THE LOBSTER FISHERY. 663 



Cape Cod, the sandy belt bordering the shore extends out to a depth of 18 to 20 fathoms, where 

 it is succeeded by soft mud. The fishermen there never go beyond the limits of the sand, though 

 many of the lobsters are supposed to retreat to the mud as cold weather approaches. South of 

 Massachusetts Bay, and even for some distance to the north of Cape Ann, the lobster grounds 

 are mainly characterized by sandy and gravelly bottoms, though with the frequent occurrence of 

 large loose stones. On the coast of Maine, and in some portions of Massachusetts Bay, lobsters 

 are very common about the many rocky ledges, which afford them great protection. It is difficult, 

 however, to set the traps where the bottom is very uneven, and comparatively smooth bottoms 

 are preferred by the fishermen. In the winter some fishing" is done upon the mud. 



THE FISHING SEASON. 



GENERAL ACCOUNT. Lobsters may be found at all seasons of the year on most parts of the 

 New England coast, though in deeper water in the winter than in the summer. The fishing season, 

 however, generally lasts only a few months, its duration being influenced by one cause or another. 

 The stormy weather of winter frequently prevents the fishermen from visiting the grounds for a 

 month or more at a time; in some places the market smacks run for only a short period, when the 

 demands are greatest and lobsters most abundant ; and the laws of some States limit the length 

 of the season as a means of protection. In many regions the men engage in lobstering only when 

 other fisheries, which are more profitable to them, cannot be carried on. Stormy weather is fre- 

 quently selected as the time for making and repairing gear and boats and ip preparing for the 

 next season. Some of the lobster fishermen are farmers and miners, who spend a part of the year 

 in one pursuit and the remainder in the other, and the canning season of the coast of Maine regu- 

 lates the fishery to a large extent in the waters of that State. In a few localities, lobster fishing 

 is engaged in by only the very young or old men who are not hardy enough to enter upon the 

 more active fisheries, and who tend their traps only in pleasant weather. The term " lobster 

 season," as used by the fishermen, does not therefore signify the entire period during which lobsters 

 may be taken, but only that portion of it in which fishing is regularly carried on. 



COAST OF MAINE. On the coast of Maine, prior to 1879, lobster canning was permitted at 

 any time of year, but in consequence of the character and abundance of supplies at those seasons, 

 it was mainly carried on between April 1 and August 1, and again between about the 10th or 

 middle of September and the 1st of December, the length of each season varying somewhat, how- 

 ever, according to circumstances. The fishery and canning industry were then closely interde- 

 pendent, and the latter was continued whenever supplies were sufficiently abundant. Since 1878 

 the State laws have limited canning to the four months from April 1 to August 1, and only during 

 that period can lobsters of all sizes be taken and disposed of. This free license has practically 

 established the principal lobster season between those limits, but lobsters are frequently not 

 abundant in convenient depths before the middle of April, and are often not considered fit for 

 taking after the middle of July. Outside of the above limits only lobsters exceeding 10 inches 

 in length could be trapped, but there was a sufficient demand for market supplies to continue the 

 fall and winter fishery to a certain extent. In 1883 a close time was established which prohibited 

 fishing from August 15 to November 15, but in 1885 this close season was reduced so as to extend 

 only from August 15 to October 1. May and June are generally regarded as the best lobster 

 months, although the fall fishery is often nearly if not quite as good. 



On some sections of the Maine coast, the canneries are the only convenient markets for lobsters, 

 and the fishery continues actively only so long as the canneries remain open. At some places, as in 

 the vicinity of Bath, but few men fish for lobsters during the summer, while quite a number engage 



