged into the ocean off Nova Scotia, killing everyone on board.

Meanwhile, some American relatives of those killed are planning a reunion at the site on the weekend, timed to coincide with the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.

About 80 per cent of the downed plane has been recovered, but important pieces of the nose section remain on the ocean bottom.

The fishing boat has been equipped with a fine-mesh net to snag small pieces of wreckage.