FRIENDSHIP, Maine — The sinking of two lobster boats is rekindling memories of hostilities among lobstermen three years ago that led to a near-fatal shooting, boats being sunk and a barrage of lobster trap vandalism along Maine’s lobster-rich coast.
Someone this week sabotaged two lobster boats, allowing them to drift free and flood with water before washing ashore in this postcard-pretty harbor. The dispute has shone a light on the unwritten rules of the sea, where fishermen often take matters into their own hands to settle grudges.
Lobstermen for generations have cut trap lines and shouted threats to settle differences over who can set their traps where. In more extreme instances, they’ve been known to ram boats and fire warning shots into the air.
The vandalism crossed the line late Monday night, when the 28-foot Lobstah Taxi and the 35-foot Fantaseas were sunk. Only a portion of the larger boat’s cabin was above water when it was found Tuesday morning on an island outside the harbor. The smaller boat was found on a mainland beach, but escaped serious damage.
Investigators don’t know if the attacks were the result of a personal vendetta or a territorial feud. At the least, they’ve brought unwanted attention to this fishing community 75 miles northeast of Portland.
“It’s sad, awful sad,” said lobsterman Doug Simmons, 60, as he worked on his gear Thursday in preparation for setting his traps in the coming weeks. “It’s cost people a lot of money.”
The boats were owned by Gary Jones and his 15-year-old son, Logan, who live in the neighboring town of Cushing, said Marine Patrol Sgt. Rene Cloutier, who is investigating with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Coast Guard.
“There’s nothing that says this is a territorial thing,” Cloutier said. “It could be, but nothing points that way now.”
Gary Jones has been on the receiving end of vandalism before. In 2009, another Cushing lobsterman was charged with cutting 22 of his lobster buoys. At the time, Jones said trap and gear vandalism had cost him nearly $10,000 over three years.
Gary Jones’ wife, Tina Jones, said she and her husband aren’t commenting on this week’s incident, adding that her husband and son are hard-working fishermen.
“People are looking at us and thinking if that happened to us we must be bad-assed people,” she said.
This week’s boat sinkings are bringing back memories of 2009, when hostilities especially were in high gear.
On remote Matinicus Island, 20 miles offshore, a lobsterman fired a handgun at two fellow lobstermen, hitting one in the neck in a near-fatal dispute over lobster traps. A jury later found Vance Bunker not guilty of elevated aggravated assault.
Two weeks after the shooting, someone sank two lobster boats and damaged a third in Owls Head, another midcoast fishing harbor. Throughout the summer, police investigated a rash of complaints about lobster trap lines being cut, resulting in lost lobster gear.
Last year was relatively calm, but the sinkings in Friendship are raising questions about whether this coming summer will be heated.
For now, there aren’t any indicators that tensions are ready to erupt, “knock on wood,” said Marine Patrol Maj. Alan Talbot.
“Hopefully it’s just a random thing,” he said. “But who knows what’s to come.”
Gary Jones’ boat was taken to a boatyard in Owls Head for repairs. His son’s boat sits on boat jacks at Lash Boatyard in Friendship.
Lobstermen in town are a reticent bunch, but they’ll tell you they think the perpetrator was from somewhere other than Friendship. The Joneses are from Cushing and don’t even fish the waters off Friendship, they say.
“You might be able to say this was a Friendship thing if he fished here — but he don’t,” said lobsterman Kendall Delano as he sanded his trap buoys in a waterfront building.
Wesley Lash, who works for his father at the boatyard, said the sinkings don’t reflect well on this sleepy town, which has about 1,200 residents, just a single store and not even a traffic light.
“It gives Friendship a bad name,” he said. “People’ll say Friendship, that doesn’t sound like a friendly place.”
Lash’s father, also named Wesley, said there have been feuds as long as there’s been a lobster industry.
“You go from Portsmouth (N.H.) to Eastport and it’s the same thing,” he said.
Still, Friendship gets its share of feuding.
Simmons remembers years ago when somebody slammed a crowbar through the hull of another boat, causing it to sink. This past winter, somebody fired a shot from a high-powered rifle into the hull of a lobster boat, Cloutier said. The shooting is under investigation.
“It happened late at night, nobody saw anything and Friendship is a pretty tight-lipped community,” he said.
Until the DNR gets off there rears and starts taking the licenses of those who think they “own” a certain patch of water because there family has been fishing there for x number of years it will continue. If you have a license and you drop your traps then until you remove them that is your spot. Of course people can drops there trap right next to yours if they wish.
Friggin idjits that did this oughta be bullwhipped.
Keel hauled is better.
I love the mentality that this is just part of the lobster business. The police investigate, but it has a decidedly “boys will be boys” feel. What crap.
Mm. It’s an AP story. They are pandering to the misconceptions of a national audience, and it is just plain lazy journalism. They would love to believe that lobstermen are standing out there on their boats, shotguns at the ready, spoiling for a knock-down good ole boy fight over their lobstah traps (see above – good one, Jack Knoph!).
Time for law and order. Bust these Pirates, prosecute them, throw them in jail, and take away their fishing licenses for a minimum of 20 years. So tired of the so called Lobster men who think the Ocean is theirs and theirs only. These so called fishermen are criminals and thugs so don’t excuse them as part of the lobster business. If these criminals can commit crimes in the name of their business then the State of Maine needs to enforce the LAW and end this racketeering. Maybe the Feds should investigate the Maine Marine Patrol who seem to look the other way from this criminal activity and racketeering.
Woke up again this morning with you hair on fire, Knighty?
You bet. These are criminals not fishermen. What next from these thugs? Drive by shootings, boat arson, snipers on the boats? There are laws against racketeering to protect the public from criminal Gang Bangers and these thugs have crossed the line from fishermen to Gang Banger Thugs.
It is so naive of the marine patrol to say that nothing points to a territorial dispute. This undoubtedly has to do with territoriality and who has the right to fish. It’s crazy how lawless lobstering is, and how many people view trap cutting and other vandalism as acceptable practice. They say it is just part of the business, and some even say it helps preserve the resource. Well I say It helps preserve a mentality of entitlement to those who do the trap cutting; they think that they own the ocean and get to decide who’s allowed to fish, rather than respect the law. What if someone opened up a new competing car dealership in town, would people go and vandalize their new cars? No of course they wouldn’t, that would be wrong. Well fishing shouldn’t
be any different.
The trouble is that the marine patrol do nothing, so no one is afraid of them, so vandalism goes on rampant. Until the state steps up their game and starts actually enforcing laws, this will continue to go on. I hope these fishermen do get caught and thrown in jail, and their licenses revoked permanently.
And knightscross those things you mentioned like shootings and arson do indeed happen. actually in this same town. Google Lobster trap arson
In my opinion the notion of entitlement by many that fish is at the heart of the issue.
I covered this in previous comments in the Bangor Daily News on the same
subject so I won’t belabor the point”
http://bangor-launch.newspackstaging.com/2012/05/08/news/midcoast/police-probe-sinking-of-two-lobster-boats/?ref=relatedBox
The limited entry into the business and the lack of an equitable formula
for those not born into the industry has created a sentiment of entitlement and an attitude that we own this resource and not the people of Maine. Even under the present system of entry into the business which is clearly a case of
restraint of trade the waiting lists are kept unduly long due to the Latent tags
that retired lobstermen refuse to give even though they have no intension of
lobstering. If they are not going to fish they should be forced to give up their
tags to make room for those trying to make a living and fish without waiting on lists that are now as long as 10-15 years.
I might add that Hardtellins comments:
“The problems on the water are relatively isolated when compared to the
number of fishermen there are”
Are not true. In many Maine harbors trap cutting is rampant. Tens of thousands of traps are cut every summer. The losses collectively to the industry in pounds fished and sold must be stagering. Its such a foolish waste of resources and manpower.
I am afraid the the comments of Maine guide:
“It’ll cost lots less to let them settle this among themselves-and they
will”
Just hasn’t worked.
I agree with much of what you said, but you’re over exaggerating when you say, “Tens of thousands of traps are cut every summer.” If you can document that figure, or something close to it, I’ll eat my words. The only thing I’ll concede here is that it is worse in some harbors than in others.
As far as the latent tag issue is concerned, you can thank, in large part, former DMR Commissioner Robin Alden. The trap tag program came to life under her watch. She said that the tag system would never be used against a fisherman, but some fishermen found out the hard way that this wasn’t exactly true when they only ordered the amount of tags they needed for that year, and then when they wanted to grow by more than 100 traps the following year, they couldn’t, or if they weren’t going to fish one year, they are forced to order tags, and most will order the max amount they qualify for. So I don’t blame guys for holding onto “latent” tags. They know they can’t trust the state and the end result is that it hurts somebody on the waiting list. The state created an arms race mentality when they instituted trap tags and trap limits. I know guys who were/are fishing 500 – 600 traps, but order the full 800 for fear that if the trap limit is reduced, the only way to continue fishing 500 – 600 is by ordering more than they need. So not only do I blame the state, but the Maine Lobstermen’s Association for driving this policy. They have the “I’ve got mine and screw everybody else except my son and grandson” attitude. Also, in the past, fishermen could easily participate in several fisheries without the fear of losing that right/ability if they chose not to participate in a particular fishery one year. Different fishing organizations, with the state’s blessing, have forced guys into putting most of their eggs in one basket like lobstering. Without that flexibility, a couple of poor back to back seasons could really hurt a guy. I may not be completely right, but I know I’m not completely wrong.
I think you make some good points hardtellin. The previous poster’s claim of tens of thousands does sound high, but when you think about all the fishing ground along the whole coast, and how many of those grounds have bad trap cutting, I think the number is easily at least 5,000, but possibly 10,000 or even more. Either way it is a lot of gear and expense.
I agree with your statements about latent tags. I too know of people who order way more tags than they need for fear of the laws changing in the future based on previous tags held or whatnot. I think “arms race” is a good way to put it.
I think there needs to be an incentive for older guys to get out of the industry, so we can finally let more young blood in. As long as the current system persists I think fishermen will continue to hold onto their unnecessary tags. It makes sense that they do, better safe than sorry, ya know? I hope that the supposed ongoing evaluation of the limited entry program at DMR brings about a positive change in this whole process.
Entitlement, trap wars, boat sinkings, limited entry, tags and latent tags, absurdly long waiting lists. The whole program is really a mess. Its unfair to the industry, lobsterman, those on the waiting list, the people of Maine and ultimately the economy of the state due the waste of resources and ultimately jobs in the state. Not to mention the reputation of the state. It makes us look like a bunch of renegades and outlaws.
Who was fishing the waters when the current “owner” took over the territory? As far as I know, you can’t sell or give away territory, so how is it “owned”?
Why is the ocean and shoreline such a Wild West kingdom? Play nice, go out, fish/ dig, come back. Repeat.
They should have their licenses pulled for a few years.
Maine, the way life should be!
I’m in my 50’s and started lobster fishing when I was 10. In all that time, I’ve only had my gear intentionally messed with once. I couldn’t prove who did it, but I had a pretty good idea. Having a good idea, though, isn’t enough, so you just have to live with it. For the most part, if you conduct yourself with integrity out there, you will avoid trouble. Treat others the way you would want to be treated. The problems on the water are relatively isolated when compared to the number of fishermen there are. The cases that make the news, like this one, are pretty extreme and anybody caught doing this type of stuff should have to face some pretty serious repercussions. There is no room for this type of behavior and no need of it, but trying to catch somebody in the act, or knowing proof positive who did what to who is another matter.
This doesnt seem to happen on beals….but maybe it because their family tree is a 2 by 4. the midcoast needs more innerbreeding!!
If you are going to be disrespectful and insult a group of people that you don’t know, at least spell the word right. That would be inbreeding.
It doesn’t happen much here because it is a community filled with men and women of integrity. Maybe so-called “innerbreeding” as you call it isn’t so bad after all.
Does anyone else find it odd that this was in the town of “Friendship”
Jane Goodall and John Mitani documented the same sort of behavior among small tribes of chimpanzees, so we can be comforted in the knowledge that it’s nothing all that bizarre. Maybe these chimps should be re-located to a coastal preserve where we can study them. We could do the same with corporate raiders. They’ve a lot in common.
Ever watch Orangutan Island on Animal Planet. Every time I watch this it reminds me of the typical Maine Harbor and the lobsterman who work it, Alpha Male (up on the food platform). Watch it and see if you agree.
Tradition and rites of passage come to mind when it comes to the coast and spider fishermen. Get over it-it is not ever going to stop and we cannot stop it. These are spirited people and they don’t want to be bothered by outsiders or newcomers-always been that way. Fishing businesses are handed down through the generations along with the areas fished. These people will settle this thing among themselves.
You call breaking the Law spirited, breaking the law passed down from father to son? Get over it, breaking the law, get over it? Guess you want to see someone killed, they will settle it among themselves? You better crawl back way back into the Maine woods and go back to your hibernation. You stop this kind of law breaking by arrests, prosecution, and prison. Not to mention of the forfeiture of their Lobster License for many years to come. It is a license to Fish, NOT BREAK the LAW.
Are you from Maine or away?
Born and raised in Ellsworth Maine and proud of it. Even lived in Winter Harbor Maine for 20 years and fished Lobster with my husband. I said we fished Lobster not commit crimes like these other so called fishermen do.
Frankie nice try trying to diss the lady for speaking from the heart and she’s right. Sinking somone’s boat, messing with their gear and stealing lobsters are crime’s and it should be treated as crimes.
Lobster hostilities? You mean the lobsters did it?! What is this world coming to?!?
Yup, the lobsters are ‘clawing’ at each other again. If they keep this up, they’ll end up in hot water.
Another term for “unwritten rules” is “not rules”.
And that’s what happens when inbreds all live together in a community that feels kindagarten is an advanced education.
it’s all because they think because their family set traps in a specific area for years they have some right to fish these areas exclusively and If anyone sets in “their” area they cut the traps off and fight or shoot someone as they have in the past.The people do not own the ocean and the sea floor it belongs to the people of maine.The department of fish and game should revoke their right to to fish for life when incidents get this severe,someone already got shot over this crap. Is it really going to take someone getting killed over this crap before the department of fish in game take a hard stance on these behaviors.
Not too friendly in Friendship