Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Traps, which are weighted down with bricks or concrete blocks, are
baited with a dead fish mixture hung in a mesh “bait bag” in the interior
compartment or “parlor” of the trap. Lobsters crawl up the sloped mesh
entrance of the trap, called “heads,” and drop into the first compartment,
called the “kitchen.” The only easy way out for the crawling lobsters is
into the parlor from which, for larger lobsters, there is little chance of es-
cape. Open vents in the sides of the parlor allow smaller ones to get away.
Lobstermen can fish all year, but most stop in high winter when condi-
tions are rough and demand way down. Also, when a lobster is taken out
of the water when the air temperature is below zero, it will often respond
by “shooting” a claw, dropping it off. This is part of their natural defense
and escape mechanism. The loss of a claw makes the lobster less market-
able.
In the waters around Matinicus Island, lobstermen have a closed season
and all set their traps on the same day.
Lobstermen haul their traps by snagging the buoy line with a gaff, wind-
ing it once around a hydraulic winch, and pulling it up. Once aboard the
boat the trap's top is opened, and bycatch, such as crabs, sea urchins,
starfish and even an occasional fish, is tossed back into the sea. The fish-
ermen then uses a brass gauge to measure the foreshell of the lobster. If it
is too big or too small (called a “short”) it is returned to the water. Posses-
sion of a short lobster is a crime.
Fishermen must also cut a notch in the tail of egg-bearing female lob-
sters. V-notched lobsters can not be taken, which serves to insure a con-
tinued strong breeding population.
Most lobstermen work alone or hire the services of a sternman, who usu-
ally fills the bait bags and tends the traps. During summer, lobsters molt
and shed their shells. While a new one forms the vulnerable lobsters hide
in crevices and under rocks on the sea floor.
New shells quickly form. During July, many of the lobsters caught have
soft shells and are referred to as “shedders.” While the price for shedders
is lower than for hard shell, many prefer their taste, claiming it to be
sweeter.
Lobsters with only one claw, which are destined to be cooked for lobster
meat, are called “culls.” Those which are perfect and just the right size for
cooking are called “selects.” Lobstermen hold the “keepers” in floating
wooden boxes called lobster “cars.” Buyers often deal with dozens of fish
-
ermen and pool their purchases for storage purposes in a large saltwater
holding facility called a “pound.”
