The plight of the Maine lobsterman.
March 12, 2010 3:36 PM Subscribe
After more than ten hours of deliberation, Vance Bunker, along with his daughter Janan Miller, were found not guilty. The result of last summer's so called "lobster wars".
Maine lobstermen are a real... rough bunch. Most of those guys have a gun around at any given time. It's hard for people from the city to comprehend just how rough they are.
Like, for a while they were having trouble getting a clam warden because clam wardens kept on getting their cars burned. There was a guy down in Stonington who mysteriously came back to port minus a black guy who he'd gone out with. Nothing could be proven but he had to leave town.
posted by dunkadunc at 4:06 PM on March 12, 2010
Like, for a while they were having trouble getting a clam warden because clam wardens kept on getting their cars burned. There was a guy down in Stonington who mysteriously came back to port minus a black guy who he'd gone out with. Nothing could be proven but he had to leave town.
posted by dunkadunc at 4:06 PM on March 12, 2010
These 'lobster wars' have been going on for some time. Linda Greenlaw writes about them in one of her books: The Lobster Chronicles.
TIME magazine (July 2, 1973): NEW ENGLAND: Lobster War
The Great Lobster War (of 1956).
posted by ericb at 4:10 PM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
TIME magazine (July 2, 1973): NEW ENGLAND: Lobster War
The Great Lobster War (of 1956).
posted by ericb at 4:10 PM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
These lobsters are worthy of our consideration.
posted by mecran01 at 5:08 PM on March 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by mecran01 at 5:08 PM on March 12, 2010 [4 favorites]
For anyone interested in further reading: we used The Lobster Gangs of Maine as a jumping-off point for this subject in my class on maritime anthropology. The escalating hostilities used to self-police and punish (perceived) infractions on territorial lines is absolutely fascinating.
posted by Elsa at 5:09 PM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Elsa at 5:09 PM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
That's funny, Elsa: I've had James Acheson as a professor numerous times. If there's anyone who deserves to be called the world expert on lobster wars, he would be the guy.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:19 PM on March 12, 2010
posted by dunkadunc at 5:19 PM on March 12, 2010
Maine is has an inordinate (for the Northeast) number of idiots in it. Find twelve Mainers ignorant enough to be allowed to sit on a jury and mentally they'll have the collective wattage of a broken nightlight.
In Maine, you're pretty much allowed to walk into someone's yard and shoot them if they wear white mittens during hunting season.
posted by Mayor Curley at 5:44 PM on March 12, 2010 [8 favorites]
In Maine, you're pretty much allowed to walk into someone's yard and shoot them if they wear white mittens during hunting season.
posted by Mayor Curley at 5:44 PM on March 12, 2010 [8 favorites]
This is an interesting end to a really fascinating story, and you've presented much better sources than the boston.com article I read earlier today.
The law of New England fishermen/lobsterers/etc. is fascinating to me, especially when looking at what is unwritten. I've dabbled around its edges fishing recreationally in the North Shore/Cape Ann area and talked a great deal to those in the area, particularly Gloucester, who make their living at sea. It's a community that is tight-knit beyond belief, and yet each clan or crew is so secretive around the others regarding matters of advantage in making the catch. Really fascinating stuff.
Thanks for the post.
posted by rollbiz at 5:45 PM on March 12, 2010
The law of New England fishermen/lobsterers/etc. is fascinating to me, especially when looking at what is unwritten. I've dabbled around its edges fishing recreationally in the North Shore/Cape Ann area and talked a great deal to those in the area, particularly Gloucester, who make their living at sea. It's a community that is tight-knit beyond belief, and yet each clan or crew is so secretive around the others regarding matters of advantage in making the catch. Really fascinating stuff.
Thanks for the post.
posted by rollbiz at 5:45 PM on March 12, 2010
Maine is has an inordinate (for the Northeast) number of idiots in it. Find twelve Mainers ignorant enough to be allowed to sit on a jury and mentally they'll have the collective wattage of a broken nightlight.
Ugh, Mayor Curley, why do you always have to show up in these New England threads to throw your idiotic bullshit into the mix? Do you have anything to add to the discussion, like, ever?
Why don't you offer something remotely useful, like why you think that the decision was wrong?
posted by rollbiz at 5:49 PM on March 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
Ugh, Mayor Curley, why do you always have to show up in these New England threads to throw your idiotic bullshit into the mix? Do you have anything to add to the discussion, like, ever?
Why don't you offer something remotely useful, like why you think that the decision was wrong?
posted by rollbiz at 5:49 PM on March 12, 2010 [7 favorites]
What my brother The Mayor said, times ten. There's stupid, and then there's MAINE stupid. This is pretty ordinary stuff for a state full of people that are 48% inbred.
posted by briank at 5:53 PM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by briank at 5:53 PM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
If there's anyone who deserves to be called the world expert on lobster wars, [Acheson] would be the guy.
Exactly! I ended up doing a project focusing on the social mechanics of the escalations of lobster gang hostilities, and rapidly came to see that Acheson was the go-to guy on the subject. Happily, he can actually write, which made his research doubly pleasing to read.
posted by Elsa at 6:11 PM on March 12, 2010
Exactly! I ended up doing a project focusing on the social mechanics of the escalations of lobster gang hostilities, and rapidly came to see that Acheson was the go-to guy on the subject. Happily, he can actually write, which made his research doubly pleasing to read.
posted by Elsa at 6:11 PM on March 12, 2010
Ugh, Mayor Curley, why do you always have to show up in these New England threads to throw your idiotic bullshit into the mix? Do you have anything to add to the discussion, like, ever?
I think reminding people of the existence of Karen Woods and Maine's history of "why bother having a trial?" added more to the discussion than your "Mayor Curley, you suck."
Are you from Maine or something? Because I am.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:12 PM on March 12, 2010
I think reminding people of the existence of Karen Woods and Maine's history of "why bother having a trial?" added more to the discussion than your "Mayor Curley, you suck."
Are you from Maine or something? Because I am.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:12 PM on March 12, 2010
I've taken the derail to MeTa, why don't you follow for the sake of this post?
posted by rollbiz at 6:16 PM on March 12, 2010
posted by rollbiz at 6:16 PM on March 12, 2010
I for one found the story Mayor Curly referred to interesting
In letters and guest editorials to the Bangor Daily News, though many sympathized with Karen, some readers took issue with the fact that she was wearing white mittens, and why wasn't she wearing blaze orange, as anyone who lives in Maine knows well enough to do during hunting season?
!!!
posted by melissam at 6:26 PM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
In letters and guest editorials to the Bangor Daily News, though many sympathized with Karen, some readers took issue with the fact that she was wearing white mittens, and why wasn't she wearing blaze orange, as anyone who lives in Maine knows well enough to do during hunting season?
!!!
posted by melissam at 6:26 PM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Well, that's the thing, melissam. It's a state where human life is secondary to traditional pursuits. So it's no wonder that someone can get acquitted after taking the law into their own hands when it concerns defending traps.
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:41 PM on March 12, 2010
posted by Mayor Curley at 6:41 PM on March 12, 2010
Interesting that the tags don't include the name of the island. I've stayed out there a number of times, and have met one of the people involved. But I'm not orginally from Maine, so I don't really count in this inbred/idiot/mother/MeTa thing.
posted by JanetLand at 6:47 PM on March 12, 2010
posted by JanetLand at 6:47 PM on March 12, 2010
It's a state where human life is secondary to traditional pursuits.
This makes Maine special how, exactly?
posted by rtha at 6:53 PM on March 12, 2010
This makes Maine special how, exactly?
posted by rtha at 6:53 PM on March 12, 2010
[here's a followup article on the Karen Woods murder, 20 years later: an interview with the shooter.]
posted by availablelight at 7:22 PM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by availablelight at 7:22 PM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]
Clearly, these people were fighting for a reality TV cameo on the Discovery Channel.
posted by markkraft at 8:35 PM on March 12, 2010
posted by markkraft at 8:35 PM on March 12, 2010
A different view of Vance Bunker.
A different kind of Maine islands lobstering story - be sure to watch the video also, upper right on the linked page (I really hope the business in the linked article, the Calendar Islands Lobster Company makes a go of it.)
posted by gudrun at 11:58 PM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
A different kind of Maine islands lobstering story - be sure to watch the video also, upper right on the linked page (I really hope the business in the linked article, the Calendar Islands Lobster Company makes a go of it.)
posted by gudrun at 11:58 PM on March 12, 2010 [2 favorites]
A different kind of Maine islands lobstering story...
Yeah, some lobsterman are indeed getting creative in their sales/marketing directly to consumers: you can "buy" your own lobster trap on a Maine lobster boat, and the fishermen promise to send you everything your trap catches in the course of the year. You can also track your trap online. As well, there are numerous "Lobster of the Month" clubs operating in Maine.
posted by ericb at 6:58 AM on March 13, 2010
Yeah, some lobsterman are indeed getting creative in their sales/marketing directly to consumers: you can "buy" your own lobster trap on a Maine lobster boat, and the fishermen promise to send you everything your trap catches in the course of the year. You can also track your trap online. As well, there are numerous "Lobster of the Month" clubs operating in Maine.
posted by ericb at 6:58 AM on March 13, 2010
I would definitely join a lobster CSA...
posted by melissam at 7:47 AM on March 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by melissam at 7:47 AM on March 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Availablelight, that interview with the shooter is amazing. Thank you for casting the light of 20 yars perspective into the thread. A tragedy all around, it seems
posted by SLC Mom at 9:54 AM on March 13, 2010
posted by SLC Mom at 9:54 AM on March 13, 2010
I thought gudrun's "A different view of Vance Bunker" link was a really amazing story, myself.
posted by bitter-girl.com at 10:00 AM on March 13, 2010
posted by bitter-girl.com at 10:00 AM on March 13, 2010
After ruminating about this topic a bit, I've come back to add some links. The Island Institute has been doing good work for a long time on behalf of Maine Island communities like Matinicus. Their Working Waterfront newspaper is something I always read when I go to the Casco Bay area. They've also got some interesting reports available online. Check out, among other things, the 40 Year History of Island Economic Development, that is one of the links available here under Publications & Resources.
posted by gudrun at 12:24 PM on March 13, 2010
posted by gudrun at 12:24 PM on March 13, 2010
I'm from Chebeague Island and I just wanted to pop in and thank the person who linked Calendar Island Lobster Company. My mom helped start it and it's a really awesome endeavor to get Maine lobsters branded as such. It ensures the lobster-men and -women within the US get better compensation for their efforts and thus can remain a part of a long-standing Maine tradition.
posted by nursegracer at 10:50 PM on March 14, 2010
posted by nursegracer at 10:50 PM on March 14, 2010
everything your trap catches in the course of the year.
Everything? You'll be getting a lot of crabs in the mail. Not like crab isn't good.
posted by dunkadunc at 11:05 PM on March 14, 2010
Everything? You'll be getting a lot of crabs in the mail. Not like crab isn't good.
posted by dunkadunc at 11:05 PM on March 14, 2010
melissam: I would definitely join a lobster CSA...
SeaSA!
posted by frecklefaerie at 8:18 AM on March 15, 2010
SeaSA!
posted by frecklefaerie at 8:18 AM on March 15, 2010
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"You missed, you dumb bastard," Ames cried out, another lobsterman testified.
Hit me in the head next time, dumbass!
posted by sallybrown at 3:45 PM on March 12, 2010 [1 favorite]