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Information
Until
the early 1800s, lobstering was done by gathering them
by hand along the shoreline. Lobstering as a trap fishery
came into existence in Maine around 1850. Today Maine
is the largest lobster-producing state in the nation.
Though the number of lobstermen has increased dramatically,
the amount of lobsters caught has remained relatively
steady. In 1892, 2600 people in the Maine lobster fishery
caught 7,983 metric tons; in 1989, 6300 Maine lobstermen
landed 10,600 metric tons of lobster. Smackmen first
appeared in Maine in the 1820s because of increased
demand for lobsters from the New York and Boston markets.
Smackmen were named after their boats, a well smack.
Smacks were small sailing vessels with a tank inside
the boat that had holes drilled into it to allow sea
water to circulate. The smacks were used to transport
live lobsters over long distances.
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