Food Informants: A Week In The Life Of A Maine Lobsterman

Food Informants is a week-in-the-life series profiling fascinating people in the food world. We hope it will give you a first-hand look at the many different corners of the food industry. Know someone who would make a great Food Informant? Tell us why.

Captain Jason Joyce is an eighth-generation resident of Swan's Island, Maine. He is a Coast Guard Licensed Captain and a registered Maine Tidewater Guide. He has done lobster and fish research with the University of Maine, the University of Massachusetts, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and the Lobster Institute. Joyce is currently doing a lot of work with the Penobscot East Resource Center, which works to secure a viable future for the fishing communities of eastern Maine. Each week, he records HD video of lobstering that he gives to restaurants to educate customers about sustainable lobster fisheries in Maine. Captain Joyce is married to his high school sweetheart and they have four children. Learn more about Captain Jason Joyce here.

Read his diary below to learn about the trials and tribulations of sustainable lobstering, why spiny dogfish are annoying and the importance of a good cup of coffee (Note: Dunkin' Donuts did not pay us or Captain Joyce for product placement!).

Monday, July 11
4am: Start the coffee—Dunkin' Donuts brand is the best.
5am: Sternman Leif Jacobson meets my daughter Amelia and I at the dock. We fire up the F/V ANDANAMRA for a day of lobstering.

5:15am: Buy bait—110 gallons of herring for $300. Eight years ago it was half the price.
5:30am: Buy fuel—50 gallons at $3.90 a gallon. It wasn't long ago that diesel was half the price as well.
6am: Pull first two traps, catch 20 lobsters, but return 18 undersized lobsters back to the ocean. We average keeping only one out of every 10 lobsters that visit the trap. The strict sustainable lobster conservation laws of Maine are working well.
10am: Finally have a crate (100 lb) of lobsters. Time for a cup of Dunkin' Donuts coffee, and a granola bar.
12pm: Still working on second crate. Listen to Eric Bibbs (blues man, I love his music) on Pandora through the boat's radio while devouring a ham sandwich.
3pm: Have three crates of lobsters and we are working on number four.
5pm: Amelia is filling baitbags and banding lobsters, Leif baits the traps and throws small and oversized lobsters back overboard. I do all the measuring to make sure the lobsters are legal. This has been done for 375 traps today, and that is enough. Time to head in and sell our catch.
5:30pm: We sell our catch with a lobster price of $3.80 per pound. Missing the $5 price we got before the recession, but thankful the price isn't $2.75 like is was a couple summers ago after the recession really kicked us.
6pm: Boats on mooring, and we are headed home. Long day, but a pretty one.
6:30pm: Say Grace, and have supper, time to socialize with the kids and hear about their day.
8pm: Time for bed.

Tuesday, July 12
5am: Dunkin' Donuts coffee, now thats the way to start the day.
6am: Begin routine maintenance day on the ANDANAMRA.
7am: I hate maintenance days, I get covered in grease and oil, and bang my head a dozen times.
8am: Leif shows up to do some wharf clean up. Lots of rope to coil, traps to stack.
12pm: Time for lunch, and a break from the engine room.
2pm: Fuel filters, oil and filters, and zincs all changed. Feels like I just ran a marathon. The engine room is 100 degrees.
2:15pm: Begin to load gear on boat for a sentinel fishery trip tomorrow.
5pm: Say Grace, and enjoy supper with my family. Thankful for the day to be winding down.
8pm: Cup of licorice spice tea, and off to bed.

Wednesday, July 13
3am: Dunkin' Donuts coffee.
4am: Meet Leif and Amanda (from Maine Department of Marine Resources) at dock. We load 4000 baited hooks on board and head out to find some groundfish (cod/haddock/hake/halibut).
6am: We set out the first trawl of 2000 hooks about 12 miles offshore on traditional fishing grounds that have been unproductive for 20+ years due to overfishing from the 1970s through the 1990s. These areas were very productive when there was a day-fishing fleet who fished only hooks, but as technology and the size of the boats in the fleet grew, the fish diminished closer to shore. This was a result of the utilization of monofilament gillnets, as well as faster and larger boats with advances in gear and electronics..
7am: The lines are all set, and now we are traveling 15 more miles to another location to set 2000 more hooks.
8:30am: Begin setting 2000 hooks.
9:30am: Hooks are all set, now we are steaming to Mount Desert Rock to jig (a shiny lure that catches sunlight) for some mackerel.
10:30am: Jigged up some pollack just for fun. Now headed back to one of the 2000 hook trawls.
11am: Turned on longline hauler (hydraulic driven set of stainless steel plates that grip the longline and retrieve the longline back into the boat. See here for more info.) and hydraulic fluid begins to come out of hauler motor. The seal is gone, and now I need to go to Billings Diesel and Marine Service in Stonington to install a new motor.
1pm: Arrive at Billings, they are the best. Repairs foreman Greg Sanborn sends machinist Dave Reese to help me replace the hydraulic motor. Dave grew up in Africa, the child of missionaries, and it is always good to visit with him. He has some great stories about living in Africa, and it helps take my mind off of all the time I am missing fishing today. Great guy.
3pm: Hauler is repaired! Headed back offshore to haul the first trawl of the day.
4pm: Arrive and haul first endline to the first trawl, and begin to haul in the hooks. Not much to see for the first 300 hooks, but we end up with seven undersized halibut that we weigh, measure and tag before releasing them in great shape. Hopefully these fish are caught later in life and the data collected will be beneficial to the species and fishery.

6pm: First trawl hauled. Headed to second 2000 hook trawl.
7pm: Arrive and haul second trawl, not much here. Dozens of Wrymouth eels, one small cod, one small haddock, four cusk, couple of spiny skates, and that about sums it up. All data is recorded. Most of my stipend that I receive from Penobscot East in this sentinel fishery will be put toward fuel costs today.
9pm: Hauled last hook aboard. Headed home. Leif and Amanda begin to remove otiliths (earbones of fish) from species of fish we kept, so the ages of the fish can be determined and kept with their other details (weight, length, location captured, depth of water, etc.) When otiliths are removed and dried, a special saw is used to cut them in half, and the age of the fish is determined by how many "rings" are visible. Similar to determining the age of a tree by its growth rings.

11pm: One mile outside Hockamock Head Light (Swan's Island lighthouse).
11:45pm: Home. Say Grace, eat chicken pot pie, then bed.

Thursday, July 14
6am: Dunkin' coffee.
7am: Meet Leif at dock, we are both tired, but are going lobstering today. Head to get bait and fuel. Pretty wiped out from yesterday.
8am: Not doing as well as Monday, lots of small hardshell lobsters that are too small to keep. Looks good for the future.
9am: Time for snack and a cup of coffee.
10am: First crate of lobsters, seems like it took forever.
12pm: Still on second crate, and break for lunch. That can of A&W root beer tastes great.
1pm: Start third crate of lobsters, feeling like we are not going to do very well today.
4pm: We are done and have three-and-a-half crates. Price is the same as Monday, as well as the same amount of expenses.

5pm: Boat is on the mooring and we are headed home. Going to bed early tonight.
6pm: Say Grace, enjoy visiting with my family.
8pm: Bed after a cup of tea.

Friday, July 15
5am: Dunkin' coffee.
6am: Meet Leif at dock, and head to get bait and fuel.
7am: Third pair of traps we hauled had seven keepers in it. This is looking to be a better day than yesterday.
12pm: We are flying through the gear and have almost five crates now, best day so far!
1pm: We sell, and the price is the same ($3.80), but expected to drop next week. Oh well, at least we have a job. Lots of folks on the mainland don't.
2pm: Leif and I load the boat with fishing gear for another sentinel fishing trip tomorrow as we look for a return of groundfish to the traditional fishing grounds in the inshore area (inside 50 miles from land).
3pm: Boat is loaded and put on the mooring. Headed home early to get to some extra shut-eye tonight.
5pm: Say Grace and enjoy supper and fellowship with my family. There is no better place than Swan's Island to live and raise a family.
6pm: Study charts to determine where we will set 4000 hooks tomorrow.
8pm: Licorice spice tea, then bed.

Saturday, July 16
3:15am: Dunkin' coffee.
4am: Meet Leif at dock to load baited trawls on boat.
6am: Set first trawl and let it set for one-and-a-half hours. Have a cup of coffee.
7:30am: Haul first trawl, and tag and release one halibut, and keep a legal sized halibut (43 inches, 32 lbs).
10:30am: Haul last hook aboard and head offshore another 14 miles.
11:30am: Set second 2000 hook trawl and let set for one-and-a-half hours.
12pm: Saw a fin on the surface and investigated. It is a mola-mola (ocean sunfish) about six feet long. Cool looking fish.

12:30pm: Bluefin tuna begin to jump out of water nearby during a slack-tide feeding frenzy on herring.
1pm: Begin to haul second trawl. This doesn't look fun, have caught 50 spiny dogfish so far and it doesn't look like there is an end to it.
6pm: Haul last hook aboard. Caught 501 spiny dogfish (all were released cause there is no market for them here), a few haddock and a few small hake.
9pm: Arrived in harbor, unloaded gear at dock so we will be ready to lobsterfish on monday.
10pm: Say Grace and visit with my family that's still awake.
11pm: Bed. Sleep in tomorrow.

Sunday, July 17
9am: Dunkin' coffee and loving it.
11am: Go to church, listened to a visiting missionary from Word of Life speak about the thousands of kids they are feeding in Guatemala. Good guy and a good cause.
12:30pm: Get home and have leftovers for lunch. Decide to go kayaking with my family.
3pm: The day could not be any prettier, we are paddling our way across mackerel cove on Swan's Island.
5pm: Back home.
5:30pm: Sit down for the evening meal, and thank God for the safety provided on the water this last week as well as all our blessings of which we are not worthy. Nothing is by chance, and I thank Him for that as well as asking him for guidance and protection in the week to come.
8pm: Head to bed, going to be another busy week.

Comments

[SBinF]

11:11 PM on 07/25/2011

I'm from the South but have spent the summer on the coast of Maine. It's so beautiful, and I have enjoyed the lobster. Nothing beats getting it from the source. There are traps everywhere in the harbor, and many restaurants apparently buy directly from the lobstermen. Here's hoping they can continue to make a decent living. Times have been tough for so many lately.

[PatBitton]

05:33 PM on 07/22/2011

An interesting read. Was not happy to see the long-lining piece, though. Were steps taken to prevent seabirds from getting tangled?

[Jan Kubik]

03:25 PM on 07/22/2011

Having visited Maine several times, my heart aches for the lobstermen (and women) when I think about the price they are paid for their catch. In this report it is $3.80 a pound, and regardless of the catch, Capt. Joyce also pays $300 for bait and almost $200 for fuel each day. On a good day, they may bring in 400 pounds. On a good day. Then there is maintenance of traps, days when the sea is too rough to head out, etc.
There are few professions where the yield (amount paid to the lobsterman) has remained so low for so many years.
And meanwhile in many cities like New York and Washington, DC, "cheap" restaurants offer lobster rolls for $19, while the white cloth restaurants in these same towns will charge $25 a pound for a lobster dinner. Granted, these establishments also have overhead to pay as well, but it nonetheless pains me to think that the tip often exceeds what the lobsterman was paid for his catch.
Now let us praise famous men.

[Just4theHalibut]

02:18 PM on 07/22/2011

I really enjoyed this little diary. The author reminds me of many of the nearshore fishermen in Alaska. I was wondering what was meant by "sentinel fishery" the link (highlited in blue) is broken. Interesting that he encountered so many spiny dogfish, they are becoming a problem in many Alaskan hook and line fisheries as well.

[dbrmn1]

01:31 PM on 07/22/2011

love Maine lobsters! I love being out on the water when the weather is agreeable but I don't envy those fisherman...tough life.

[eyelashviper]

01:12 PM on 07/22/2011

Oh, to be in Maine, on the water, now that Summer's here!!!
And a bit of lobster wouldn't be bad either.

[Jabandit]

01:03 PM on 07/22/2011

Is this just a clever Dunkin Donuts ad?

[KennebunkportIndependent]

01:17 PM on 07/22/2011

Dunkin Donuts is a basic food group for District 2 Mainers.

[Karl Wilder]

01:59 PM on 07/21/2011

I long for the days (before I was born) when lobster was considered a mud bug and very cheap. As part of my pledge to living on a food stamp budget until I do a benefit for the SF Food Bank (www.fusiononthefly) to follow. I can only dream of lobster.

[KennebunkportIndependent]

01:18 PM on 07/22/2011

Early 18th cent. Maine prisoners rioted because they were fed one food considered unfit for the genteel:  lobsters.

[geo999]

09:35 AM on 07/21/2011

I pulled pots for a couple of weeks for a friend who took a long overdue vacation.
It was an education, to say the least.
I have a lot of respect for the guys in the boats.

[KennebunkportIndependent]

01:18 PM on 07/22/2011

Try it in January when it is dark, freezing cold, and snowing.

[squiems]

02:43 PM on 07/22/2011

I can only imagine. I can never remember being more miserable than getting freezing rain and wind at 3am on a little boat in February. But that was off the mid-atlantic.

[ColinMontyPowel]

09:29 AM on 07/21/2011

I think this article was planted by the demons at Dunkin Donuts and Red Lobster. AOL PLS INVESTIGATE =P

[george sterpka]

09:10 AM on 07/21/2011

I'll think of this guy the next time I tuck into a $30.00+ lobster dinner. I hope everybody realizes lobstermen provide a delicacy, not one of the basic food groups. Same of the King Crab fishermen/TV stars. We don't NEED these types of seafoods.

[ColinMontyPowel]

09:16 AM on 07/21/2011

What are you a demon? I NEED these seafoods.

[NHBill]

11:35 AM on 07/21/2011

Lobster should never be eaten at Fancy restaurants.
You eat it outside on a picnic table wearing a T-Shirt.
Preferably with hand crafted beer and some steamers.

[Jabandit]

01:04 PM on 07/22/2011

agreed

[KennebunkportIndependent]

01:19 PM on 07/22/2011

Ayuh.  Overlooking Casco Bay or Cape Porpoise.

[tburke1932]

08:56 AM on 07/21/2011

I have been there and you can hardly make a living. The captain like many others believe the mythe that overfishing is what depleated the resource. It was not the problem. Draggers were and are the problem. Their equipment cleans and polishes the bottom so it looks like a moonscape. There is nowhere for baby fish to hide or grow up. All the vegetation, nooks and crannies are gone. The government bought a lot of boats out of service. They should pay these boats to plow up the bottom so vegetation will grow and there will be nooks and crannies. Stop the bottom draggers and only allow fishing long line for bottom fish. The fish reproduce by the thousands so they would soon repopulate.

[decat2]

09:56 AM on 07/21/2011

Not to mention the fact that draggers kill,thousands of lobsters,after they are killed you, by law have to throw the remains back.Talk about waste.And as far as fish being part of lobsters diet,yes to some degree,but a lobsters favorite meal is another, smaller lobster.I happen to have a Masters in marine biology,and run traps for 20 yrs.I also have worked for the Dept of Marine rescourses here in Maine,as well as the University of Maine where we developed methods of farming oysters on the Damariscotta river during the '70s.There isn't anything glamorous about trying to make a living fishing these days,and that is a fact.

[Democrab]

01:39 PM on 07/22/2011

The elimination of the two trap license would go a long way in rejuvinating this depleted industry.

[dylan sheehan]

08:52 AM on 07/21/2011

Jesus, is this guy boring. How can you write hundreds of words and no say anything the slightest bit interesting or funny. These religious types really are a drag.

[geo999]

09:30 AM on 07/21/2011

Lobster fishing is not an excitement filled activity.

Interesting that you stereotype and denigrate the guy simply because he says grace before dinner with his family - tells me I'd rather know him than you.

[CapsFan1988]

09:33 AM on 07/21/2011

I thought this article was interesting, and I'm sure other people also enjoyed this article. What do you do that is a million times more interesting then this guy? he works hard, makes an honest living, and seems to be a good family man. I spent a lot of time in Maine/Nova Scotia/ New Brunswick during the summer in my childhood/teenage years, and these people are hard workers and there really isn't much other industry in a lot of these places.

[shhurtjr]

07:45 AM on 07/21/2011

Free enterprize at work here. Everybody else, get out of the way.

[champagne charlie]

07:09 AM on 07/21/2011

Lobsterman was my favorite super hero as a child.