In fishing the traps are either set on single warps or on trawls of
8 to 40 and 50 pots. At first all pots were set singly. The line by
which they were lowered and hauled up, and which also served as a buoy
line, was fastened to one of the end frames of the bottom or sill, as
it is called, at the intersection of the hoop. The buoys generally
consist of a tapering piece of cedar or spruce, wedge-shaped, or
nearly spindle shaped, and about 18 inches long. They are usually
painted in distinctive colors, so that each fisherman may easily
recognize his own. Small kegs are also used as buoys.
In the warm season the pots are frequently set on trawls or "ground
lines," as lobsters are quite thick then on the rocky bottom near
shore. If the bottom is sandy they are set farther from shore.
Lobsters are most numerous on a rocky bottom. In the trawl method the
pots are usually set about 30 feet apart, depending on the depth of
water, so that when one pot is in the boat the next will be on the
bottom. The ground lines have large anchors at each end and a floating
buoy tied to a strong line, which is fastened to the ground line
almost 25 fathoms from the anchors. When the last pot is hauled the
anchor is far enough away to hold the boat in position. The pots are
set at distances from the shore ranging from 100 yards to 5 or 6
miles. This method of setting pots was first used about the year 1865
in Sagadahoc County. The traps are set in from 3 to 10 fathoms in the
warm season.
In winter fishing the pots are generally set singly, as the lobsters
are more scattered then and the best results are attained by shifting
the position of the pots slightly each time they are fished. This is
caused by the drift of the boat while the fisherman is hauling in the
pot, emptying and rebaiting it, and then dropping it overboard again.
The winter fishing is generally carried on in the open sea, although
in a few places, like Sheepscot Bay, the lobsters in winter retire to
the deep waters of the bays and can there be caught. The pots are
generally set in from 20 to 50 fathoms of water at this season.
Certain fishermen claim that when pots are set on a trawl placed
across the tide the catch is greater than when the trawl is set in
the direction of the current. In the former case, it is asserted, the
scent or fine particles coming from the bait is more widely diffused
and more apt to attract the lobsters. In entering, after first
reconnoitering around and over the pot, the lobster always backs in,
primarily that he may be prepared to meet any foe following him, also
because his large claws would be apt to catch in the net funnel should
he enter head first. After discovering that he is imprisoned, which
he does very speedily, he seems to lose all desire for the bait, and
spends his time roaming around the pot hunting for a means of escape.
The pots are generally hauled once a day, but sometimes twice a day in
good weather. As the tide along the Maine coast is quite strong, the
fishermen usually haul their pots at or about slack water, low tide
generally being preferred when they are worked once a day. The number
used by a fisherman varies greatly on different sections of the coast.
According to the investigations of this Commission, the average
number of pots to the man in certain years was as follows: Fifty-six
pots in 1880, 59 in 1887 and 1888, 58 in 1889 and 1892, and 50 in
1898. This average, however, is somewhat misleading, as quite a number
of persons along the coast take up lobstering for only a few months
in the year, and then return to their regular occupations. As these
persons use but few pots, the average per man throughout the whole
State is very considerably reduced. The regular lobster fishermen have
been steadily increasing the number of their pots for several years
past. They have found this an absolute necessity in order to catch as
many lobsters now as they caught twenty or thirty years ago. It is not
unusual now to find one of the regular fishermen handling as high as
100 pots, and sometimes even 125, when a few years ago 25 and 50 pots
was a large number. This does not take into account his reserve stock
of pots, which it is necessary to have on hand in order to replace
those damaged or lost.
[Illustration: Fishermen operating their pots]