The Lobster Gangs of Maine

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.

Author: James M. Acheson
Publisher: University Press of New England
Published: 06/01/1988
Pages: 205
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.71lbs
Size: 8.92h x 5.88w x 0.66d
ISBN13: 9780874514513
ISBN10: 0874514517
BISAC Categories:
- Business & Economics | Industries | General
- Social Science | General

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.