Mac’s Seafood bought the Lobster Trap in Bourne and its three associated wharfs in Maine in 2022. Here is a view of Buck’s Harbor in Machiasport. The other wharves are in Stueben and Addison.
If you spend any time down at the Chatham Fish Pier, or other ports across the Cape, you may see different lobster companies come down to pick up the catch of individual fishermen. In Maine the scene can be quite different. Oftentimes dozens of boats have a relationship with a wharf who they sell to directly, and then fill up on bait and fuel. When Mac’s Seafood bought the Lobster Trap in Bourne they acquired three of these wharves. Check out this gallery to get a glimpse of how they work.
The entrance to the Lobster Trap in Machiasport, Maine is cleverly marked.
On a windy winter day F/V Dawn Marie was one of only a few boats that went out, the wharf in Machiasport works with 60 boats.
On a busy day in the summer, Machiasport can bring in tens of thousands of pounds of lobster.
Landed lobsters are weighed, put in crates, and sent down the shoot into the water below. They are then hoisted up the side of the building.
The Lobster Trap crew in Machiasport makes quick work of lobsters that come in. They are sorted in minutes.
After lobsters enter the building, they are put in tanks for rest and relaxation before they move to their next destination.
Lobstermen can land wherever they like, but the simplicity of the sale, as well as the supply of bait and fuel, make working with the Lobster Trap appealing.
If you work with lots of lobsters you need a lot of crates.
After unloading, Dawn Marie heads to her mooring.