Lobstering & The Maine Coast

Much has changed in Maine’s lobstering industry in the last three decades, yet it remains a colorful and central part of both the coastal landscape and Maine's fishing economy. In this major permanent exhibit, family-friendly interactives and technology allow visitors to explore lobster biology and ecology, boats and engines, and modern traps and processing equipment. A century of changes in lobster boat design is documented by examples from our historical working watercraft collection. The exhibit also portrays the increasingly complex roles of the modern lobsterman as harvester/scientist/business person, and the savvy needed to transport, market, and profit from a perishable seafood. With expertise from the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, University of Maine's Darling Marine Center, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and others, the installation opened July 26, 2015.

One of the most unique components of the exhibit is a display of buoys donated by lobstermen from up and down the coast. Using touch-screen kiosks, visitors can view photos and information correlating to each buoy, including the lobsterman’s name, location, boat name, and in some cases, personal stories gleaned from life on the water. The buoys—and the stories of the men and women who fish with them—will continue to be added to beyond the exhibit opening as an ongoing documentation of the lobster fishery.

Exhibit Content Themes

Lobster, a story of the way we eat—blending history, technology, economics, and marketing

• Life of the Lobster: Lobster 101 on anatomy and ecology

• From Maine to the World: The shipment and processing of lobsters

• Trap to Table: Lobster foodways in the Pine Tree State

• Lobstering Gear: All about traps and the evolution of fishing methods

• Lobster Boats: History of Maine lobster boats

 

Leading Supporters

Anonymous

Bar Harbor Lobster/Boston Lobster Feast

Davis Family Foundation

The Family of Lobsterman William E. Gatchell

The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust

Bill and Mary Earl Rogers

Cozy Harbor Seafood

East Coast Seafood/Maine Fair Trade Lobster

Greenhead Lobster

Hamilton Marine

Maine Coast

Machias Savings Bank

Maine Sea Grant College Program at the University of Maine

Friends of the Exhibit

John, Elizabeth, Louis & Kelly Frumer

Inland’s Seafood

Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative

Red’s Eats