58 ABOUT LOBSTERS 



plugged claw from nipping the lobsterman's hand while he 

 is inserting a plug. 



Many of the Canadian plugs are hand whittled. Some 

 of them are of a fine shape, others not so good. Whittling is 

 a winter pastime there, or a means of obtaining tobacco 

 money for older men. It is estimated that a whittler can 

 make less than 10 cents per hour. 



It is commonly believed that plugs made of cedar * * 

 will kill a lobster— presumably due to the oil in cedar. 



Manufactured wood plugs, each branded with the word 

 " Maine " were tried. They were made in the form of a card, 

 like old-fashioned sulphur matches, one to be broken off 

 from the card at a time. They did not meet with lobster- 

 men's approval, and their labeling of a lobster seemed to be 

 of little appeal (see Figure 21). 



Bands 



The use of heavy rubber bands to secure a lobster's 

 claw has been tried. Ten years ago, the Maine Development 

 Commission even furnished these bands carrying a plastic 

 rectangle on which was printed " Maine Lobster." They 

 were hard to apply; even though some lobstermen developed 

 a sort of scissors to expand the bands, they were still diffi- 

 cult to slip over the claw of an active, pugnacious lobster 

 (see Figure 18). 



Today ( 1961), rubber bands are again being promoted. 

 They are of particular appeal for use on lobsters that are to 

 be pounded. Whether you, as a lobsterman, like it or not, 

 this method is being accepted. 



There are several reasons why. 



1. A band does not wound a lobster, and an unin- 

 jured claw will not become infected. Black meat caused 

 by the infection of a plug cannot occur. 



2. If a plug comes out of a claw, the lobster is 

 likely to bleed to death. There is no damage if a band 

 is lost. 



3. A plug jammed into a claw at die wrong angle 

 can cause a lobster to " shake " a claw, particularly in 

 cold weather. 



