Lobster Links

The premise behind the LobsterTales project, the brainchild of the Island Institute, is simple: It is to show consumers, who may buy a Maine lobster at a Wal-Mart in Wisconsin, that lobsters come from real communities, not an anonymous wholesaler or idealized fishing village of yesteryear. The benefits, however, could be far-reaching for an industry that is readily identified with Maine. People around the world are fascinated by Maine’s most famous crustacean. Capitalizing on that intrigue will benefit not only lobstermen, but the entire state.

The lobstermen who participate in the project put bands on their catch with an identifying number, the words “Who Caught Me?” and a Web address. On the Web site those who have the lobster can find out where it came from and who caught it. They are reminded that Vinalhaven, the first community to participate in the program, is a real place where real people try to make a living and go to school. Profiles of the eight lobstermen now taking part in the project are also posted. So far, about 1,000 consumers have logged onto the site.

The idea is that the people who ultimately buy the lobsters can learn more about the men (so far all the participants are male) who caught their meal and they’ll also get to know more about the coastal communities that were built on fishing. Perhaps myths of fishermen as reckless depleters of the ocean can be dismissed as lobstermen themselves explain the conservation measures they use. Who knows, maybe some people will even be enticed to come to Maine to enjoy its coast and other natural resources first hand.

The program also has many benefits for the residents of Vinalhaven. By tracking where lobsters end up (one recently was eaten at a resort on a South Pacific island), lobstermen and community members can better appreciate that their small island is part of a huge global economy. For the island’s schoolchildren, lessons in geography, mapping and commerce have already emerged from the project, which began in November. More complex studies of logistics, economics and ethnography are envisioned.

If its search for funding is successful, the Island Institute plans to expand the project to Islesford this fall and to other towns along the coast in the future. “By buying our lobsters, they’re sustaining our way of life,” Bobby Warren, who has lobstered for 49 years, told The New York Times.

It is a message worth spreading.