You never know

If there’s one thing for sure in the lobster business, it’s that you never know what’s going to happen next. Every year it’s a different story – no two years are alike.

You’d never know it’s the fifth of August, supposedly in the height of lobster season, when there’s hardly a crate line to be seen. The dealers’ holding bights should be packed full of crates of shedders by now, with truckloads getting on the ferry two or three times a week. But they’re not. It’s unheard of for shedders to be so late. And not very handy on the pocketbook either.

You never know about the weather; there is no predicting from year to year what the weather may do. So far this year it’s been a stormy, snowy winter; a blowy, rainy spring and a chilly, foggy summer. None of which is great lobstering.

Spring, such as it was, was three or four weeks late for growing things – and maybe living things as well, like lobsters. Maybe we’re in for a long, warm fall. That would be nice – and helpful. On the other hand it might blow a gale all fall, with a hurricane or two thrown in and then bury us up again in winter. You just never know.

You never know when you might not get bait. The dealers do their damnedest to keep their boats in bait, but sometimes they can’t find it for a day or two (lucky it’s not longer than that) – quite frustrating in the shedder season. You can’t lobster without bait. If you can’t go when the going is good, it’s bad. There’s no making up lost days now next January or February.

You never know what the price of lobsters is going to be from one day to the next. When they’re scarce, like now, the price goes up. Great price for shedders, if you can catch any. The minute you do catch a lot of them, the price drops substantially, and suddenly, so there’s no depending on that.

You never know what costly rules and regulations are going to get sprung on you next. Cost of a license has gone from $50 in the old days to $424.50 today (Class II). You have to have tags for every trap, new innovations like breakaways and all kinds of safety equipment, all costing hundreds, and thousands, of dollars.

You never know exactly where the lobsters are going to be from year to year. Last year’s sweet spot could be sour this year. It takes years of experience to second-guess a lobster. Even then, they can surprise you. Like now.

With all this never knowing, you’ve got to wonder that lobstermen are still around. Not too many people can tolerate this precarious lifestyle. There are bills to be paid, after all, and bills don’t stop when lobstering does.

When all is said and done, you’ve got to surmise that never knowing is what lobstermen thrive on. The challenge of beating the odds. The anticipating of getting those big hauls when everything comes right – which does happen. You can finally pay off the boat, or the new truck, or take your first vacation in 20 years.

Fortunately there are hundreds of lobstermen and none of them would give it up, never mind never knowing.