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Title: The Lobster Fishery of Maine
Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission, Vol. 19, Pages 241-265, 1899
Author: John N. Cobb
Release Date: January 7, 2006 [eBook #17475]
Language: English
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THE LOBSTER FISHERY OF MAINE.
by
JOHN N. COBB,
Agent of the United States Fish Commission.
_Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission_, Vol. 19,
Pages 241-265, 1899
[Illustration: The sailing smack _Bar Bel_ of Rockland]
For some years past the condition of the lobster fishery of New
England has excited the earnest attention of all interested in the
preservation of one of the most valuable crustaceans of our country.
In the State of Maine, particularly, where the industry is of the
first importance, the steady decline from year to year has caused the
gravest fears, and incessant efforts have been made by the United
States Fish Commission, in conjunction with the State Fish Commission
of Maine, to overcome this decline. This paper presents the results of
an investigation by the writer in 1899. All statistics, when not
otherwise stated, are for the calendar year 1898.
I am indebted to so many dealers, fishermen, and others for
information given and courtesies extended that it is impossible to
mention them by name; and I now extend to all my most sincere thanks
for their many kindnesses.
[Illustration: The first steam smack to carry lobsters in a well]
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE LOBSTER.
Although the lobster has been of great value to the New England States
and the British Provinces as a food commodity, but little was known of
its life-history and habits until within the last few years. To this
ignorance has been due quite largely peculiar (and in some instances
useless) laws enacted by some States. The gradual enlightenment of the
public on this subject has borne good fruit, however, and most of the
present State laws are founded on substantial facts instead of
theories. Prof. Francis H. Herrick has been one of the most prominent
of the investigators, and his summary of the present knowledge on this
subject is quoted below from the Fish Commission Bulletin for 1897:
(1) The fishery is declining, and this decline is due to the
persistence with which it has been conducted during the last
twenty-five years. There is no evidence that the animal is
being driven to the wall by any new or unusual disturbance of
the forces of nature.
(2) The lobster is migratory only to the extent of moving to
and from the shore, and is, therefore, practically a sedentary
animal. Its movements are governed chiefly by the abundance of
food and the temperature of the water.
(3) The female may be impregnated or provided with a supply of
sperm for future use by the male at any time, and the sperm,
which is deposited in an external pouch or sperm receptacle,
has remarkable vitality. Copulation occurs commonly in spring,
and the eggs are fertilized outside the body.
(4) Female lobsters become sexually mature when from 8 to 12
inches long. The majority of all lobsters 10-1/2 inches long
are mature. It is rare to find a female less than 8 inches long
which has spawned or one over 12 inches in length which has
never borne eggs.
(5) The spawning interval is a biennial one, two years elapsing
between each period of egg-laying.
(6) The spawning period for the majority of lobsters is July
and August. A few lay eggs at other seasons of the year--in the
fall, winter, and probably in the spring.
(7) The period of spawning lasts about six weeks, and
fluctuates slightly from year to year. The individual variation
in the time of extrusion of ova is explained by the long period
during which the eggs attain the limits of growth. Anything
which affects the vital condition of the female during this
period of two years may affect the time of spawning.
(8) The spawning period in the middle and eastern districts of
Maine is two weeks later than in Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts.
In 1893 71 per cent of eggs examined from the coast of Maine
were extruded in the first half of August.
(9) The number of eggs laid varies with the size of the animal.
The law of production may be arithmetically expressed as
follows: _The number of eggs produced at each reproductive
period varies in a geometrical series, while the length of
lobsters producing these eggs varies in an arithmetical
series._ According to this law an 8-inch lobster produces
5,000 eggs, a lobster 10 inches long 10,000, a 12-inch lobster
20,000. This high rate of production is not maintained beyond
the length of 14 to 16 inches. The largest number of eggs
recorded for a female is 97,440. A lobster 10-1/2 inches long
produces, on the average, nearly 13,000 eggs.
(10) The period of incubation of summer eggs at Woods Hole is
about ten months, July 15-August 15 to May 15-June 15. The
hatching of a single brood lasts about a week, owing to the
slightly unequal rate of development of individual eggs.
(11) The hatching period varies also with the time of
egg-laying, lobsters having rarely been known to hatch in
November and February.
(12) Taking all things into consideration, the sexes appear
about equally divided, though the relative numbers caught in
certain places at certain times of the year may be remarkably
variable.
(13) Molting commonly occurs from June to September, but there
is no month of the year in which soft lobsters may not be
caught.
(14) The male probably molts oftener than the female.
(15) In the adult female the molting like the spawning period
is a biennial one, but the two periods are one year apart. As a
rule, the female lays her eggs in July, carries them until the
following summer, when they hatch; then she molts. Possibly a
second molt may occur in the fall, winter, or spring, but it is
not probable, and molting just before the production of new
eggs is rare.
(16) The egg-bearing female, with eggs removed, weighs less
than the female of the same length without eggs.
(17) The new shell becomes thoroughly hard in the course of
from six to eight weeks, the length of time requisite for this
varying with the food and other conditions of the animal.
(18) The young, after hatching, cut loose from their mother,
rise to the surface of the ocean, and, lead a free life as
pelagic larvae. The first larva is about one-third of an inch
long (7.84 mm). The swimming period lasts from six to eight
weeks, or until the lobster has molted five or at most six
times, and is three-fifths of an inch long, when it sinks to
the bottom. It now travels toward the shore, and, if fortunate,
establishes itself in the rock piles of inlets of harbors,
where it remains until driven out by ice in the fall or early
winter. The smallest, now from 1 to 3 inches long, go down
among the loose stones which are often exposed at low tides.
At a later period, when 3 to 4 inches long, they come out of
their retreats and explore the bottom, occasionally hiding or
burrowing under stones. Young lobsters have also been found in
eelgrass and on sandy bottoms in shallow water.
(19) The food of the larva consists of minute pelagic
organisms. The food of the older and adult stages is largely of
animal origin with but slight addition of vegetable material,
consisting chiefly of fish and invertebrates of various kinds.
The large and strong also prey upon the small and weak.
(20) The increase in length at each molt is about 15.3 per
cent. During the first year the lobster molts from 14 to 17
times. At 10-1/2 inches the lobster has molted 25 to 26 times
and is about 5 years old.
As the purpose of this article is to deal more particularly with the
commercial side of the lobster question all interested more
particularly in the natural history of the animal are referred to the
following works:
The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States,
sec. I, pp. 780-812.
The American Lobster, by Francis H. Herrick. Bull. U. S. Fish
Com. for 1895, pp. 1-252.
HISTORY OF THE FISHERY.
Ever since the early Puritan settlers first learned from the Indians
how to utilize the lobster, it has been one of the most prized
articles of food in the New England States. The early town records of
Massachusetts contain frequent references to this valuable crustacean,
and efforts were made at an early day to conserve the supply.
At first, as most settlers lived on or near the coast, each family
could easily secure its own supply, but as the settlements gradually
extended farther inland this became inconvenient, and it soon became
customary for certain persons living on the coast to attend to
supplying the wants of the inland settlers, and thus the commercial
fishery was established.
The coast of Maine is very favorably situated for this fishery. In its
eastern and middle sections the shore is bold and rocky, while it is
cut up by large deep inlets and coves which are studded with numerous
islands, large and small, and by bold rocky promontories. Groups
of islands are also numerous farther off shore, like the Fox and
Matinicus Islands, Deer and Mount Desert islands. Large and small
fresh-water rivers are numerous and the granite bottoms of these
channels and inlets form admirable breeding grounds. In the western
end the shores are not so rocky, being broken frequently with sandy
reaches, while the rivers are small and comparatively shallow. West of
Casco Bay the islands are infrequent. As a result of this conformation
of coast the best fishing grounds in Maine are between Cape Elizabeth
and Quoddy Head.
As early as 1830 smacks from Boston and Connecticut visited Harpswell
for fresh lobsters, and it is very probable that even before this time
they had visited the points farther west in the State, as the history
of the fishery, so far as known, shows that it gradually worked to
the eastward. This was doubtless owing to the fact that the trend of
settlement in the early part of the century was in that direction. It
is also probable that, for some time before the people along the coast
took up the fishery, the smackmen themselves did their own fishing.
This is easily believed when the great abundance is considered. It is
known that this was done in Massachusetts.
During summer the lobsters were very common close in shore and could
easily be gaffed by boys at low water; but this could hardly be called
a regular fishery.
The regular fishery began with the use of hoop-net pots, which were
generally of very rude construction, and the facility with which the
lobsters escaped from them led to their disuse soon after the lath
pots began to be introduced. The lath pots were essentially the same
in construction as those now used on the coast of Maine, and each
pair of fishermen then handled between 25 and 50.
Up to about 1865 it was the custom to set the traps singly, and two
men were usually employed in the fishery, one to haul up, empty the
pot, rebait it, and drop it overboard, while the other handled the
boat. In the latter year it was discovered that by setting the pots on
trawls more pots could be set and only one man would be required to
work them. This invention, which was claimed by several different
persons, proved quite successful for a while, but after a time, when
the supply of lobsters began to drop off, better results were secured
by scattering the pots over a greater area and shifting their position
each time they were fished, which was very easily done. As a result of
this the use of trawls decreased very rapidly.
The following facts regarding the early lobster fishery of Maine are
from the Fishery Industries of the United States, section v, vol. II,
pp. 700, 701:
In 1841 Capt. E. M. Oakes began to carry lobsters from Cundy's
Harbor and Horse Island Harbor, Harpswell, to Mr. Eben Weeks,
at East Boston. He was then running a well-smack, named the
_Swampscott_, of 41 tons, old measurement. The season extended
from the 1st of March until about the 4th of July, after which
time the lobsters were supposed to be unfit for eating; the
black lobsters, or shedders, were even considered poisonous.
During this season of four months Captain Oakes made ten trips,
carrying in all 35,000, by count. He continued in this trade
about six years, taking the combined catch of about five or
six fishermen. At this same period the smack _Hulda B. Hall_,
50 tons, of New London, Conn., Captain Chapell, was carrying
lobsters from Cape Porpoise, Gloucester, Ipswich Bay, and
occasionally Provincetown, to Boston, making 15 trips in the
season of four months, and taking about 3,500 lobsters each
trip. Captain Chapell was supplied with lobsters by four men at
Cape Porpoise, and by the same number at both Gloucester and
Ipswich Bay. For four months following the close of the lobster
season on the Maine coast, or from July 4 until November,
Captain Chapell ran his smack with lobsters to New York,
obtaining most of his supplies at Provincetown.
In 1847 Captain Oakes purchased the smack _Josephine_, with
which he began running to Johnson & Young's establishment, at
Boston, in 1848, buying a portion of his lobsters in the
Penobscot Bay region, where this fishery had just been started.
The quantity of lobsters carried by him that year was 40,000.
The prices paid to the fishermen for smack lobsters was as
follows: During March, 3 cents each; April, 2-1/2 cents; May
and June, 2 cents. In 1850, he began to obtain supplies from
the Muscle Ridges, leaving Harpswell entirely, on account of
the small size of the lobsters then being caught there. At
this time the average weight of the lobsters marketed was about
3 pounds, and all under 10-1/2 inches in length were rejected.
The traps were made of the same size as at present, but were
constructed of round oak sticks, and with four hoops or bows
to support the upper framework. A string of bait, consisting
mainly of flounders and sculpins, was tied into each trap.
About 50 traps were used by each fisherman, and they were
hauled once a day. The warps or buoy lines, by which the traps
were lowered and hauled, were cut in 12-fathom lengths.
Lobsters were so abundant at the Muscle Ridges, at this period,
that four men could fully supply Captain Oakes with lobsters
every trip. In the course of ten days each man would obtain
between 1,200 and 1,500 marketable lobsters. In Captain Oakes'
opinion, the Muscle Ridges have furnished the most extensive
lobster fishery of the Maine coast. He ran to this locality
until 1874.
Capt. S. S. Davis, of South Saint George, states that about
1864, when he first began buying lobsters at the Muscle Ridges,
three men, tending 40 to 50 pots each, caught all the count
lobsters he could carry to market in his smack. He could load
5,000 lobsters at a time, and averaged a trip in 7 to 9 days.
This traffic continued for six or seven years. In 1879, Captain
Davis bought from 15 men In the same locality, and at times
was obliged to buy also of others in order to make up a load.
The fishery at North Haven began in 1848, but did not increase so
rapidly at first as in sections farther west, as the smacks would only
take the medium-sized lobsters, fearing that the largest would not
be able to stand the trip. At Matinicus Island the fishing began in
1868. In 1852 the people on Deer Island began the fishery, and as the
smackmen made frequent visits the business rapidly increased. The
establishment of a cannery at Oceanville, about 1860, also caused a
considerable development of the fishery. The fishery was started at
Isle an Haute about 1855, and at Swan Island in the early fifties.
The canning of lobsters was first carried on at Eastport in 1842, but
the fishery was not taken up until about 1853, as it was supposed
there were no lobsters in the neighborhood. The supplies for these
canneries previous to the inception of the fishery were obtained by
smacks running to the westward.
For some years the fishery was only prosecuted in the late spring,
summer, and early fall months. Just when winter fishing began in
the State is doubtful; but according to Capt. Charles Black, of Orr
Island, it began in that region in 1845 at Harpswell. Previously the
fishermen had the impression that lobsters could not be successfully
caught earlier than March 20.
During the summer of 1845 the captains of the well-smacks of New
London, Conn., who bought most of the lobsters in that vicinity,
induced Charles E. Clay, Samuel Orr, and a few others to fish during
the winter, and they set their traps about the same distance from the
shore that the fishermen do at present, and in almost the same depth
of water. The smackmen paid them $4 for 100 lobsters. The next winter
the fishermen refused to sell by number and wanted $1.25 per 100
pounds. The smackmen had no objection to buy them by weight, but
refused to pay more than $1.12 per 100 pounds. This was accepted, and
for several years the prices were from $1.12 to $1.25 per 100 pounds.
Comparatively few traps were necessary then, as when the weather would
permit the fishermen to tend their traps they would catch from 20 to
30 lobsters daily, and frequently, when the traps were hauled, they
would find several lobsters clinging to some part of the pots. The
bait was very plentiful and caught with spears.
The lobsters were placed in cars at that time, after having been
"plugged" to keep them from injuring each other. The plugs were almost
1-1/2 inches long, flat on one side, round on the other, and with a
sharp point. Plugging has since been discontinued, as the trifling
injury the lobsters did each other was nothing compared to the value
of cans of meat spoiled by one of these pine plugs being boiled with
it.
[Illustration: The steam smack _Mina and Lizzie_ landing her cargo at
Portland]
[Illustration: Fleet of lobster boats in harbor at York Island]
THE FISHING-GROUNDS.
It is difficult to estimate the comparative value of the grounds
in the State, owing to the movements of the lobsters. In the early
spring, in April or May, as the waters in the bays and rivers warm up,
the lobsters come into the comparatively shallow waters. They remain
here until late in the fall, going back to the ocean or deep waters
of the bays in either October or November. They love to congregate on
rocky bottom, and pots set on such bottom will frequently make large
catches, while those on sandy or muddy ground will catch almost
nothing. In the early years of the fishery they came in very close in
great numbers, and could frequently be taken at low water in dip nets
or by gaffs; but they are now found in summer in depths of from 3
to 15 fathoms in the numerous passages between the islands and the
mainland, and the lower reaches of the bays and rivers. For a number
of years winter fishing was not prosecuted, but now it is a very
important business. In winter the pots are generally set in the ocean
at depths of from 15 to 50 fathoms.
As the greatest part of the coast line is cut up by numerous bays and
rivers, and these are dotted with large and small islands, they form
admirable breeding grounds for the lobster. Some of the best locations
are in Little Machias, Machias, Englishman, Pleasant Point, Chandler,
Narragaugus, Muscongus, Linekin, Sheepscot, and Casco bays, while the
fishing is especially good around the numerous islands in the lower
Penobscot and Blue Hill bays, and at Monhegan and the Matinicus
islands in the ocean. The Sheepscot River is also a favorite resort
for lobsters during the warm months, while in the winter they retire
to the waters of the bay, where the fishing can be carried on very
easily. At most of the other grounds the winter fishing is carried on
in the ocean, as the lobsters do not usually remain in the bays. Most
of the fishing in Casco Bay is carried on at the eastern end among the
numerous islands. The earliest fishing of which we have any definite
record was carried on from the township of Harpswell on this bay. This
region has held its own remarkably well, as in 1898 more than twice as
many lobsters were taken by fishermen from this township than from any
other town in the State.
The upper portions of Frenchman, Blue Hill, and Penobscot bays were
formerly very important grounds, but are now almost exhausted. These
regions were especially noted for large lobsters. In August, 1891, Mr.
F. W. Collins, a Rockland dealer, had 50 lobsters in his establishment
which weighed from 10 to 18-1/2 pounds apiece. About half of these
came from Castine, in upper Penobscot Bay, and the remainder from Blue
Hill Falls, in the upper Blue Hill Bay.
The grounds in York County, at the western end of the State, were
formerly quite prolific, but the excessive fishing of the last thirty
years has very badly depleted them.
THE FISHING SEASON.
In the early days of the fishery it was customary to fish only during
the spring and fall. When the canneries went into operation they
usually worked during the spring, early summer, and fall, and as they
furnished a ready market for all the lobsters that could be caught
this came to be the principal season. At that time it was not thought
possible to do any winter fishing, owing to the cold and stormy
weather and the fact that the fishing had to be carried on generally
in the open sea.
In 1878 a law was passed limiting the canning season to the period
between April 1 and August 1. This season was frequently changed
by subsequent enactments, but rarely covered a longer period than
that fixed in the first law. As at certain places on the coast the
canneries were the only market for lobsters the fishery would cease
as soon as the canneries stopped. At other places, which were visited
by the smacks, some of the fishermen would continue fishing after the
canneries closed, selling to the smackmen. At various times a closed
season was in force, but at present there is no limitation as to
season. The canning industry in the State practically ceased to
exist in 1895, and since then the whole catch has had to be marketed
in a live or boiled condition. The smack fleet had been gradually
increasing as the live-lobster trade extended, and by the time the
canneries closed permanently they had extended their visits to every
point where lobsters could be had in any number.
At present the majority of the fishermen usually haul out their
traps during July and August and put them in good order for the fall
fishing. During the excessively cold portion of the winter most of the
pots are taken out, but some fishing is done during every month of the
year.
The fishermen on Monhegan Island, about 12 miles southeast of Pemaquid
Point, agree among themselves to put no lobster pots in the water
until about the 1st of January. There is then no restriction on
fishing until about May 15, when all pots are hauled out and no more
fishing is done until the season begins again. During this season the
law in regard to short lobsters is rigidly enforced by the fishermen
themselves. Should any outsider visit this island during the close
time established by the fishermen, and attempt to fish, he is quietly
informed of the agreement and requested to conform to it. Should
he persist in working after this warning, his pots are apt to
mysteriously disappear. As lobsters bring a much higher price in
winter than in summer, the Monhegan fishermen reap a rich reward, as
the lobsters are very numerous, owing to the 7-1/2 months close time.
On the first day the fishermen hauled in 1900 one man secured 293,
for which he received 19 cents apiece. The smallest number secured by
anyone was 135.
FISHING APPLIANCES.
In most large fisheries for certain species numerous changes occur at
intervals in the apparatus used, owing to changed conditions, etc.,
but in the lobster industry changes have been few, and at an early
period the fishermen fixed upon a uniform apparatus, which has been in
use ever since with but slight modifications, and these generally only
temporary.
The earliest form of apparatus used to any considerable extent was the
hoop net. This consisted generally of a hoop or ring of about 1/2-inch
round iron, or a wooden hogshead hoop, from 2-1/2 to 3 feet or more in
diameter. To this hoop was attached a net bag with a depth of 18 to 24
inches as a bottom, while two wooden half hoops were bent above it,
crossing at right angles in the center about 12 or 15 inches above the
plane of the hoop. Sometimes these half hoops were replaced by short
cords. The bait was suspended from the point of crossing of the two
wooden hoops and the line for raising and lowering the pots was
attached at the same place. As there was no way of closing the
mouth of the pot after a lobster had entered, these nets had to
be constantly watched, the lobster being in the habit of retiring
after he had finished his repast. In using these the fisherman would
generally go out in the evening and at short intervals he would haul
in his nets and remove whatever lobsters they might contain. The
constant attention necessary in attending to these hoop nets led the
fishermen to devise an apparatus which would hold the lobsters after
once entering and would require only occasional visits, and "lath
pots" were found to fulfill all requirements. They acquire the name
from the use of common laths in their construction. They are usually
about 4 feet in length, with a width of about 2 feet, a height of 18
inches, and in Maine are usually of semicylindrical form.
The following description of this apparatus is from the Fishery
Industries of the United States, sec. v, vol. 11, p. 666:
The framework of the bottom consists of three strips of wood,
either hemlock, spruce, or pine (the first mentioned being the
most durable), a little longer than the width of the pot, about
2-3/4 inches wide and 1 inch thick. In the ends of each of
the outer strips a hole is bored to receive the ends of a
small branch of pliable wood, which is bent into a regular
semicircular curve. These hoops are made of branches of spruce
or hemlock, or of hardwood saplings, such as maple, birch,
or ash, generally retaining the bark. Three of these similar
frames, straight below and curved above, constitute the
framework of each pot, one to stand at each end and one in the
center. The narrow strips of wood, generally ordinary house
laths of spruce or pine, which form the covering, are nailed
lengthwise to them, with interspaces between about equal to
the width of the lathe. On the bottom the laths are sometimes
nailed on the outside and sometimes on the inside of the cross
pieces. The door is formed by three or four of the laths
running the entire length near the top. The door is hinged on
by means of small leather strips, and is fastened by a single
wooden button in the center, or by two buttons, one at each
end. The openings into the pot . . . are two in number, one at
each end, are generally knit of coarse twine and have a mesh
between three-fourths of an inch and 1 inch square. They are
funnel-shaped, with one side shorter than the other, and at the
larger end have the same diameter as the framework. The smaller
and inner end measures about 6 inches in diameter and is held
open by means of a wire ring or wooden hoop. The funnels are
fastened by the larger ends to the end frames of the pot, with
the shorter side uppermost, so that when they are in place they
lead obliquely upward into the pot instead of horizontally.
The inner ends are secured in position by one or two cords
extending to the center frame. The funnels are about 11 or 12
inches deep, and therefore extend about halfway to the center
of the pot. They taper rapidly and form a strongly inclined
plane, up which the lobsters must climb in their search for the
bait. A two-strand manila twine is most commonly used for the
funnels. Cotton is also used, but is more expensive and less
durable.
[Illustration: Lobster pots]
A change in the shape of the funnel was first made at Matinicus
shortly before 1890. This has been called the "patent head." Large
lobsters are said to always go to the top and small ones to the bottom
of the pots. By going to the top in the "old-head" pot large lobsters
made their escape through the hole, but in the pots with "patent
heads" instead of finding their way through the hole the big lobsters
slide over it. The "patent head" has not been used to any extent,
however. The sketch shown on the following page gives a good idea of
the difference in shape.
[Illustration: Old style of head (in general use) and "patent" head]
In the center of the ordinary pot is a sort of spearhead of wood or
iron from 8 to 12 inches long. This has one large barb and is set
upright in the middle of the center frame. The bait is placed on this
spearhead. Several large stones or bricks are lashed to the bottom of
the pot, on the inside, in order to furnish weight enough to hold the
pot at the bottom.
As it was noticed that a lobster generally crawled over a pot before
entering by the end, some pots of a square form and with the opening
at the top were constructed, but they were not successful.
Another variation had a length of 7-1/2 feet and five supporting
frames inside instead of three, as in the old pot. These were set at
equal distances apart, and had two more funnels than the other, one
funnel being attached to each of the frames except the center one,
and all pointing inward. In order to reach the bait the lobster had
to pass through two funnels, and its chances of escape were thereby
lessened. This style is rarely seen now.
Still another variety in vogue for a short time had a trapdoor, on
which the lobster had to climb in order to reach the bait; the door
then gave way and precipitated the lobster into a secure inclosure.
A few pots are made with a funnel of laths in place of the net
funnels. They are the same as the ordinary pot in every other
particular.
The ordinary pots cost about $1 to construct.
During certain seasons the pots are badly eaten by "worms," the
shipworm (Teredo) or one of the species of small boring crustaceans.
Pots are also frequently lost during stormy weather, and the fishermen
therefore have a reserve stock on hand in order to replace those lost
or temporarily disabled.
METHODS OF FISHING.
In fishing the traps are either set on single warps or on trawls of
8 to 40 and 50 pots. At first all pots were set singly. The line by
which they were lowered and hauled up, and which also served as a buoy
line, was fastened to one of the end frames of the bottom or sill, as
it is called, at the intersection of the hoop. The buoys generally
consist of a tapering piece of cedar or spruce, wedge-shaped, or
nearly spindle shaped, and about 18 inches long. They are usually
painted in distinctive colors, so that each fisherman may easily
recognize his own. Small kegs are also used as buoys.
In the warm season the pots are frequently set on trawls or "ground
lines," as lobsters are quite thick then on the rocky bottom near
shore. If the bottom is sandy they are set farther from shore.
Lobsters are most numerous on a rocky bottom. In the trawl method the
pots are usually set about 30 feet apart, depending on the depth of
water, so that when one pot is in the boat the next will be on the
bottom. The ground lines have large anchors at each end and a floating
buoy tied to a strong line, which is fastened to the ground line
almost 25 fathoms from the anchors. When the last pot is hauled the
anchor is far enough away to hold the boat in position. The pots are
set at distances from the shore ranging from 100 yards to 5 or 6
miles. This method of setting pots was first used about the year 1865
in Sagadahoc County. The traps are set in from 3 to 10 fathoms in the
warm season.
In winter fishing the pots are generally set singly, as the lobsters
are more scattered then and the best results are attained by shifting
the position of the pots slightly each time they are fished. This is
caused by the drift of the boat while the fisherman is hauling in the
pot, emptying and rebaiting it, and then dropping it overboard again.
The winter fishing is generally carried on in the open sea, although
in a few places, like Sheepscot Bay, the lobsters in winter retire to
the deep waters of the bays and can there be caught. The pots are
generally set in from 20 to 50 fathoms of water at this season.
Certain fishermen claim that when pots are set on a trawl placed
across the tide the catch is greater than when the trawl is set in
the direction of the current. In the former case, it is asserted, the
scent or fine particles coming from the bait is more widely diffused
and more apt to attract the lobsters. In entering, after first
reconnoitering around and over the pot, the lobster always backs in,
primarily that he may be prepared to meet any foe following him, also
because his large claws would be apt to catch in the net funnel should
he enter head first. After discovering that he is imprisoned, which
he does very speedily, he seems to lose all desire for the bait, and
spends his time roaming around the pot hunting for a means of escape.
The pots are generally hauled once a day, but sometimes twice a day in
good weather. As the tide along the Maine coast is quite strong, the
fishermen usually haul their pots at or about slack water, low tide
generally being preferred when they are worked once a day. The number
used by a fisherman varies greatly on different sections of the coast.
According to the investigations of this Commission, the average
number of pots to the man in certain years was as follows: Fifty-six
pots in 1880, 59 in 1887 and 1888, 58 in 1889 and 1892, and 50 in
1898. This average, however, is somewhat misleading, as quite a number
of persons along the coast take up lobstering for only a few months
in the year, and then return to their regular occupations. As these
persons use but few pots, the average per man throughout the whole
State is very considerably reduced. The regular lobster fishermen have
been steadily increasing the number of their pots for several years
past. They have found this an absolute necessity in order to catch as
many lobsters now as they caught twenty or thirty years ago. It is not
unusual now to find one of the regular fishermen handling as high as
100 pots, and sometimes even 125, when a few years ago 25 and 50 pots
was a large number. This does not take into account his reserve stock
of pots, which it is necessary to have on hand in order to replace
those damaged or lost.
[Illustration: Fishermen operating their pots]
BAIT.
Cod, hake, and halibut heads are quite generally used as bait. Halibut
heads are said to be the best, as they are tougher than the cod or
hake heads, and thus last much longer. Sculpins, flounders, in fact
almost any kind of fish, can be used. In the vicinity of sardine
canneries the heads of herring are used. Sometimes the bait is
slightly salted, at other times it is used fresh. Small herring are
lightly salted, and then allowed to remain until partly decayed, when
they are inclosed in small bags, and these put into the pots. The
oil from this bait forms a "slick" in the water, and when the smell
from it is strong the fishermen consider it at its best. The bait is
generally secured by small haul-seines and spears in sections where
offal can not be bought.
FISHING VESSELS AND BOATS.
The fishing vessels are either sloop or schooner rigged, with an
average net tonnage of slightly over 8 tons (new measurement) and an
average value of about $475. There has been a great increase in the
number of these vessels during recent years. Eight vessels were used
in 1880, 29 in 1889, and 130 in 1898. Quite a number of these vessels
are used in other fisheries during their seasons. Two men usually form
a crew, although three, and sometimes four, are occasionally used.
The other vessels comprise sailboats under 5 tons and rowboats.
The sailboats are generally small square-sterned sloops, open in
the afterpart, but with a cuddy forward. They are all built with
centerboards, and some are lapstreak while others are "set work."
Around the afterpart of the standing room is a seat, the ballast is
floored over, and two little bunks and a stove generally help to
furnish the cuddy. They vary in length from 16 to 26 feet and in width
from 6 to 9 feet; they average about 2 tons. They are especially
adapted to the winter fishery, as they are good sailers and ride out
the storms easily.
Dories are in quite general use in the lobster fishery, as are also
the double-enders, or peapods. This latter is a small canoe-shaped
boat of an average length of 15-1/2 feet, 4-1/2 feet breadth, and
1-1/2 feet depth. They are mainly built lapstreak, but a few are "set
work." Both ends are exactly alike; the sides are rounded and the
bottom is flat, being, however, only 4 or 5 inches wide in the center
and tapering toward each end, at the same time bending slightly
upward, so as to make the boat shallower at the ends than in the
middle. This kind of bottom is called a "rocker bottom." They are
usually rowed, but are sometimes furnished with a sprit sail and
centerboard.
TRANSPORTING VESSELS OR SMACKS.
Even before the lobster fishery had been taken up to any extent, the
coast of Maine was visited by well-smacks from Connecticut and New
York, most of which had been engaged in the transportation of live
fish before engaging in the carrying of lobsters. These vessels
sometimes carried pots, and caught their own lobsters; but as this
method was not very convenient, the people living along the coast
took up the fishery, and sold the lobsters to the smackmen. About
1860 the canneries began to absorb a considerable part of the catch,
and they employed vessels to ply along the coast and buy lobsters.
As these vessels would only be out a few days at a time, wells were
not necessary, and the lobsters were packed in the hold. In the
summer great numbers of them were killed by the heat in the hold.
After 1885 the canneries rapidly dropped out of the business, the last
one closing in 1895. In 1853 there were but 6 smacks, 4 of them from
New London, Conn. In 1880 there were 58, of which 21 were dry smacks,
while in 1898 there were 76, of which 17 were steamers and launches
and 59 sailing vessels. These were all well-smacks. A few sailing
smacks also engaged in other fishery pursuits during the dull summer
months. In 1879 a steamer which had no well was used to run lobsters
to the cannery at Castine. The first steamer fitted with a well to
engage in the business was the _Grace Morgan_, owned by Mr. F. W.
Collins, a lobster dealer of Rockland, who describes the steamer as
follows:
The steam and well smack _Grace Morgan_ was built in 1890, by
Robert Palmer & Son, of Noank, Conn. At that time she was a dry
boat, but the following year, 1891, the Palmers built a small well
in her as an experiment, but I am of the opinion that it did not
prove very satisfactory or profitable; consequently they offered
her for sale and wrote to me in relation to buying her. I went
to Noank and looked her over and came to the conclusion that by
enlarging the well and making other needed changes she could
be made not only a good boat to carry lobsters alive, but also
to do it profitably; consequently I bought her and brought
her to Rockland, had the well enlarged on ideas of my own, and
differently constructed, so as to give it better circulation of
water, and also made other needed improvements throughout the boat
to adapt her especially for carrying lobsters alive. The changes I
made in her proved so successful in keeping lobsters alive, while
it increased the capacity for carrying, that I have since adapted
the same principles on all my boats. The well I had put into the
_Grace Morgan_ is what is termed a "box well," that is, without
any well deck. The well is built from the sides of the steamer
directly to the hatch on the main deck, with bulkheads forward and
aft and tops running directly to the deck. . . . You will see at
once that this well has many advantages over the old style with
flat well decks, like those of sailing vessels: (1) It affords a
much larger carrying capacity in same space of vessel. (2) The
priming-out pieces are much higher up on sides of vessel, giving
more room for boring hull, which affords much better circulation
of water in well, which is a great advantage in keeping lobsters
alive while on long trips. (3) Every lobster can be easily bailed
out of the well without grounding the vessel, which is necessary
with all vessels having the old-style well. (4) In all steam
and well smacks the after part of the ship is always steadiest,
consequently the well being located aft, as in my smacks, the
lobsters contained in them are not subjected to the hard pounding
while running in seaway that they are in the old-style wells,
where there is no chance to relieve themselves other than to be
forced against the well decks by the upward force of the water
when the vessel settles into the sea, and which results in killing
many of them.
Both of my steamers have box wells aft, and from my experience,
compared with all other steam and well smacks afloat, I am
convinced that this well, for all practical purposes, is the best
that has yet been adapted to steam smacks. So far as the _Grace
Morgan_ is concerned, she has been a perfect success in carrying
her lobsters in all kinds of weather since I put her into
commission October 27, 1892, during which time she has had a
wonderful career, as well as carrying millions of lobsters.
Probably no boat of her size has ever had such an experience,
as she has run steadily the year around in all kinds of weather
during the past eight years. . . . Previous to buying the _Grace
Morgan_ I had run steamers in the lobster business, but they had
no well, and being so hot in their holds, particularly in the
summer months, the lobsters died so fast that the business in dry
steamers could not be made profitable. This is what prompted me to
construct a well in mine, as I have done.
The _Grace Morgan_ has a length of 49 feet, a breadth of 13.9 feet,
and a depth of 5.7 feet, a gross tonnage of 21 tons, and a net
tonnage of 10 tons.
The steam smacks now used average about 14 tons. They are usually
built low in the water, and have a small pilot-house forward, with an
open space between it and the engine-house, and living quarters aft.
The boat has also one or two short masts. Some of them also have the
pilot-house and engine-house joined together. In those with a space
between the pilot-house and engine-house the well is usually placed in
this open space. Where the pilot-house and engine-house are together
the well is either located forward or aft. These wells are generally
capable of bolding from 3,000 to 10,000 live lobsters. Small holes in
the bottom of the well keep it filled with fresh sea water. Should the
weather be clear the proportion of dead and injured lobsters will be
small, but in bad weather many are apt to be killed by the pitching
and rolling to which they are subjected.
These smacks make regular trips up and down the coast, landing their
cargoes either at Rockland, Portland, or at one of the lobster pounds
scattered along the coast. They not only stop at the villages, but
also drop anchor off the little camps of the lobstermen, and should
the smacks of two rival dealers arrive at a place simultaneously,
which frequently happens, the bidding between the captains for the
fishermen's catch gladdens the latter's heart and greatly enriches his
pocketbook. Most of the captains have regular places of call where
they know the fishermen are holding their lobsters for them, and they
follow a rude sort of schedule, which will not often vary more than
a day or two. The lobsters are bought of the fishermen by count,
and cash is paid for them. Should the smack belong to a dealer this
practically ends the financial side of the transaction so far as the
captain is concerned, as the crew are paid wages. Should the smack
belong to a person other than the dealer, which is frequently the
case, he either makes an agreement with some dealer to run for him
exclusively at a certain price or commission, or else buys from the
fishermen and then sells at either Rockland or Portland. This method
of buying lobsters is somewhat hazardous, as the market price
sometimes changes sharply when the smack is out of reach of
telegraphic communication.
LOBSTER CARS.
Lobsters must be marketed in a live or boiled condition; and as
fishermen can get better prices for them alive than boiled, each
fisherman generally has a live-car in which to hold them until they
can be sold. These cars are usually oblong, rectangular boxes, with
open seams or numerous small holes to permit the free circulation of
the water. They are of various sizes, according to the needs of the
fisherman, a good average being about 6 feet long by 4 feet wide and
about 2 feet deep. The door is placed on the top. They are usually
moored close to the shore during the fishing season, the rest of the
time being hauled up on the beach.
[Illustration: Fishermen's lobster cars]
The dealers cars are very similar to those used by the fishermen, only
much larger. They generally average about 30 feet in length, 12 feet
in width; and 3 feet in depth, with capacity for from 2,000 to 3,000
lobsters. The inner part of this car is usually divided off into
five transverse compartments by means of a framework inside. Each
compartment is provided with two large doors entering from the top,
one door on each side of the middle line of the car. These cars cost
the dealers about $70 each. The life of one of these cars is about
five or six years, although at the end of about three years it is
generally necessary to replace the sides of the car on account of the
ravages of a dock worm which is quite abundant along the Maine coast.
When new the top of the car is usually about a foot above the water,
but as it gets water-soaked it sinks down until it is even with the
water, and some of the older cars have to be buoyed up with kegs
at each end, placed inside, to prevent them from sinking below the
surface. These cars are moored alongside the docks of the dealers at
Portland and Rockland and other points.
[Illustration: Lobster cars used in the wholesale trade at Portland]
Mr. J. R. Burns, of Friendship, has invented and patented a new
style of car. The inside is divided into a series of compartments by
horizontal and vertical partitions of slats, wire netting, or any
material which will permit the free circulation of the water. Each
compartment has a chute extending down into it from the top, by means
of which the lobsters can be put in and their food given them. There
are also conveniently arranged openings, with doors, through which the
lobsters may be removed when desired. These cars usually average about
35 feet in length, 18 feet in width, and 6 feet in depth, and have a
capacity for about 5,000 lobsters each. They are in use at Rockland,
Friendship, Tremont, and Jonesport. They prevent the lobsters from
huddling together and thus killing each other by their own weight.
METHODS OF SHIPPING, WHOLESALE TRADE, ETC.
As lobsters can not be shipped or preserved in a frozen state they
must be shipped either alive or boiled. About nine-tenths of the
lobsters caught in Maine waters are shipped in the live state. The
principal shipping centers are Portland, Rockland, and Eastport,
which have good railroad and steamship facilities with points outside
of the State. Those shipped from the latter point are mainly from the
British Provinces, the fishermen near Eastport bringing them in in
their own boats. A number also come in from the Provinces on the
regular steamship lines. The other places get their supply from the
smacks and also from the fishermen in their vicinity, who run in their
own catch. Portland is very favorably situated in this regard, as
Casco Bay is a noted fishing center for lobsters.
As soon as a smack arrives it is moored directly alongside one of
the cars. The lobsters are then dipped out of the well by means of
long-handled scoop nets and thrown on the deck of the vessel. The
doors of the car are then opened, and men on the vessel pick over the
lobsters lying on the deck and toss them two by two into the different
compartments, those dead and badly mutilated being thrown to one side
for the time being. All vigorous lobsters above a certain size are
placed in compartments of the car by themselves, while the weak and
small are put in separate compartments. The dead lobsters and those
which have had their shells broken or have been so injured that they
are very sure to die are either thrown overboard or on the dump. A
lobster which has lost one or even both claws is not thrown away, as
such an injury would have very little effect on its health.
When an order is received for live lobsters, those which have been
longest in the cars are usually shipped. Flour barrels holding about
140 pounds or sugar barrels holding about 185 pounds, with small holes
bored in the bottoms for drainage, are used for the shipment. Formerly
the lobsters were packed close together in the barrel, and a large
piece of ice was put in at the top, but this was found to kill a
number of them. The present method is to split off about one-third of
a 100-pound cake of ice the long way, and place it upright about half
way of the length of the barrel, the lobsters then being packed snugly
on all sides of the ice. In handling them the packer seizes the
lobster by the carapace with his right hand, bends the tail up under
the body with his left hand, and quickly deposits it in the barrel.
The packer usually has his right hand covered with a woolen mitt or
wrapped in a long piece of linen, for protection from the claws of the
lobster.
When the barrel is nearly full the lobsters are covered with a little
seaweed or large-leaved marine plants, and the rest of the space is
filled with cracked ice. The top is then covered with a piece of
sacking, which is secured under the upper hoop of the barrel. Packed
in this way, lobsters have easily survived a trip as far west as St.
Louis.
Owing to the high prices realized in England for live lobsters,
attempts have been made to ship live American lobsters to that market,
generally from Canadian ports. In 1877 Messrs. John Marston & Sons, of
Portland, made a trial shipment of 250. They were placed in a large
tank 20 feet long by 8 feet wide and 3 feet deep, and constantly
supplied with fresh seawater through six faucets by means of a donkey
engine, a waste-pipe preventing any overflow. The trip was fairly
successful, as only 50 died, and the balance brought from 60 to 75
cents per pound.
The smacks and dealers buy lobsters by count, as the fishermen
generally have no facilities for weighing them; but the dealers always
sell by weight. The mortality among the lobsters from the time they
are put aboard the smacks until they are barreled for shipment is
estimated at about 5 per cent.
BOILING.
Live lobsters are much preferred by the trade throughout the country,
and only those that can not be marketed in such condition are boiled.
The number boiled fluctuates considerably, owing to the condition
of the markets. When the fresh markets of Boston and New York are
overstocked, the lobster dealers of Rockland and Portland, where most
of the Maine lobsters are boiled, proceed to boil their surplus stock.
The following description of the boiling is from The Fisheries and
Fishery Industries of the United States, section v, vol. II, p. 684:
The boilers are rectangular wooden tanks or vats of about 60
gallons capacity, lined with zinc and furnished with a cover.
Heat is applied by the introduction of steam through a series of
perforated pipes arranged in the bottom of the tank. The steam
is generated in an ordinary boiler standing close at hand. The
lobsters are not thrown directly into the vat, as the operation
of removing them after cooking would in such an event be an
exceedingly tedious one; but an iron framework basket, of rather
slender bars is made to fit the tank loosely, and is lowered and
raised by means of a small derrick placed over the tank. This
frame, which holds about 300 pounds, is filled with lobsters at
the edge of the wharf from the floating cars, and is then carried
to the tank and lowered into it after the water it contains has
reached the desired temperature, that of boiling. The water is
first supplied to the tank, which is filled to about one-third or
two-thirds its capacity, about a peck of salt is added, and then
the steam is turned on. The same water suffices for several
successive boilings, about 2 quarts of salt being added each time.
The lobsters are allowed to remain in about half an hour, or until
the proper red color indicates they are sufficiently cooked.
[Illustration: Boiling live lobsters preparatory to shipping on ice,
showing boiler, steam tank, cage, etc.]
After cooling, they are packed in barrels for shipment, just as live
lobsters are. When well iced they will keep a week or longer. Only
live lobsters are boiled, as the meat of those which die prior to
boiling deteriorates rapidly.
The fishermen and small dealers use various kinds of boilers, from an
ordinary washboiler to a smaller form of the regular boiler used by
the large dealers. The product prepared by these people is generally
picked from the shell and sold locally in that condition. This opens
a way for the fisherman to evade the 10-1/2 inch limit law. They
frequently take lobsters under the minimum legal size and, after
boiling them, pick the flesh. It is then impossible for anybody to
tell what sized lobster the meat had come from. Quite a local trade
in the picking of lobsters has been established in a number of small
coast towns, the meat generally being sold in the immediate vicinity.
The following table shows the extent of the wholesale lobster trade in
Rockland and Portland during 1898, including everything connected with
the business except the smacks and pounds, which are shown elsewhere.
There are a few other dealers scattered along the coast, but most of
the business is concentrated at these cities. An idea of the extent
of the increase in the lobster trade of Portland can be gained when
it is stated that in 1880 about 1,900,000 pounds of lobsters, valued
at $70,000, were handled here, while 6,145,821 pounds, valued at
$611,955, were handled in 1898.
Extent of the wholesale lobster trade of Rockland and Portland
in 1898.
Rockland Portland
-------- --------
Value of property,
capital, and wages
Property, etc $14,338 $44,770
Cars 850 6,800
Cash Capital 22,000 110,500
Wages 4,676 18,198
Number of persons engaged
Firms 2 10*
Proprietors 3 13
Clerks 2 2
Other Employees 7 31
Rockland Portland
Lobsters bought -------------- ---------------
and sold No. Value No. Value
--------------- --- ----- --- -----
Bought, No. 692,188 4,097,214
Bought, lbs. 1,038,282 $89,984 6,145,821 $611,955
Sold, lbs. 795,934 91,532 5,308,027 690,045
Sold, lbs. 347,815 26,705 515,518 82,483
*Several of these firms also handle other fishery products.
LOBSTER POUNDS
For a number of years the catch of lobsters was sold by the fishermen
to the dealers and by the latter to the trade as rapidly as possible.
In doing this the markets would be flooded at certain times, when the
price would drop to a very low figure, while at other times they would
be very scarce, which would enhance the price materially. The dealers
were the first to see the necessity for devising some method by which
lobsters could be secured when they were plentiful and cheap and
retained in captivity until they became scarce and high in price:
Inclosures of various kinds had for some years been in use in the
fisheries in various parts of the country for the purpose of keeping
certain species alive until the time came to utilize them. In 1875
Johnson & Young, of Boston, established an inclosure or pound near
Vinal Haven, on one of the Fox Islands. A cove covering about 500
acres, with an average depth of about 90 feet, was selected. A section
of about 9 acres, separated from the main portion of the cove by a
natural shoal and with a bottom of soft grayish mud, was selected for
the pound. In order to make it proof against the efforts of the
lobsters to escape and as a protection from enemies without, a wire
fence was built over the shoal part. This section had a depth of from
15 to 60 feet, and a capacity of about 300,000, although there were
rarely that many in the pound at one time.
[Illustration: Inclosure for live lobsters at Vinal Haven, Maine]
The lobsters are bought from smacks and from fishermen in the vicinity
during the height of the fishing season, when the price is low, and
are retained in the pound until the price becomes high, which is
generally during the winter season. They are fed with fish offal,
which can usually be bought at Vinal Haven for $1 per barrel.
Oily fish are not fed to them, as it is said that the lobsters
decrease in weight on such a diet. Experience has shown that the
quantity of food required depends largely on the temperature of the
water, as lobsters do not eat as freely when the water is cold as
in water of a higher temperature. When wanted for shipment they are
usually secured by means of pots, seines, or beam trawls.
Even with such a successful example before them, other dealers were
chary about going into the business, and in 1890 there were only three
pounds in the whole State. They increased more rapidly after that,
however, and in 1898 there were nine pounds in the State, with a total
valuation of $18,700. These were located at Dyer Bay, Sunset, Vinal
Haven, Long Island, South Bristol, Pemaquid Beach, Southport, and
House Island, in Portland Harbor. It is very probable that there will
be a greater increase in the near future.
THE CANNING INDUSTRY.
Maine is the only State in the Union in which lobsters have been
canned. The following account of the inception and early history of
the industry, taken from "The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the
United States," is very complete:
Lobster canning was first attempted in the United States at
Eastport, Me., shortly after 1840, and was made successful in
1843, the methods finally employed having been borrowed from
Scotland, which country is said to have learned the process from
France. For the successful introduction of the process into the
United States we are indebted to Mr. Charles Mitchell, now of
Charlestown, Mass., a practical canner of Scotland, who had
learned his trade of John Moir & Son, of Aberdeen, the first
Scotch firm, it is claimed, to put up hermetically sealed
preparations of meat, game, and salmon, their enterprise dating
back to 1824. Mr. U. S. Treat, a native of Maine, appears,
however, to have been most active and influential in starting the
enterprise and in introducing canned goods into the markets of the
United States. Mr. Treat was, at an early period, engaged in the
preparation of smoked salmon on the Penobscot River, and in 1839
removed to Calais, Me., where he continued in the same business.
About 1840 he associated with him a Mr. Noble, of Calais, and a
Mr. Holliday, a native of Scotland, who had also been employed in
the salmon fisheries of the Penobscot River, under the firm name
of Treat, Noble & Holliday. This firm moved to Eastport in 1842,
for the purpose of starting the manufacture of hermetically sealed
goods, and began experiments with lobsters, salmon, and haddock.
Their capital was limited, their appliances crude, and many
discouraging difficulties were encountered. The quality of the
cans furnished them was poor, causing them often to burst while
in the bath, and the proper methods of bathing and of expelling
the air from the cans were not understood. The experiments were
continued for two years with varying success, and in secret, no
outsiders being allowed to enter their bathing room. Though fairly
successful in some of their results, they could not always depend
upon their goods keeping well.
In 1843 they secured the services of Mr. Charles Mitchell, who was
then residing at Halifax, and who was not only well acquainted
with the methods of bathing practiced in his own country, but was
also a practical tinsmith. He had been employed in the canning of
hermetically sealed goods in Scotland for ten years, and came over
to Halifax in 1841, where he continued for two years in the same
occupation, exporting his goods to England. After Mr. Mitchell's
arrival at Eastport, no further difficulty was experienced in the
bathing or other preparation of the lobsters, and a desirable
grade of goods was put up, but they found no sale, as canned
preparations were comparatively unknown in the markets of the
United States. Mr. Treat visited each of the larger cities with
samples of the goods, and endeavored to establish agencies for
them, but he was generally obliged to send on consignment, as few
firms were willing to take the responsibility of buying on their
own account. A patent was also applied for, but the claim was not
pressed and the patent was never received.
The success at Eastport led to a rapid extension of the business in
other parts of the State. The second cannery was located at Harpswell
about the year 1849. A cannery was started at Carver Harbor, Fox
Islands, in 1851, and another at Southwest Harbor in 1853. In 1857
a cannery was started at North Haven, and at Gouldsboro two were
started in 1863 and 1870, respectively. From this time the number
increased rapidly for several years. After 1880 the number operated
fluctuated considerably, depending on the abundance of lobsters.
Some canneries had to suspend operations at an early stage, owing to
the exhaustion of the grounds in their vicinity. At most canneries
lobsters formed only a part of the pack, sardines, clams, fish, and
various vegetables and fruits being packed in their season. Most of
the canneries were built and operated by Boston and Portland firms.
At first the lobsters used for canning ranged in weight from 3 to 10
pounds. Gradually the average weight was reduced, until at last it
reached as low as 3/4 pound, or even less. This was caused principally
by the high prices paid for large lobsters for the fresh trade, with
which the canneries could not compete.
As the supply of lobsters on the Maine coast began to decrease shortly
before 1870, while the demand for canned lobsters increased at an
enormous rate, the dealers began to establish canneries on the coasts
of the British provinces. As the decline in the supply was attributed
to the canneries, a sentiment against them was gradually formed, and
laws were enacted regulating the time in which they could operate and
the size of the lobsters they could put up. Prior to 1879 they were
permitted to pack lobsters at any season of the year, but they usually
operated only between April 1 and August 1, and again between the 10th
or middle of September and the 1st of December, the length of the
season depending very largely upon the weather and the abundance of
lobsters. In 1879 it was enacted that no canning of lobsters should
be allowed from August 1 to April 1 following. In 1883 it was made
illegal to can lobsters less than 9 inches in length. In 1885 the
canning season was fixed from April 1 to July 15. In 1889 the season
was fixed from May 1 to July 1, and the minimum length of lobsters to
be canned placed at 9 inches. In 1891 this act was so amended as to
make the season from April 20 to June 1. After 1880 the number of
canneries gradually declined, until in 1895 the last one suspended the
canning, of lobsters, owing to the passage of a law fixing the minimum
size at 10-1/2 inches. This law went into effect July 1, 1895. As they
could not afford to pay the high price demanded for this size they
were compelled to give up the business.
The following table shows the number of factories in operation, the
quantity and value of fresh lobsters used, and the number and value of
cans of lobsters put up, in the years 1880, 1889, and 1892:
1880 1889 1892
------------- ------------- --------------
No. Value No. Value No. Value
--- ----- --- ----- --- -----
Number of
canneries 23 20 11
Lobsters used,
fresh lbs. 9,494,284 $95,000 5,752,654 $72,092 9,494,284 $95,000
Canned
One-lb cans 1,542,696 999,521 126,577 1,228,944 195,114
Two-lb cans 148,704 85,520 16,036 3,096 839
Other sizes 139,801
--------- ------- --------- ------- --------- -------
Total cans 1,831,201 238,280 1,085,041 142,613 1,232,040 195,953
Part of the lobsters used in the Eastport factories come from New
Brunswick. It is impossible to separate them.
ABUNDANCE, ETC.
There are no accurate figures showing the catch of lobsters in Maine
previous to 1880. It is therefore difficult to make comparisons, and
one is compelled to depend largely upon the memory of the fishermen
and the statements of the canners and dealers, which the lapse of
time, etc., makes rather unreliable. The numerous petitions sent
to the legislature asking for restrictive laws, while possibly
exaggerated at times, indicate that there were fears of the exhaustion
of the fishery for some years back. It is positively known, however,
that certain grounds have been almost or totally exhausted through
overfishing for a number of years, while on other grounds the supply
of lobsters has seriously decreased. There was a time when no lobster
under 2 pounds in weight was saved by the fishermen. In later years,
before there was a restriction fixing the minimum size of lobsters
that could be canned, the canneries frequently used half-pound
lobsters. The fixing of the minimum length of the lobsters caught at
10-1/2 inches, and the consequent closing up of the canneries, has
been of incalculable benefit to the fishermen, as the young lobsters
now have an opportunity to reach maturity.
The table given below shows for certain years the number of pots used,
the quantity of lobsters taken, with their value, also the average
catch and value per man, the average catch per pot, and the average
price per pound:
Average Average Average Average
Catch catch stock catch price
Fisher- ---------------- per per per per
Year men Pots Pounds Value man man pot pound
---- --- ---- ------ ----- --- --- --- -----
pounds pounds cents
1880 1,843 104,456 14,234,182 $268,739 7,723 $146 136 1.9
1887 1,906 113,299 22,916,642 512,044 12,023 269 202 2.2
1888 1,967 112,632 21,694,731 515,880 11,029 267 193 2.4
1889 2,080 121,140 25,001,351 574,165 12,020 276 206 2.3
1892 2,628 153,043 17,642,677 663,043 6,713 252 117 3.8
1898 3,099 155,978 11,183,294 992,855 3,609 320 78 8.9
While the catch increased up to 1889 and then decreased until in
1898 it was lower than in 1880, the number of fisherman and pots and
the value of the catch steadily increased. The average stock per
man fluctuated somewhat from year to year, but in 1898 shows a
considerable increase over every other year. The most interesting
point however, is the average price per pound. In 1880 this was 1.9
cents, while in 1898 it was 8.9 cents per pound. With one exception,
each year shows a progressive increase in value per pound. The great
increase of 1898 over 1892, 5.1 cents per pound, was caused by the
closing up of the canneries in 1895, and the consequent dropping out
of the cheap product they had been buying from the fishermen.
WEIGHT OF LOBSTERS.
The figures given below show the average weight of lobsters at certain
given lengths. These weights are made up from the results obtained by
investigators of the United States Fish Commission, particularly those
of Prof. Francis H. Herrick. Males in nearly every instance weigh
slightly more than females of the same length.
Weight
Length in pounds.
------ ---------
9 inches 1.16
l0 inches 1.50
10-1/2 inches 1.75
11 inches 2
12 inches 2.50
13 inches 2.75
15 inches 4.25
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF LOBSTERS.
The nutritive value of a fishery product is of considerable interest
to the consumer. Some years ago, Prof. W. O. Atwater, of Middletown,
Connecticut, made a series of careful analyses of the composition of
the flesh of three lobsters from the coasts of Maine and
Massachusetts, and the figures given below represent the results:
Per cent.
---------
Proportions of edible portion and shell:
Total edible portion 39.77
Shell 57.47
Loss in cleaning 2.76
Proportions of water and dry substance
in edible portion:
Water 82.73
Dry substance 17.27
Chemical analysis calculated on dry substance:
Nitrogen 12.54
Albuminoids (nitrogen x 6.25) 78.37
Fat 11.43
Crude ash 10.06
Phosphorus (calculated as P2 O6) 2.24
Sulfur (calculated as SO3) 2.47
Chlorine 3.46
Chemical analysis calculated on
fresh substance in flesh:
Water 82.73
Nitrogen 2.17
Albuminoids (nitrogen x 6.25) 13.57
Fat 1.97
Crude ash 1.74
Phosphorus (calculated as P2 06) .39
Sulphur (calculated as SO3) .43
Chlorine .59
Nutritive value of flesh of lobsters
compared with beef as a standard and
reckoned at 100. 61.97
ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION OF THE LOBSTER.
The rapid increase in the catch of this crustacean during the past ten
years has drawn upon it the most earnest attention of all interested
in the preservation of this valuable fishery. If the "berried" or
female lobster bearing eggs, and the young and immature, were let
alone by the fishermen there would be no necessity for a resort to
artificial lobster culture. Maine has a most stringent law forbidding
the taking and selling of "berried" lobsters, and of any lobster under
10-1/2 inches in length, but this law is evaded by numerous fishermen
whenever possible. An idea of the extent to which short lobsters are
marketed in the State may be gathered from the statement of Mr. A. R.
Nickerson, commissioner of sea and shore fisheries for the State,
that in 1899 over 50,000 short lobsters were seized and liberated by
the State wardens. As these wardens only discover a small proportion
of the short lobsters handled by the fishermen and dealers it is
easy to see what a terrible drain this is on the future hope of the
fishery--the young and immature. Large numbers of "berried" lobsters
are also captured, the eggs brushed off, and the lobsters sold as
ordinary female lobsters.
The Report of the U. S. Fish Commission for 1897, on pages 235 and
236, contains the following account of the artificial propagation of
lobsters:
Prior to 1885 experiments had been conducted at various points
looking to the artificial propagation of the lobster. The only
practical attempts of this nature previous to those made by the
Fish Commission were by means of "parking," that is, holding in
large naturally inclosed basins lobsters that had been injured,
soft-shelled ones, and those below marketable size. Occasionally
females with spawn were placed in the same inclosures. One of
these parks was established in Massachusetts in 1872, but was
afterwards abandoned; another was established on the coast of
Maine about 1875. It was soon demonstrated, however, that the
results from inclosures of this character, so far as the rearing
of the lobsters from the young were concerned, would not be
sufficient to materially affect the general supply. The completion
of the new marine laboratory and hatchery at Woods Hole in 1885,
with its complete system of salt-water circulation, permitted the
commencement of experiments in artificial hatching on a large
scale which had not been practicable theretofore, although small
quantities of lobster eggs, as well as those of other crustaceans,
had been successfully hatched. In 1886 the experiments had
progressed so successfully that several million eggs were
collected and hatched at Woods Hole, the fry being deposited in
Vineyard Sound and adjacent waters. From 1887 to 1890, inclusive,
the number of eggs collected was 17,821,000.
During the above years the average production of fry was about 54
per cent. By the use of more improved apparatus the average was
brought up to 90 per cent in 1897, when the collections amounted
to 150,000,000 eggs, of which 135,000,000 were hatched. As the
commissioner of sea and shore fisheries of Maine objected to the
taking of female lobsters in that State and the planting of part, at
least, of the resulting fry in other waters, an arrangement was made
in 1898 by which all female lobsters and the fry hatched out from the
eggs secured from these would be returned to the State waters. Under
this arrangement 2,365 "berried" lobsters were bought from the Maine
fishermen by the U. S. Fish Commission. From these 25,207,000 eggs
were taken and 22,875,000 fry were hatched. Of these, 21,500,000 were
deposited in Maine waters at various points. In 1899, 36,925,000 fry
were planted in Maine waters by the Commission. In order that the
female lobsters may be secured the authorities of Maine permit the
fishermen to catch and sell "berried" lobsters to the Commission.
The collection of eggs in Maine is usually made by the Commission
during the months of April, May, June, and to about the middle of
July, depending upon the supply to be had. During the season of 1899 a
small steam smack was chartered for collecting the lobsters, starting
from Gloucester, where the hatching of Maine lobster eggs is now
carried on, and running to Eastport, returning over the same route.
The Fish Commission schooner _Grampus_ was also used in this work.
The lobsters are purchased from fishermen, who receive the market
price for ordinary lobsters, and as they are not allowed to sell
these lobsters legally for consumption the sale to the Commission
materially increases their financial returns.
In 1883 a radical advance along the line of artificial propagation
was made, so far as the legislature was concerned, when the act
incorporating the Samoset Island Association, of Boothbay, was passed.
Section 4 of the charter reads as follows:
In order to secure a sufficient and regular supply of lobsters for
domestic consumption on any land or islands under the control of
said corporation, it may increase the number of lobsters within
said limits by artificial propagation, or other appropriate acts
and methods, under the direction of the fishery commission, and
shall not be interfered with by other parties, but be protected
therein, as said fishery commission may determine, and shall have
the right, by its agents and tenants, to take and catch lobsters
within 300 yards of the low-water line of the islands and lands
owned or leased by said corporation, during each and every month,
for domestic use.
In 1887 the legislature passed an act granting R. T. Carver the sole
right to propagate lobsters in Carver's pond, Vinalhaven. Mr. Carver's
experiment was a failure, as he says the mud in the pond was so filthy
that nearly all the spawn was killed.
LARGE AND PECULIAR LOBSTERS.
Since the inception of the fishery, stories of the capture of lobsters
weighing 30, 40, and even 50 pounds have been common, but have rarely
been well authenticated. Especially is this the case in the early
years of the fishery. It is probable that in the transmission of the
stories from person to person the lobsters gained rather than lost in
size. Among the most authentic cases in Maine are the following:
On May 6, 1891, a male lobster weighing slightly over 23 pounds
was taken in Penobscot Bay, southeast of Moose Point, in line with
Brigadier Island, in about 3-1/2 fathoms of water, by Mr. John Condon.
The lobster had tried to back into the trap, but after getting
his tail through the funnel he was unable to get either in or out and
was thus captured.
According to Mr. F. W. Collins, a dealer of Rockland, in August,
1891, a lobster weighing 18-1/2 pounds was taken at Blue Hill Falls,
in upper Blue Hill Bay, while in November, 1892, a female lobster
weighing 18 pounds was taken at Green Island.
In January, 1893, Mr. N. F. Trefethen, of Portland, received a lobster
from Vinal Haven which weighed 18 pounds.
According to R. F. Crie & Sons, of Criehaven, on September 7,1898, a
male lobster weighing 25 pounds and measuring 25 inches from the end
of the nose to the tip of tail, and 45 inches including the claws, was
caught on a hake trawl by Peter Mitchell, a fisherman. The trawl was
set about 2 miles southeast from Matinicus Rock Light Station in 60
fathoms of water.
In August, 1899, the writer saw a live male lobster at Peak Island
which measured 44 inches in length and weighed 25 pounds, according to
the statement of the owner. It had been caught near Monhegan Island,
and the owner was carrying it from town to town in a small car, which
he had built for it, and charging a small fee to look at it.
In April, 1874, a female lobster weighing about 2 pounds was caught
off Hurricane Island. Her color was a rich indigo along the middle of
the upper part of the body, shading off into a brighter and clearer
tint on the sides and extremities. The upper surface of the large
claws was blue and purple, faintly mottled with darker shades, while
underneath was a delicate cream tint. The under parts of the body
tended also to melt into a light cream color, and this was also true
of the spines and tubercles of the shell and appendages.
In 1893 a Peak Island fisherman caught a lobster about 11 inches
in length whose back was of an indigo blue, and which toward the
extremities and under parts was shaded off into a pure white. The
under part of the claw was also of a pure white.
Mr. Lewis McDonald, of Portland, has a pure white lobster preserved in
alcohol. It was caught in 1887.
A lobster was caught at Beal Island, near West Jonesport, which was
about 6 or 7 inches in length and almost jet black.
A few bright-red lobsters, looking as though they had been boiled,
have also been taken along the coast at various times.
A lobster was caught near Long Island, Casco Bay, about the year 1886,
in which half of the body was light-yellow up to the middle line of
the back, while the other half was bright-red. There were no spots on
the shell.
In September, 1898, Mr. R. T. Carver, of Vinal Haven, had in his
possession a female lobster, about 11 inches long, of a bright-red
color all over, except the forward half of the right side of the
carapace and the feeler on this side, which were of the usual color.
LAWS REGULATING THE FISHERY.
In 1897 the legislature revised and consolidated the laws relating to
the sea and shore fisheries of Maine, and below are given the sections
relating to the lobster fishery adopted that year, together with the
amendments to the act adopted in 1899, which are incorporated
herewith:
SEC. 39. It is unlawful to catch, buy or sell, or expose for sale,
or possess for any purpose, any lobsters less than 10-1/2 inches
in length, alive or dead, cooked or uncooked, measured in manner
as follows: Taking the length of the back of the lobster, measured
from the bone of the nose to the end of the bone of the middle of
the flipper of the tail, the length to be taken in a gauge with a
cleat upon each end of the same, measuring 10-1/2 inches between
said cleats, with the lobster laid upon its back and extended upon
its back upon the gauge, without stretching or pulling, to the end
of the bone of the middle flipper of the tail, its natural length,
and any lobster shorter than the prescribed length when caught,
shall be liberated alive at the risk and cost of the parties
taking them, under a penalty of $1 for each lobster so caught,
bought, sold, exposed for sale, or in the possession not so
liberated. The possession of mutilated, uncooked lobsters shall be
prima facie evidence that they are not of the required length.
SEC. 40. It is unlawful to destroy, buy, sell, expose for sale, or
possess any female lobsters in spawn or with eggs attached at any
season of the year, under a penalty of $10 for each lobster so
destroyed, caught, bought, sold, exposed for sale, or possessed:
_Provided, however_, If it appears that it was intended to
liberate them in accordance with the provisions of this act, the
persons having such lobsters in possession shall not be liable
to any of the penalties herein provided for, though he may have
failed, for any cause not within his control, to so liberate them.
SEC. 41. It shall be unlawful to can, preserve, or pickle lobsters
less than 10-1/2 inches in length, alive or dead, measured as
aforesaid; and for every lobster canned, preserved, or pickled
contrary to the provisions of this section every person, firm,
association, or corporation so canning, preserving, or pickling
shall be liable to a penalty of $1 for every lobster so canned,
preserved, or pickled contrary to the provisions of this section,
and a further penalty of $300 for every day on which such unlawful
canning, preserving, or pickling is carried on.
SEC. 42. All barrels, boxes, or other packages in transit
containing lobsters shall be marked with the word lobsters in
capital letters, at least 1 inch in length, together with the full
name of the shipper. Said marking shall be placed in a plain and
legible manner on the outside of such barrel, boxes, or other
packages; and in case of seizure by any duly authorized officer
of any barrels, boxes, or other packages in transit, containing
lobsters, which are not so marked, or in case of seizure by such
officer of barrels, boxes, or other packages in transit containing
lobsters less than the prescribed length, such lobsters as are
alive and less than the prescribed length shall be liberated and
all such lobsters as are of the prescribed length found in such
barrels, boxes, or packages, together with such barrels, boxes,
and packages, shall be forfeited and disposed of under the
provisions of section 47 of this act.
SEC. 43. Every person, firm, association, or corporation who ships
lobsters without having the barrels, boxes, or other packages in
which the same are contained marked as prescribed in the previous
section shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of $25, and
upon subsequent conviction thereof by a fine of $50; and any
person or corporation in the business of a common carrier of
merchandise who shall carry or transport from place to place
lobsters in barrels, boxes, or other packages not so marked shall
be liable to a penalty of $50 upon such conviction thereof.
SEC. 44. All cars in which lobsters are kept, and all lobster cars
while in the water, shall have the name of the owner or owners
thereof on the top of the car, where it may plainly be seen, in
letters not less than three-fourths of an inch in length, plainly
carved or branded thereon, and all traps, cars, or other devices
for the catching of lobsters shall have, while in the water, the
owner's name carved or branded in like manner on all the buoys
attached to said traps or other devices, under a penalty of $10
for each car and $5 for each trap or device not so marked; and if
sufficient proof to establish the ownership of such cars or traps
can not be readily obtained, they may be declared forfeited,
subject to the provisions of section 47 of this act.
SEC. 45. All persons are hereby prohibited from setting any
lobster traps within 300 feet of the mouth or outer end of the
leaders of any fish weir, under a penalty of $10 for each offense.
SEC. 46. Whoever takes up, or attempts to take up, or in any way
knowingly and willfully interferes with any lobster trap while set
for use, without the authority of the owner thereof, shall be
punished by a fine of not less than $20, nor more than $50;
_Provided, however_, That no action, complaint, or indictment
shall be maintained under this section unless the name of the
owner of all such traps shall be carved or branded in legible
letters, not less than three-fourths of an inch in length, on all
the buoys connected with such traps.
SEC. 47. When any lobsters are seized by virtue of the provisions
of this act, it shall be the duty of the officer making such
seizure to cause such lobsters, so seized, as he is not required
by law to liberate, together with the cars, traps, barrels, boxes,
or other packages in which they are contained, to be appraised
within 24 hours after the time of such seizures by three
disinterested men residing in the county where such seizure
is made, to be selected by him, and the lobsters, cars, traps,
barrels, boxes, or other packages so seized and appraised shall
thereupon be sold by the officer making the seizure thereof, at
such time and in such manner as shall by him be deemed proper. The
officer making such seizure and sale shall within ten days after
the time of such seizure file a libel in behalf of the State
before a trial justice, or a judge of a police or municipal court
of the county in which such seizure was made, setting forth the
fact of such seizure, appraisal, and sale, the time and place of
the seizure, the number of lobsters, cars, traps, barrels, boxes,
or other packages so seized and sold, and the amount of the
proceeds of such sale; and such trial justice or judge shall
appoint a time and place for the hearing of such libel, and shall
issue a notice of the same to all persons interested to appear at
the time and place appointed, and show cause why the lobsters,
cars, traps, barrels, boxes, or other packages so seized and sold,
and the proceeds of such sale, should not be declared forfeited,
which notice shall be served upon the owner, if known, and by
causing an attested copy of such libel and notice to be posted in
two public and conspicuous places in the town in which the seizure
was made, seven days at least before the time of hearing.
If any person appears at the time and place of hearing, and claims
that the lobsters, cars, traps, barrels, boxes, or other packages
so seized and sold were not liable to forfeiture at the time of
seizure, and that he was entitled thereto, the trial justice or
judge shall hear and determine the cause, and if he shall decide
that such lobsters, cars, traps, barrels, boxes, or other
packages, at the time of seizure, were not liable to forfeiture,
and that the claimant was entitled thereto, he shall order the
proceeds of such sale to be paid to the claimant; if no claimant
shall appear, or if such trial justice or judge shall decide that
such lobsters, traps, cars, barrels, boxes, or other packages, at
the time of the seizure, were liable to forfeiture, or that the
claimant was not entitled thereto, he shall decree a forfeiture of
such lobsters, cars, traps, barrels, boxes, or other packages, and
of the proceeds of sale, and shall order the proceeds of sale,
after deducting all lawful charges, to be paid to the county
treasurer, and by him to the State treasurer, to be used as
directed in section 48 of this act, and shall render judgment
against the claimant for costs to be taxed as in civil suits, and
issue execution therefor against him in favor of the State, which
costs, when collected, shall be paid in to the treasurer of the
county, and by him to the treasurer of the State, to be added and
made a part of the appropriation for sea and shore fisheries.
The claimant shall have the right of appeal to the next supreme
judicial court or superior court in the county, upon recognizing
and paying the fees for copies and entry as in cases of appeal
in criminal cases. The fees and costs of seizure, appraisal,
and sale, and in all other proceedings in the case, shall be as
provided by law in criminal cases, and in case a forfeiture shall
be declared, shall be paid out of the proceeds of the sale,
otherwise shall be paid by the county, as in criminal cases.
SEC. 48. All fines and penalties under this act may be recovered
by complaint, indictment, or action of debt brought in the
county where the offense is committed. The action of debt shall
be brought in the name of the commissioner of sea and shore
fisheries, and all offenses under or violations of the provisions
of this statute may be settled by the commissioner of sea and
shore fisheries, upon such terms and conditions as he deems
advisable. All fines, penalties, and collections under this act
shall be paid into the treasury of the county where the offense
is committed, and by such treasurer to the State treasurer, to be
added to and made a part of the appropriation for sea and shore
fisheries.
SEC. 49. The commissioner of sea and shore fisheries may take fish
of any kind, when, where, and in such manner as he chooses, for
the purposes of science, of cultivation, and of dissemination, and
he may grant written permits to other persons to take fish for the
same purposes, and may introduce or permit to be introduced any
kind of fish into any waters.
The following special act was passed at the 1899 session of the
legislature:
SEC. 1. No person shall take, catch, kill, or destroy any lobsters
between the 1st day of July and the 1st day of September in each
year, under a penalty of $1 for each lobster so taken, caught,
killed, or destroyed, in the waters of Pigeon Hill Bay, so called,
in the towns of Millbridge and Steuben, within the following
points, namely: Commencing at Woods Pond Point, on the west side
of Pigeon Hill Bay; thence easterly to the Nubble, on Little Bois
Bubert Island; thence by the shore to the head of Bois Bubert
Island; thence northerly to Joe Dyers Point, so called; thence
by the shore around Long Cove and the creek; thence to the
head of Pigeon Hill Bay aforesaid; thence by the shore to the
first-mentioned bound.
SEC. 2. All fines and penalties under this act may be recovered as
provided in section 48 of chapter 285 of the Public Laws of 1897.
IMPORTATIONS OF LIVE LOBSTERS.
For some years there have been considerable importations of live
lobsters into Maine from the British Provinces, particularly from New
Brunswick; previous to the closing up of the canning industry they
were more numerous than at present, as considerable numbers were
brought in by boat fishermen for the canneries at or near Eastport.
The importations are now made by the dealers, who frequently send
their own smacks into the Provinces for a supply when lobsters are
scarce in the State.
The following table shows the importations into the State, by customs
districts, for the fiscal year 1898:
1898
------------------
Customs districts. Pounds Value
------ ------
Aroostook 150 $12
Bangor. 246,991 43,507
Machias 700 91
Passamaquoddy 327,481 35,373
Portland and Falmouth 214,075 13,037
Waldoboro 43,264 3,211
Wiscasset 28,000 1,120
STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF THE LOBSTER INDUSTRY IN MAINE IN 1898.
The following tables show the statistical data relating to the fishery
for 1898; except the wholesale trade of Rockland and Portland, which
is shown elsewhere.
While Hancock County leads in the number of vessel fishermen with 173,
Knox County has the largest number of persons transporting, 78. In the
boat fishermen, Washington County leads with 639, followed closely by
Knox County with 606. In the total number of persons employed Knox
County leads with 749, while Washington and Hancock counties have very
nearly the same number, 695 and 683, respectively. The total number of
persons employed was 3,304.
Hancock County leads in the number of vessels fishing, 78, valued at
$33,000, while Knox County leads in the number of transporting
vessels, 33, valued at $51,900, and is also second in the number of
fishing vessels. Cumberland County is second in the number of
transporting vessels. This county has more steam transporting vessels
than all the other counties combined, 8, valued at $31,200. In the
matter of boats engaged in the shore fishery Knox County also has the
preeminence, with 696 boats, valued at $37,175. Lincoln, Hancock, and
Washington counties follow in the order named, and are all three very
close to each other.
Hancock County leads in the number of pots used in the vessel fishery,
7,146, while Knox County is second. Knox County leads in the number of
pots used in shore fisheries with 39,040, valued at $39,030, and is
followed by Lincoln County with 29,190 pots, valued at $29,190.
In the matter of shore property Lincoln County leads with $16,917,
although if the property used in the wholesale trade had been included
in this table Cumberland County would lead. In the total investment
Knox County leads with $169,056. Hancock County comes second,
with $136,651, followed by Washington and Cumberland counties,
respectively. The total investment for the whole State is $616,668.
In vessel catch Hancock County leads with 444,704 pounds, valued at
$47,101. Knox County is second with 286,688 pounds, valued at $29,395.
In the boat catch Hancock County also leads with 2,198,518 pounds,
valued at $204,390, while Knox County is a close second with 2,165,256
pounds, valued at $186,968. Lincoln County is third and Washington
County fourth. The total catch for the State is 11,183,294 pounds,
valued at $992,855.
Table showing by counties the number of persons employed
in the lobster fishery of Maine in 1898.
Vessel Boat
fisher- Trans- fisher- Shores-
County men porters men men Total
------ --- ------- --- --- -----
Washington 30 19 639 7 695
Hancock 173 27 480 3 683
Penobscot 2 2
Waldo 19 19
Knox 55 78 606 10 749
Lincoln 12 11 447 4 474
Sagadahoc. 2 98 100
Cumberland 10 45 379 6 440
York 4 3 135 142
--- --- ----- -- -----
Total 280 185 2,803 30 3,304
Table showing by counties the vessels, boats, apparatus, and
shore property employed in the lobster fishery of Maine in 1898.
Washington Hancock Penobscot Waldo
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Items. No. Value. No. Value. No. Value. No. Value.
Vessels fishing 10 $5,850 78 $33,000 1 $350
Tonnage 76 593 5
Outfit. 1,169 4,995 15
Vessels trans-
porting--steam 1 8,350 2 6,500
Tonnage 34 26
Outfit 1,835 1,950
Vessels trans-
porting--sail 5 8,500 8 9,900
Tonnage 94 99
Outfit 790 885
Boats trans-
porting
(steamers and
launches under
5 tons) 1 1,100 1 4,950
Sailboats
fishing 259 56,170 225 34,290
Rowboats
fishing 209 2,390 250 3,285 17 $255
Pots used in
vessel
fisheries 1,710 1,710 7,146 7,146 82 82
Pots used in
shore
fisheries 22,390 22,373 23,880 23,880 575 575
Shore
property 4,015 5,870 102
------- ------- --- ---
Total 114.252 136,651 447 932
Knox Lincoln Sagadahoc Cumberland
----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Items. No. Value. No. Value. No. Value. No. Value.
Vessels fishing 28 $13,250 6 $4,200 5 $1,950
Tonnage 184 42 30
Outfit. 3,923 619 335
Vessels trans-
porting--steam 3 18,000 8 31,200
Tonnage 31 109
Outfit 5,175 5,484
Vessels trans-
porting--sail 30 33,900 4 6,200 10 11,800
Tonnage 574 73 173
Outfit 4,881 877 1,814
Boats trans-
porting
(steamers and
launches under
5 tons) 1 1,100 1 $1,100
Sailboats
fishing 212 31,760 132 12,975 1 125 154 13,635
Rowboats
fishing 484 5,415 351 3,571 90 1,185 186 3,571
Pots used in
vessel
fisheries 4,140 4,140 510 510 400 400
Pots used in
shore
fisheries 39,040 39,030 29,190 29,190 2,138 1,964 17,932 17,932
Shore
property 9,582 16,917 730 9,416
------- ------ ----- ------
Total 169,056 76,159 5,104 97,537
York Total
----------- -----------
Items. No. Value. No. Value
Vessels fishing 2 $1,600 130 $60,200
Tonnage 16 946
Outfit. 225 11,281
Vessels trans-
porting--steam 14 64,050
Tonnage 200
Outfit 14,444
Vessels trans-
porting--sail 2 550 59 70,850
Tonnage 14 1,027
Outfit 65 9,312
Boats trans-
porting
(steamers and
launches under
5 tons) 4 8,250
Sailboats
fishing 47 2,085 1,030 151,040
Rowboats
fishing 81 1,860 1,668 21,532
Pots used in
vessel
fisheries 250 250 14,238 14,238
Pots used in
shore
fisheries 6,595 6,595 141,740 141,530
Shore
property 3,300 49,932
------- -------
Total 16,530 616,668*
*The property, cash capital, etc., in the wholesale
trade of Rockland and Portland is shown elsewhere.
Table showing by counties, vessels, and boats the yield in the lobster
fishery of Maine in 1898.
Vessel catch Boat catch Total
-------------- ---------------- ---------------
Counties Pounds Value Pounds Value Pounds Value
--------- ------ ----- ------ ----- ------ -----
Washington 82,809 $7,312 1,545,895 $132,877 1,628,704 $140,189
Hancock 444,704 47,101 2,198,518 204,390 2,643,222 251,491
Penobscot 1,264 118 1,264 118
Waldo 17,766 1,713 17,766 1,713
Knox 286,688 29,395 2,165,256 186,968 2,451,944 216,363
Lincoln 48,872 4,157 2,106,645 181,617 2,155,517 185,774
Sagadahoc 384,900 30,392 384,900 30,392
Cumberland 22,253 2,000 1,401,338 118,616 1,423,591 120,616
York 21,241 1,841 455,145 44,358 476,386 46,199
------- ------ ---------- ------- ---------- -------
Total 907,831 91,924 10,275,463 900,931 11,183,294 992,855
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