It's been ages since I've written. During this time, another Maine lobster fishing season has drawn to a close. Most of the fishermen start taking up their traps in mid-December, with a goal of having them up by the new year. That said, the end of the fishing season is largely driven by how bad the weather is and how good the fishing is. If the weather is good and the lobster fishing is still strong in December, it's worth it leaving the lobster traps out for a bit longer. If the weather turns fowl and/or the lobster fishing dries up, up come the traps.
During this time, the harbor is filled with boats piled high with lobster traps ready to unload, the wharves are busy with fishermen winching traps up from their boats and onto trailers and the roads are filled with trucks going back and forth to the harbor with trap trailers.
My husband and I were back in Maine from the end of December to the beginning of January and witnessed much of this activity. I got a few pictures of my father's trailer loaded with lobster traps but have yet to find the time to post these shots. My husband also spent a few afternoons down on the wharf helping unload traps and was fascinated by the process (he's British so still learning about the Maine lobster fishing business) so I thought it was worth writing about here.
Taking up lobster traps is an "all hands on deck" affair. The first step, getting the lobster traps off bottom and onto the boat, usually takes place in less than ideal weather. You need to haul the traps, pick out the lobsters (as there are usually still some in the traps) and store those, empty the bait out of the bait bags and store those in a separate tote, untie the lobster buoys from the line and store those, pile up and store the lobster trap rope (many lobster fishermen will put all the rope in barrels) then stack the traps on the stern of the boat. It's very important to ensure the lobster trap rope is neatly coiled so it doesn't tangle. It's also important to ensure the traps are secured so they don't get tossed overboard - a very likely scenario during rough winter weather. My father's stern men often tie down the traps on the stern to ensure they stay put.
The whole process can keep three people very busy - one usually focuses on hauling the traps, another picks out the lobsters and bait bags and the third person takes care of the buoys and line then stacks the traps. Two years ago I gave my father a hand taking up traps and captured a bit of it on film - yet another thing I need to post here when I find the time.
Once the boat is piled high with traps (a 45 foot boat can store over 100 traps at a time), the fishermen head into the harbor to unload. They typically tie their boat to the side of the wharf, back their truck down the wharf with a trailer attached and begin the process of transferring the traps from the boat to the trailer. As the tide is often down, they use a hydraulic winch to hoist up the traps. Again, it's an "all hands on deck" operation with one person on the wharf operating the winch, one person on the boat hooking the traps onto the winch and one person on the trailer unhooking the traps from the winch and stacking them.
Once the lobster traps, barrels of rope and bunches of buoys are all off the boat and onto the trailer, the fishermen will haul them home for the winter. During the winter months, the fishermen will spend several months readying their traps for the next fishing season.
I look forward to posting some pictures and videos of this whole process in the not to distant future!
For current updates on the Maine lobster fishing season, click here.
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