Learning the ins and outs of lobstering can take years to accomplish. I’m probably not unlike most fishermen who learned from a combination of my own trials and errors and the bits I have picked up from other fisherman along the way. Some guys, especially the older ones, are willing to help you out with general knowledge, like when the tide turns in a certain spot or the best way to rig up a ground line, but when it comes to the tricks of catching more lobster they are a little less helpful.
The work doesn't ease up just because the days get shorter. Lobster Institute photo.
It’s a complex social and economic situation we have going on in the world of lobstering. For a lot of us, it’s what we were born into and it’s how we measure ourselves. Going hard is, well, it’s just what you do. Sure, we all want what is best for the fishery and for its future, but we also are in competition with our neighbors and friends for those lobsters on the bottom.
Of course, we all think we have that little secret that no one else knows, whether it be a certain bait or hot trap set up. And we are always wondering what is that other guy’s secret that gave him such a good haul yesterday. Then there’s the guy who gives you a bunch of BS to try to get the upper hand: “They looked horrible over there, don’t even bother to haul ‘em.” It doesn’t matter what harbor you fish from, every place has at least one of these guys. Everything is fair game, you just need to be aware that it is a game.
The best part of being in this business is that we really do all look out for each other. We work on the water every day. The weather can make life miserable, the boat can break down, or, as has been too true in past years, someone can go overboard and be gone in an instant. Each town or area most likely has groups or families that don’t get along, but when someone is in trouble, nobody leaves you hanging.
It’s a lot like the troubles the lobster fishery faces over and over. It could be whales, wind turbines, gauge change, or any of the multiple issues we all have to deal with. For the industry to rally behind the MLA, it was NMFS’s looming whale regulations that would have destroyed our fishery that pulled us all together. Having a major catastrophe hanging over their heads really prompts people to put their differences aside.
When you get down to it, most lobstermen aim to work together to do what is best for the lobster community. We don’t always agree on how best to get there, but we generally have the same goal. The MLA is there to lead us towards that goal. And don’t worry, MLA will always tell it like it is. We will never try to feed you any BS.
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