Reference number: P8-54

Place : Grand Manan
Date : c 1920

The lobster fishery dates back to the 17th century. This industry marked rapid growth around 1885, and controls had to be enacted. Lobster is fished in shallow waters by means of plain wooden traps open at both ends. When a lobster enters the trap, lured by an enticing morsel of fish placed there by the fisherman, it panics, opens its claws and is trapped in that half-cylinder fitted with a net. The traps sit in the water for an entire day or more. The fisherman then checks the crates and removes the lobsters. Shown here:a lobster fishing fleet at Grand Manan. The lobster traps are ready to set on opening day of the new season.