Catching the lobsters

David fishes the waters of coastal Maine in the vicinity of Little Cranberry Island. His 35 ft fiberglass boat, designed and refined by a century of learning, is the perfect tool to fish these cold waters. Equipped with the latest in electronic navigation and communications equipment, the boat represents a major investment for a lobster fisherman.

Each trap sits on the bottom on the ocean, from 30 to 200 feet below the surface, held there by its own weight. A line runs from the trap to a buoy that floats on the surface.  The buoy is painted with the registered color combination of each lobster fisherman.  Yellow and blue in David's case. Each buoy is hooked (gaffed) and the line wound around the hydraulic hauler and the trap is pulled to the surface.

The trap is pulled alongside Just a Pluggin' and swung aboard the boat.  David has strong arms and a rugged back!

Then the trap is opened and David reaches in for the bounty.  Plentiful or nothing at all. The trap often contains sea creatures other than lobsters.  Fish, crab, sea urchins and other sea life try to get the bait David has placed in the trap.

Looks like this trap was worth the effort.  If only every trap David hauled was so kind...

But are they keepers? Maine fisherman throw back both undersized and oversized lobsters.  Undersized (shorts) to let them get bigger; oversized to protect the gene pool of survivors. These two are keepers...

The next step in to put the rubber bands on the claws of the lobsters.  To protect the fingers of everyone down the line!