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Before we leave the wharf the bait is
prepared: The captain cuts the bait
(which today is mackerel) while his deck-hand puts it in the bag and
twists it closed. The sun has not yet risen.
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A plastic bin called a tray holds the
bait that is ready to be bagged. Typical
bait commonly used for lobster fishing is mackerel, flounder, herring,
gaspereaux and rock crab.
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Shortly after 5:00 am.
Dawn is breaking: With the clear skies and the calm water it looks like
we’re in for a nice day.
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The deck-hand uses a long pole with a hook on
the end of it, called a gaff, to catch the buoy.
The captain is in the cabin manning the wheel.
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
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Grabbing the line: The deck hand
has successfully hooked the buoy, and the captain has come out to grab
the line. |
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The hauler: After grabbing the line the captain uses the electronic hauler to
pull the traps out of the water.
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A wooden trap is being pulled out of the water by the hauler.
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The captain pulls a wire trap over the side and onto the
washboard.
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The captain surveys his catch.
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Both the captain and the
deckhand re-bait the traps
after they are hauled.
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The sun is rising as the deckhand re-baits a trap.
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The captain uses a metal gauge to measure the
carapace of the
lobster to see if it is of legal size.
If it is, it’s placed in the tray to be banded and if it’s not,
it’s thrown back in to the ocean.
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The deck-hand uses a steel device to place elastic rubber bands around the
lobster’s claws.
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A five-trap trawl sitting on the washboard:
These traps have been re-baited, and the lobsters removed.
Soon they will be pushed overboard.
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The deck-hand gets ready to push a trap over in to the ocean.
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A large market waits in a tray to be banded.
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The deck-hand shows off a big catch.
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Near the end of the day: A tray
full of canners sitting in the live tank.
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A tray of rock crabs: They’ve
been caught in traps that have just been hauled and have been placed in a tray
to be used to re-bait the empty traps. |
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A crab is tied down as
bait in a wire trap |
OTHER CREATURES THAT GET CAUGHT IN THE TRAPS:
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A sculpin fish
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A rock eel
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A bucket of starfish |
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A spawning female: The captain
holds a large female who is carrying eggs under her tail.
Berried females, as they are called, are thrown back into the sea.
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Cleaning up: The deck-hand uses
the hose to clear away debris and to wash down the deck as the captain heads the
boat back to the wharf. |
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Seagulls feasting: After the
deck-hand drops the old bait overboard seagulls quickly arrive on the scene. |
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Back to the wharf: The
traps have been hauled and the day is almost done.
It is approximately 1:30pm.
Click here to
see what goes on at the wharf.