14 FISH—CULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
have combined to nearly exterminate the species. At numerous 
places through Long Island Sound, lobsters are sufficiently 
plentiful to permit of limited fisheries, which are mainly con- 
fined to supplying the local demand. Further east, on the 
southern New England coast, in the region of Block Island, 
Montauk Point, the Elizabeth Islands, and Martha’s Vineyard, 
they become much more abundant and afford a very profitable 
fishery, extending through the spring, summer, and early fall. 
The entire coast line of Massachusetts abounds in lobsters, 
whenever the character of the bottom is suitable for them, but 
overfishing has nearly depleted some of the shallow water areas, 
which were once prolific, as at Provincetown, The sandy shores 
of New Hampshire furnish only a moderate supply of lobsters. 
Lobsters are very much more abundant on the Maine coast than 
anywhere to the southward, and the yearly fishery exceeds in 
quantity and value those of all the other States combined. This 
State is, in fact, the main source of supply for all the principal 
markets in the United States. The fishery continues in some 
localities throughout the year, but is most active during the 
spring, summer, and fall, and especially from April rst to 
August rst, when the canneries are open. 
‘““The lobster fishery, as a distinct industry, commenced on the 
Massachusetts coast about the beginning of the present century, 
and on the Maine coast about 1840. It has rapidly developed 
to the present time. At first, lobsters were frequently found 
during the summer, in some favorable localities at or near low- 
water mark, especially on the Maine coast, where they could be 
gaffed out from under the protection of overhanging rocks and 
seaweads. They rarely occur in such situations now, and the 
fishery is mainly carried on in depths of a few fathoms to 20 or 
30 fathoms, but sometimes in depths of 4o to 60 fathoms. On 
the coast of Nova Scotia, lobsters are-about as common as on 
the Maine coast, but further to the north they become less 
abundant again. They have been taken on some of the outlying 
fishing banks, such as George’s Bank, but are not fished for at 
any great distance from land. 
“The lobster fishery is regularly carried on by means of 
wooden framework traps, or pots, generally constructed of 
