Here, we’re in Naskeag Harbor yesterday afternoon, as fishing vessels come to and go from the bait hut where fishermen can buy bait and fuel going out and sell their lobster catch coming back:
These are troubled times for the fishermen, some of whom are pulling their traps out of the water and getting ready to end their season early. Here’s the Fishing Vessel Ghost pulling its traps in Great Cove on Thursday (August 20):
The Maine lobster industry has been caught in a confluence of adverse consequences. It got damaged by China’s tariff retaliation to President Trump’s trade war with that large lobster customer. (Last month, President Trump promised a bailout for the fishermen, but it has not materialized as far as we can tell.)
The Covid 19 plague has depleted restaurant and cruise ship businesses, where lobster was a popular dish. Warming Maine waters have provoked many lobsters to move out from coastal territories to colder, deeper seas. And, on the horizon, additional fishing restrictions to protect right whales likely will go into effect soon.
Fishing for a livelihood is not easy, but it is picturesque:
(Brooklin, Maine)