The Lobster Industry is Booming

July and August, 2015. From Cape Ann north we dodged lobster traps everywhere from depths of 200 ft offshore, to depths of 5 to 6 ft along the shore. Marked channels were no obstacle, in fact at times it seemed that there were more traps in the channels than outside them.

I can't remember in our travels of seeing new commercial fishing, shrimping or crabbing boats. Almost all we have seen are very old, with rusting equipment, and many do not look seaworthy due to their condition. Clearly there is not a lot of money in commercial fishing. Lobstering on the other hand is booming.  Many of the boats look new or near new. There are lobster processing buildings everywhere along the shore in Maine.  Lobster traps and buoys are stacked  on private home docks, commercial docks, floating platforms, on rock outcropping, and on top of buildings.

To distinguish their owners the buoys on lobster traps are painted in various stripe patterns, using mostly brilliant colors.

Everywhere we went we saw lobsterman tending their traps, unloading their harvest at processing facilities, fueling their boats, and processing facility personnel moving large grey plastic bins of live lobster and 50 gallon barrels of iced trap bate.

The art galleries and boutique shops in the towns were filled with paintings, decorations and other abstractions of the colorful implements of this industry. As well almost every restaurant offered the fruits of the lobsterman's efforts. Menu choices included Mac and Lobster, Lobster rolls, various lobster pasta dishes, Lazy Lobster, Lobster Salad, Grilled Lobster, and Steamed and Boiled Lobster. 

                                          One of the many new or near new lobster boats we saw

                                          Lobster boats at rest in Portland

                                          Rigging traps at dock

   

                                            Retrieving traps

                                          There are four traps on each line

                                          Retreiving traps

                                          Lobster industry in Maine is operated out of individual houses

                                          And commercial facilities

                                          Many shoreline businesses support the industry

                                          Lobster traps are piled on docks and roofs

                                          And piled on floating platforms

                                          Trap buoys are marked differently for each owner

                                          Most use brilliant colors