THE LOBSTEE FISHERY. 781 



as early as 1807. " The fishes are the same as those of the vicinity, but lobsters, which are scarce 

 at Martha's Vineyard, are caught in great abundance at all the Elizabeth Islands." * At present 

 the lobster fishery of the Elizabeth Islands is confined almost exclusively to Cuttyhuuk, where it 

 is engaged in by the majority of all the fishermen, about thirty in number. The season lasts 

 about four months. The thirty fishermen run six small smacks and twelve open boats, setting 

 from forty to one hundred and twenty traps each, or a total of 2,000 traps. The Guttyhunk 

 Club, a New York association of sportsmen, also handles about one hundred and twenty pots, 

 selling the larger lobsters obtained and using the smaller ones for bait. During the season of 

 1880 the lobster traps at Cuttyhunk averaged about one marketable lobster each per day, or a 

 total of about 230,000 lobsters, by count, for the season. The regular tautog fishermen of 

 Cuttyhunk use about 1,000 pounds of lobsters each for bait during the season. 



At No Man's Land, in 1880, the lobster fishery was conducted by fifteen men who make that 

 island their headquarters during the fishing season. The catch in that year was small, averaging 

 about 1,000 pounds to each man, and amounting altogether to about 15,000 pounds. From the town 

 of Edgartown only about two hundred traps were set in 1880, yielding a total catch for the season of 

 about 16,600 lobsters. The greater part of the lobster fishery of this district is carried on in the 

 vicinity of Menemsha Bight and Gay Head, at the southwestern extremity of Martha's Vineyard, 

 and off No Man's Land, by fishermen hailing from Chilmark and Tisbury. Lobsterville consists 

 of about fourteen temporary shanties, situated near the western end of Menemsha Bight. Along 

 Meuemsha Bight, including this settlement, about sixty lobster fishermen were located in 1880, 

 using forty boats, of which one-half carried two men each and the remainder one man each. 

 An average of forty traps was set by each boat in 1880, making a total of sixteen hundred traps 

 for the region. They were worked in trawls of ten to fifteen traps each. The common form of 

 lath trap is universally employed. The catch for 1880 amounted to about 200,000 lobsters. In 

 1879 this fishery was carried on from this locality by a much smaller number of men, with four- 

 teen boats and 560 traps. 



The fishing grounds range from the shallow water near shore, in depths of 1 fathom, to 

 depths of 15 to 20 fathoms. The season usually continues four or five months, from May to 

 October, but a few men sometimes begin fishing as early as the middle of March. Flounders, 

 menhaden, dogfish, and other common fish are used as bait. The average number of marketable 

 lobsters caught to a trap per day varies from one to two. Fifteen lobsters of all sizes to a trap 

 is considered a large catch. Nearly all the lobsters taken in this region are sold to smacks run- 

 ning principally to New York, but also, to some extent, to other smaller markets. About twelve 

 well-smacks of different sizes making weekly trips visit this region during the season, and pay 

 on an average about six cents each for all lobsters above 10J inches long. 



After the smacks stop running, which sometimes happens about the 1st of August, the catch 

 is sold mainly at Wood's Holl at 3J cents per pound. During good seasons the monthly earnings 

 for each man are said to range as high as $50 to $100. In 1880 the average earnings per man 

 for the entire district were about $250 for the season. The following note from Mr. Frank M. 

 Cottle, of West Tisbury, is of interest, as illustrating the rapid growth of the lobster industry in 

 this region : " Twenty years ago there was bu,t one vessel in the lobster fishery on this coast, or 

 rather in this vicinity ; now there are a dozen. Then the business was not considered to be of 

 any value, and but few men entered it at all. Within the past fifteen years, however, it has 

 improved rapidly, and now there are some 60 men or more in this vicinity who depend upon it 



Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc., ad ser., vol. iii, p. 79. 



