Posted on 09/16/2021 7:12:22 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
When Virginia Oliver started trapping lobster off Maine’s rocky coast, World War II was more than a decade in the future, the electronic traffic signal was a recent invention and few women were harvesting lobsters.
Nearly a century later, at age 101, she’s still doing it. The oldest lobster fisher in the state and possibly the oldest one in the world, Oliver still faithfully tends to her traps off Rockland, Maine, with her 78-year-old son Max.
She’s still loading pogeys — lobster-speak for menhaden, a small fish — into traps to lure the crustaceans in. And she’s still getting up long before dawn to get on the boat and do it.
“I like doing it, I like being along the water,” she said. “And so I’m going to keep on doing it just as long as I can. ”
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Cool story!
Lobstering is a year round job. The inshore fishermen will take up their gear just before the start of scallop season. The offshore guys can fish all year, weather permitting.
The main reason the inshore people take their gear out of the water is because the scallopers drags will damage/ destroy the lobster gear. The other reason is that the lobsters aren’t trapping well at all at that time of the year.
The Seth in your story was Seth Hodgon. He was in South Blue Hill. His grandson still owns the point where you bought those lobsters.
Doing what keeps you going and alive.
If you aren’t out there every day, the other guys find out, and pull your pots. They have bouys with different striped markers to show whose is whose. It can get sort of cut-throat.
The season is year round. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be able to buy them year round. There is a moulting seasons when for about six weeks, maybe less, you can’t take them. It is in the spring but varies by location.
I hope “hauling lobsters” isn’t slang for something else ...
—” cereal is to be eaten by the box full.”
They say wine aficionados, discard the top after opening, no need to reseal the bottle.
I agree completely. I also don’t eat cereal or drink alcohol anymore...
By Ocala. When you get away from the ocean or gulf in FL, watch your back...
I had a great uncle, born in the 1883. He lived into the late 1970s, and I knew him when I was a child.
Was a farmer, and he lived 35 miles from Niagara Falls and claimed on a quiet evening, you could hear the roar of the Falls.
She most definitely was
https://www.webmd.com/balance/features/negative-ions-create-positive-vibes
Having lived/worked in both Maryland and Louisiana, I found one thing both states have in common is that people are very conscientious about making the distinction between, "crabbing," and, "catching crabs."
LOL! Did I nail his description??? I last saw him some twenty years ago...but we still talk about him!
A crusty critter who matched his crustaceans!
Yeah, and experience as an officer in an Israeli tank division to boot!
Well, he’s outdone me.
Though I’m not dead yet...
My wife’s grandmother would tell us stories about putting the baby in a bassinet, putting a tea towel over him and putting under the buckboard while hobbling the horses and picking corn. I thought she’d live to be 120. Passed away to 93. We took her on vacations until she got sick at 91.
—”And this went on for several hours, until they chugged away! “
Mostly are vacation time was spent at rock or ice climbing areas, but we once did a seaside trip and it was a near mirror image of your experience.
Near our campsite was a popular fishing bridge and in the evening it came alive!
I’m not a patient fisher person but did like the Wolf river bass run, as fast as you can reel them in and get what you want!
Near our campsite a guy with a cast net and a couple of helpers, some lights, and SKILL! Watching for the fish shadows, take a run, and cast/twirl the net... usually with amazing results!
He filled his buckets and offered them free to all takers!
And many did.
Plus an amazing assortment of fishing, hookah divers with lights, other net types, and the hook and line...
A sight to see, all of them seemed to be doing well.
Some years back I gave myself a new toy, 14x40 Fujinon image-stabilized binoculars, lots of fun!
Lately, I use them less because of car break-ins.
Recently my son’s car was hit while he was at a popular outdoor stair climb. He said it was apparent the thief was knowledgeable about his 1990’s Buick locks.
Now I only take them where I have them on my neck.
Perhaps someday, the Zeiss IS 20x60, NO batteries!
Magnetic / mechanically dampened.
But only for use from inside the vault with my safe deposit box?
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