The Lobster Gangs of Maine - by James M Acheson (Paperback)

About the Book

An anthropologist describes the working world of Maine lobstermen, focusing on the intricate personal network that sustains them.

Book Synopsis

James Acheson's detailed account of lobstering in Maine quickly dispels notions that the lobstermen is the eastern version of the cowboy, struggling alone for survival against the elements. In reality, he writes, "the lobster fisherman is caught up in a thick and complex web of social relationships. Survival in the industry depends as much on the ability to manipulate social relationships as on technical skills." Acheson replaces our romantic image of the lobsterman with descriptions of the highly territorial and hierarchical "harbor gangs," daily and annual cycles of lobstering, intricacies of marketing the catch, and the challenge of managing a communal resource.

Review Quotes

"The book is wonderfully entertaining, and the information it contained agreed with everything I have learned during a decade of summers on the Maine coast"-- "Wall Street Journal"

The book is wonderfully entertaining, and the information it contained agreed with everything I have learned during a decade of summers on the Maine coast Wall Street Journal"

Wall Street Journal"

About the Author

JAMES M. ACHESON has spent many years living and working with the lobstermen of Maine's central coast. Professor of Anthropology and Marine Sciences at the University of Maine at Orono, he is author of Capturing the Commons.