Portland, Maine
Monday, November 3, 1997
by John Alphonse
Although lobster traps made of wood are traditional favorites - manufactured by companies like Portland's Anderson Trap Company - many traps these days are constructed of less expensive triple-coated, galvanized steel wire formed into the shape of a trap.
Bob Blenk of Portland builds wire traps summers and part time while enrolled in the machinist program at Southern Maine Technical College in South Portland. Getting paid by the piece, he subcontracts his services on the Portland waterfront.
Rolls of Riverdale Mills Aquamesh shipped in from Northbridge, Mass., are cut, flattened and formed into the main body of a standard three-by-five-foot trap. Smaller hand-cut sections are attached with a clip gun, then wood and rubber trimmings are nailed into place. The trap's headings - the inner mesh network of doors and vents - are then woven inside the metal cage.
On a good day, Blenk can prepare from 80 to 100 traps for headings, if that amount of work is available. Contracts run slow as winter approaches, making the job a seasonal one.
The work can be dangerous, using assembly tools that "can take a chunk out of you if you're not careful," says Blenk, showing me the scar on his left palm.
"At first I was all over the place. But you learn the job, you get into the rhythm, and it goes pretty smooth."
Lobster Trap Links
Lobstering
Tools
Ultranet site diagraming a lobster trap and other tools of the lobstering
trade.
Lobster FactSheet
Factoids on lobstering from Allcoast Sportfishing Magazine.
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