Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1883-10-18
The Lobster.
ITS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
HOW THE COAST OF MAINE HAS BEEN
DEPLETED.


Ten years ago an old fisherman, battered
| and bleached by many nor'wester, standing,
with pipe in mouth, "calling" Holsters from
scar at the end of the steamboat wharf
on Mount Desert Island, was asked by a
summer visitor from Boston, with whom he
was well acquainted, 'Well, Uncle Jake, do
you think you can continue to take so many
Holsters from the sea as you are now taking
without running out the supply ?"
After few whiffs from his black clay
pipe, Uncle Jake, shutting up one eve in a
deliberative manner, jerked out, "Why, Lor
bless yer, if everybody on the coast should
go to lobster -ketchin' it wouldn't make no
difference in the ketch The more ye ketch
the faster the tarnal critters breed The
visitor, however, was not satisfied, and stand
ing recently on the same wharf, having been
told, much to his surprise, at the Parker
House in Boston, before leaving that famous
hostelry, that a salad he had ordered was
made of "Nova Scotia lobster" he asked
spruce son of Uncle Jake. the old man hay-
ing drawn his last 'trawl" several wears
since, why it was that no lobster cars were
moored about the wharf as in former wears ?
"Cos there amt no lobsters,'' was the
laconic reply. ''But what has become of
them p was asked. "Smacks killed EN- all
Oft, was the answer "Smacks for the
canning factories :" | ventured to suggest.
NO !; market smacks," said the incipient
Uncle Jake. This caused an investigation
into the particulars of the case.
The lobster factories were great blessing
to the fishing towns Of Maine, as they en-
ployed the "help," that is, the men. women
and rbIlJrpp tho FORMER liz.
ing, the latter in preparing the lobster for
canning, and the business was looked upon
by the better and more thoughtful people as
one of mutual interest. As long as there
was no large demand outside Of the factories,
there was no danger of running out tile sup
ply, as the demand for canning, although
large, was not likely to be sufficiently large
to diminish the supply seriously besides.
self-preserration involving in common in
terest the packers and the inhabitants of
fishing towns, compelled a regard for the
perpetuation of the supply This was
evInced by the unanimity with which all
the principal packers united with the fishing
people to procure the passage Of wholesome
laws regulating the taking Of fish, and tend
ing TO preserve them. But smacks from
Massachusetts and New York began 10 de-
scend upon the coast, and increased con
tinually in number as a lively Western Ge-
mand for the live article sprang un and
soon terrible slaughter began, almost DE-
stroying the catch on the Maine coast in
few years.
This demand for fresh" as the smack
men call the live article, has continued ID
increase and the supply having become ex-
hausted on the coast of New England. the
smacks have descended upon our provincial
friends like a swarm of locusts, and NOW the
coasts of Nova Scotia are being as rapidly
depleted Of their valuable product as the
coast Of Maine was, and unless a law pre-
venting the expectation of Holsters in the
shell is passed by the Dominion govern
ment there will soon be no Holsters f3r TIE
royal family when they pay visit to their
loyal subjects on this side of the Atlantic.
for the importation by smacks and in crates
by steamer into this country from the
Provinces has become enormous. One firm
alone has shipped from Yarmouth this year
10000 crates each containing about 100
HOLSTERS, and single smack from the same
locality has carried in bulk 10 Boston 10000
week. These are but two bit Of great
number OF shippers. Of course large
quantities die in transportation, and are
thrown away
It may seem strange that the inhabitants
of the fishing villages in Maine where
HOLSTERS ahounded. had net cried ont against
this wholesale slaughter and destruction of
an important industry such a. tie Gamers
had built up among them. furnishing cm-
plo!ment 10 them and their families, and
distributing large sums of money through
the -baral,,+ H.