Back to the Lobster Project in Downeast Maine

I’ve been dragging my feet about getting my recreational lobster license. I built the boat and have it well enough through its paces to know that it will do fine as a lobster boat. In fact, I think I can safely say it will be the only electric lobster boat in Maine, and probably on the east coast. I also want to do this as a source of amusement for my guests at SeaCat’s Rest, to give them the illusion that I am a real downeast Mainer and not a Michigan transplant, out there pulling up traps…with my electric boat.

There remain two big hurdles to bringing this plan into reality, the license and the equipment. There’s a third unknown, that of whether I will encounter hostility or sabotage from commercial lobstermen. This could derail the whole project and make the entire investment a loss. According to some reports I’ve read, the way to ingratiate oneself is to meet with the lobstermen,  offer pints of liquor and adopt the persona of a “good old boy” while humbling asking permission to drop your five traps. This to me is the most intimidating part of the process and I may skip it.

I have considered high tech alternatives to the usual buoys marking the traps. Without buoys there would be no sabotage. While on a long road trip I conceived of a system in which a buoy would be held underwater at the trap and released with a command from a remote. As usual when I come up with an invention like this someone has already done it, and this time was no exception. The company is located in Australia and is named Fiomarine. Unfortunately one of their rigs costs $9,000 in Australian dollars! Without a doubt, the booze would be cheaper (even single malt) . Still, the folks at Fiomarine are working on a more affordable version, and they promised to let me know when one is available. With all the reported “turf wars” taking place in the lobster grounds this could be a good solution. One buoy release could be linked to several, even a dozen traps on a line. No more cut lines, no prop entanglements or endangered marine mammals.

from Hamilton Marine

So getting the license the first time means taking an open book test and paying $65 plus spare change for trap tags. Not overly daunting. The equipment required is a bit more complicated to assemble. A small trap, manageable by someone without lifting equipment, is around $100. I hope to get a few for free or used, but they may need work or modification to bring them up to current laws, such as the biodegradable escape hatch. This allows lost or neglected traps to release lobster after a short while. 3/8″ sinking line and buoys, a gaff hook, bait bags, a double-sided gauge for measuring lobsters, a banding tool and probably a half dozen things I can’t anticipate all add up to an investment of maybe $800 for my 5 trap project. So if I figure on lobster at $4.00/lb (soft shell, midsummer) that means if I want to break even the first year I’ll have to haul 200 lbs of (keeper) lobster! At least I won’t be paying for gas or diesel.

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