Lobster fishing, PEI
Lobster has been the mainstay of the Prince Edward Island fishery since its beginnings in the mid-1870s. Lobster is also a fishery that almost died in infancy. In the mid-1880s – only ten years after the lobster boom began – overfishing drove the stocks to dangerously low levels. It was saved by a combination of regulation, cooperation and good luck.
There are two lobster seasons on PEI. The first runs from May till the end of June, and the second from August till October. But of course fresh lobster is available year round.
North American lobster traps are based on the lobster pots used for centuries in northern Europe. Simple in concept, they are one of the most elegant pieces of fishing gear ever invented. Lobsters enter the trap through a wooden ring called a “head”. Once inside, the trap simply takes advantage of the lobster’s natural instincts. When feeling threatened, a lobster will face the world with its claws spread wide – making it very difficult to walk out the way it came in. When feeling panicked, a lobster likes to flee backwards by flexing its powerful tail. Either way, once in the trap, most lobsters have little chance of finding a way out.
Lobster fishing, PEI
Lobster has been the mainstay of the Prince Edward Island fishery since its beginnings in the mid-1870s. Lobster is also a fishery that almost died in infancy. In the mid-1880s – only ten years after the lobster boom began – overfishing drove the stocks to dangerously low levels. It was saved by a combination of regulation, cooperation and good luck.
There are two lobster seasons on PEI. The first runs from May till the end of June, and the second from August till October. But of course fresh lobster is available year round.
North American lobster traps are based on the lobster pots used for centuries in northern Europe. Simple in concept, they are one of the most elegant pieces of fishing gear ever invented. Lobsters enter the trap through a wooden ring called a “head”. Once inside, the trap simply takes advantage of the lobster’s natural instincts. When feeling threatened, a lobster will face the world with its claws spread wide – making it very difficult to walk out the way it came in. When feeling panicked, a lobster likes to flee backwards by flexing its powerful tail. Either way, once in the trap, most lobsters have little chance of finding a way out.