A woman and her lobsters

By Anne Tremblay
HippoPress.com

"The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island," by Linda Greenlaw, 2002, Hyperion, 238 pages.

There is something romantic about a Maine lobster boat on its mooring as the sun rises or sets. During the hours between, the captain is out on the vast ocean, the wind tossing sea spray in his face as he empties one lobster trap after another. It's hard, lonely work, and not always rewarding. It's a straightforward way of life, lived mostly by men. But lobstering isn't men-only.

Linda Greenlaw is well known for her part in the true story of the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing boat lost during "The Perfect Storm." In 1999, Greenlaw detailed her life as a swordboat captain in her first book, "The Hungry Ocean." She has since quit swordfishing and is living near her family on Isle Au Haut (pronounced i-la-HOE) in Penobscot Bay, Maine, making a living as captain of her lobster boat, Mattie Belle. "The Lobster Chronicles" is about her first year there.

Greenlaw isn't crazy about lobstering (it isn't nearly as adventurous as swordfishing), but she is determined to make a go at it.

In general, lobstering is less rewarding than it used to be. The ocean is overrun with generational lobster families and those trying to make quick money the high-tech way. Meanwhile, ocean warming is causing a decrease in the lobster population.

The influx of new trappers has led to "gear wars" in which rivals destroy each other's gear. Lines connecting buoys to traps are cut and traps are lost. Greenlaw helps her island avoid a gear war, but it's hard for her to hold back when she sees her traps and others encroached upon.

A lobsterman risks a lot of money at the beginning of each season to pay for a license, gear and boat maintenance. Money is made only when lobsters are caught and delivered for compensation. In "The Lobster Chronicles," Greenlaw describes a very lean first year.

Greenlaw's writing is no-nonsense and generally enjoyable. Each chapter is a short essay. Greenlaw details the exhausting physical effort of preparing 500 traps for use. She shares inside information on island life-slow-paced, by most standards. She also discusses the history of the island and the evolution of lobsters.

"The Lobster Chronicles" is the first half of a two-book deal for Greenlaw. She will start work on part two in November.

Anne Tremblay can be reached at hippo@hippopress.com