Once again I have taken an experience and turned it into an interview! Some friends and I chartered “The Lucky Catch” this morning out of Portland, ME to take our kids out on a lobster boat and help haul in the catch. We also got to see seals, eels, fish and more! Did you know that a lobster has to thrown back unless it is 3 1/4 inches long from it’s eye sockets to it’s tail? If it is over 5 inches long, it also needs to be thrown back in! We got to measure a few, put the bands on the claws, bait the traps and throw the traps in.
I asked Captain Tom questions while we were out so I could give my readers some insight into being a Lobster Fisherman. I would have loved to have sat down and spoke to him for longer, but I will share what I have got!
Captain Tom has been lobstering since he was 14 years old! He started out doing it as a summer job… his next door neighbor got him interested in the career. He went to college for a semester and decided that the sea was calling his name and he has been doing this for a living ever since. Twelve years ago he decided to make tours a part of his business and does this during the busy, tourist filled summer months. He does commercial lobster fishing in the fall, winter and spring.
There are regulations that dictate how many traps he can put out and each Lobster Man has his own color coded buoys. January, February and March can be slow months. When I asked him if there was anything he didn’t like about his profession, he advised that he loves it, but it can be a lot of hard work. There is the upkeep on the boat, long hours and during the cold winter days, it can be hard to get up and go out to sea! His favorite part is that he loves being out on the water.
The typical hours for this Lobster Fisherman is from 5am-4:00pm. There is also a license requirement. If you are interested in this profession, find a boat to work on for a season and see if it is something you like!
The Lucky Catch runs out of Portland, Maine and I recommend it for a great time and learning experience for all ages!