6 ABOUT LOBSTERS 



port records that lobsters five and six feet long were caught 

 in New York Bay. 



History 



Lobster fishing as a separate industry seems to date 

 from late 1700, and was first developed on the coast of 

 Massachusetts, particularly Cape Cod. Some lobstering was 

 done among the Elizabeth Islands and along the coast of 

 Connecticut as early as 1810. Strangely enough, this indus- 

 try was not extended to the coast of Maine until 1840. 



In a pamphlet by Robert L. Dow, " The Story of the 

 Maine Lobster," published by Maine Sea and Shore Fish- 

 eries, it says: 



The economic possibilities of the Maine lobster 

 fishery were realized by nearly all pre-colonial explorers 

 from England and Europe, even if almost two and one- 

 half centuries were to elapse before a real lobster in- 

 dustry was established. 



Among the specific references to the lobster re- 

 source of the Maine coast is that contained in Rosier's 

 account of Waymouth's voyage to Maine in 1605. 

 Rosier said, " And towards night we drew with a small 

 net of twenty fathoms very nigh the shore; we got about 

 thirty very good and great lobsters .... which I omit 

 not to report, because it sheweth how great a profit 

 the fishing would be .... " 



That the Maine lobster was appreciated by the 

 colonists is substantiated by the many references to 

 their dependence upon the crustaceans for much of 

 their food. However, the actual commercial develop- 

 ment of the fishery did not take place until many years 

 later. 



Just when Maine lobsters were first marketed is 

 not entirely clear but the commercial importance of 

 the fishery in supplying out-of-state markets did not 

 come about until after 1840. Records of this period 

 show that the lobster supply near the large market 

 areas of eastern Massachusetts had declined appreci- 



