642 



MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



Attempts have been made to develop an artificial bait which can be used to 

 eliminate those mentioned above. This is prepared from materials which give o£E 

 an odor of decomposing fish. The usual type is compressed into a block and en- 

 closed in a muslin bag which can be fastened in the pot with ease. As the muslin 

 bag protects the bait and prevents it from being scattered by the lobsters, it will 

 last indefinitely. However, fishermen who have used this report that it is not as 

 eflBcient as natural baits, but does attract some lobsters. Some of these baits have 

 been tried on crabs with similar results. 



Fishing. The pots are either set on single warps or on trawls having from 3 to 

 60 traps. In the early days of the industry all pots were set singly, but the lob- 

 stermen discovered that if the pots were attached to trawls, one man could fish 

 alone. When the pots are set singly, one man is usually required to handle the 

 boat while the other hoists the traps, removes the lobsters, and renews the bait. 

 One end of the line, by which the pot is hauled up and lowered, is fastened to 

 the framework of the creel; the other is attached to a buoy which usually con- 

 sists of a piece of cedar or spruce painted a distinctive color so that each fisher- 

 man may easily recognize his own traps. Often 2 buoys are used, one being placed 

 about the middle of the line and the other at its upper end; this prevents the line 

 from fouling on the rocky bottom. 



(Courtesy Wayne Buxton, Maine Development Commission) 

 Fig. 30-3. Sorting lobsters according to size at a float. 



