The Republican journal., 1898-09-15
The Lobster Business.
Interesting Interview With Nathaniel j.
Hanna of Bristol.

Interesting Interview With Nathaniel y.
Hanna of Bristol.
A Portland Courier Telegram rerresen-
tative had very pleasant and instructive
talk about the lobster business with
Nathaniel j. Hanna of Bristol a short
| time ago.
Mr.. Hanna is a fish warden in Lincoln
county and knows as much about Holsters
as any man in the State.
Mr.. Hanna said that before July 1,
| 1895, when the present law went into
effect, the Gamers were allowed between
June l and July rs to can anything
not under nine inches in length. The
effect of this privilege is apparent to every
one. In very short space of time the
shores of Maine were dotted with small
lobster shods. Everything was caught
and taken to the factories. The fisher
men receive but little for the small
Holsters, and the immense quantities of
canned Holsters dumped on the market
served to keep down the price of the larger
| fish.
! This law was very unjust to the fish
I ermen, and as soon as they awakened to
| the fact the law was repealed.
| HC iluluCuldlO ICSult Ndo W ClOoC All
the canning factories on the coast, for
there is DO profit to the Gamers in buy
ing large Holsters Canned Holsters were
taken off the market and the price OF ten
and one half inch Holsters went up. The
average price paid to the fishermen since
that time has been twelve cents a piece
and it has been as high as twenty four
cents.
Today there are about 5000 fishermen
on the coast of Maine engaged in the
lobster fisheries. Three years ago there
We're 10000 traps in use: today there are
over 200, 600, valued at 1925 900; 1000
cars. worth $50, 900; 5000 boats, worth
So, 600, 40 sailing smacks, valued at
500 apiece, and u steam smacks, worth
s., 600 apiece, although some of the steam
smacks are valued at from IS, coz to
SO, 600
Last year up to Jan. 1 there We're b.
600, 900 legal fish caught in Maine waters
at an average value to fishermen of twelve
cents.
The average stock to a fisherman,
fishing the year round, will range from
$3.50 to 500 per man, under this new
law. Under the former law, $1,000 per
man was considered a good thing. The
state Ct Maine furnishes Holsters for TO-
COO, 600 OF people, so the importance of the
industry can be readily seen.
Maine waters, on account Of the good
feeding grounds are the natural haunt of
the lobster, and with the exception of
Massachusetts and Nova Scotia the very
best and, in fact, only place where they
are found in North America.
Salt herring is the best bait. although
some of the fishermen use fish heads and
many other kinds of fish.
In the city of Portland one year ago last
July there We're more holsters landed
during that month than in all the ports Of
Massachusetts for the whole year
The Portland dealers have always been
in full accord with the law, and the officers,
and it is as much due to their efforts that
the wholesale destruction of the fish was
prevented.
There are nov no smacks bringing from
three to five thousand small HOLSTERS into
the market
The only violations of the law now is
for the local markets. Every year there
are about 100, COO summer visitors to the
coast of Maine and they are the great
buyers of small Holsters
They are very inconsistent, for they
have protested time after time against the
SEEMING of porgies in the bays, and have
succeeded in getting a law forbidding such
flAtaE It.r t.r.yf l
c]ain, tbo+ ~ ,,eo+I,,a 80 aota1,; ~
49,, '[r;os dost,,S,.a 10 G,4,ea, Ell
the grounds az dast,,,otian - foaa fsI
La3 +ba low ,,aSsad Va 41,ocn 49,
sa,,o ,,oo,1Ia ~ ~ +l,o o,,a1i Ia,,a.a9,
thev can oct and bold ont n,,o1.r inG,,ca
ment tn tie fisbermar ia n,al,a lin, hraal,
the law
Alon1n z Nickarson of roo+blov l.
tbn n,asa,,, nil, ,f +JS
shore Fishery Dena,tment ii Maine IL
las rho announcement nf The v,arlians ID
aunoints from two 10 three Wardans f1r
each of the ainbt sea- shove ,n,Intias -
the State
The state a,,,,o,.,ia+es .,o 600 ivan
vaa,, e., +I,is den5,+n,t,,+ on[i f,l,,,, H.
snm the wa,dans ava naid Thn ,n+o '1i IS
,,a1, is y nor, ,la, ana o>,,a,,sa ,,la,, ,ot
n,Ilv eno,llo va ia tI9ai, al,+irs
| Tbe ,,ardo,, /. ~ ai1I,-,na =. loa,.a
the connt y u.;+bn,,+ t;,s+ Nh+a;,,i,r 4l,a
vTri+ten ,o,,,,,;ssion nt ~ aL,7',,' H.
sinner
He mns+ lao, . ,ac.,rd ,,f a,,o,,. ,l,,- ia
uar-s ana - p1I -, $1,000, 10y ~
,olla n,+ ,,,o,'+hi, f al e 'in"oe
Of lobs+ars viii ~ co.
and thesa ha-o r. Ia sn,,+ -, 10