— Jessica Scranton, Photographer
04 Lobstering
There have been ups and downs with the lobstering off Cape Ann, but the lobsters have kept coming, and I’ve made a living every year. Today I still wouldn’t trade lobstering for any other job in the world, and if I had to do my life all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. In what other occupation can one simultaneously earn a living, be one’s own boss, work close to nature and be in sync with her rhythms and seasons, experience solitude (most of the time), and also get fresh air, exercise, and your own seafood?”
Gloucester is Massachusetts’ leading port for lobster landings.
In his 2006 book, lobsterman Peter Prybot explained his love of the sea and of his profession:
“Although lobstering has largely consumed my life since age 12 and nearly taken it at least once,’’ he said, “it’s also given me a livelihood, a hands-on education, a defined and meaningful purpose in life, a unique sense of freedom and pride and a job that I wouldn’t trade for the world.’’
Prybot’s books on the fishing industry and an interview by John Ronan are available at the Sawyer Free Library. Plan a visit to Maritime Gloucester at 23 Harbor Loop to hold a Lobster and maybe see a unique blue one.
Harvesting Lobsters Today (1:07)
Joey Ciaramitaro, Wholesale Lobster Dealer Captain Joe and Sons, Founding Editor www.goodmorninggloucester.org
Brightly colored buoys with unique color combinations identify an individual lobsterman’s traps. Although lobstering is prohibited in the inner harbor, you can spot these buoys along Gloucester’s shoreline.
Lobsters for Hollywood 1945
Lobsters for Hollywood 1945
B. Anthony Stewart. Photograph. 1945. National Geographic
Consolidated Lobster Co of Gloucester stores huge numbers of crustaceans in tanks through which 8,000,000 gallons of sea water circulate daily.
