206 FISH-CULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 
also, in some cases, been well nigh exhausted, and the fishermen 
forced to resort to more distant grounds. When the fishery first 
began hoop-net traps were in general use, but soon after the intro- 
duction of lath-traps competition caused them to be universally 
employed. From year to year the fishermen increased the num- 
ber of traps they used, and the custom of. setting them, trawl 
fashion, rapidly came into vogue. These changes were due 
to the competitions of trade, the desire to obtain larger catches 
and for one man to perform the work of two. The fishing 
grounds were strained to their utmost, and there was no fear of 
an overstock, as the canneries were ready to buy all that were 
not taken by the market smacks. More recently the fishermen 
have begun to return to the old method of setting their traps 
singly, and why ? Because they say the lobsters are more scat- 
tered over the bottom, and that by altering the position of the 
traps every time they are set, they fish better. But why should 
they be more scattered now than formerly unless they are more 
rare? In 1864 lobsters were so abundant at Muscle Ridges that 
three men tending forty to fifty traps each, caught all the count 
lobsters which one smack could carry to market, making a trip 
once in eight days. In 1879 the same smack was obliged to buy 
the entire catch of fifteen men in order to obtain full fares, and 
at times required to visit other localities to complete the load. 
Regarding the Booth bay region, very nearly the same may be 
said. As late as 1856, lobsters were very abundant about the 
islands of Booth bay harbor, and the fishery was carried on close 
to the shore in slight depths of water. The season lasted about 
six months, and each man setting fifty traps could make about 
$500 during the season. By 1869, the number of fishermen hav- 
ing increased, however, the season’s stock was reduced to about 
$175 per man, and the average size of lobsters had greatly di- 
minished. This caused the fishermen to try further out from 
shore, and the fishery is mainly carried on in depths of twenty- 
five to thirty-five fathoms. The facts of these changes were fur- 
nished from many places in this section, between Cape Small 
Point and Pemaquid Point. 
The canneries have undoubtedly largely influenced this result 
on the coast of Maine, as all sizes of lobsters large enough to 
