Yohan The Lobster Fisherman | Teen Ink

Yohan The Lobster Fisherman

October 30, 2014
By Beege BRONZE, Jonesport, Maine
Beege BRONZE, Jonesport, Maine
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Once upon a time there was a miracle needed for the fisherman of Jonesport and Beals because the lobster population had dropped off to nothing. Fisherman were very angry about this because they needed money desperately and they couldn’t do anything about it so they were very angry about it. Most Fisherman will clam on the side if there is no lobsters so a few went clamming and a few went wrinkling.


After 3 weeks of catching little to no lobsters the fisherman were completely fed up, so some even took their traps out of the water. Fisherman were so furious because they couldn’t even afford to go hauling, the bait and fuel was too expensive, they weren’t even catching enough lobster to break even for the day they would go into the negatives so they owed the wharf’s money. Most fisherman just took their traps and put them on the bank and left them there and some fisherman stayed out there waiting for the lobsters to come back and they didn’t for a while but they still had faith.


This went on for several weeks until there was just one and only one fisherman left his name was Yohan, Yohan has been in the business for 65 years and he knows everything about the water, when fisherman have questions they go to Yohan about the questions because he knows everything. When this lobster shortage came nobody decided they would ask Yohan what was going on because they were so mad about not making any money they didn’t know what to think. Yohan is very smart because he said “in time the lobsters will come” he said to himself over and over every night before he went to bed. Yohan had 550 traps out at this time and he had the only traps in the reach,


Yohan would haul his traps once a week because the bait was staying on his pockets very well, so he didn’t have to keep coming out and re-baiting them, he would haul once a week and he would average about a lobster per trap which is very well at the price being $15.00 per pound he would haul 550 traps for 550 pounds and which was very good. Nobody knew how Yohan was doing because he has his own lobster market and ships his own lobsters to the processer which means he makes more money off the lobsters and nobody can tell how he is doing. Yohan is a very smart man and he is very patient waiting to do even better than he is doing he knows that the lobsters will make a move quickly back into the reach where he fishes.


Yohan set his traps back to wait for another five night set, Yohan went home and of course cooked a lobster for supper, while he was eating the lobster he was thinking that the next time he hauled was going to be a very good haul, the price had gone up to 20.00 a pound because the market was so desperate for lobsters. Yohan has never seen the price go this high he can’t believe it, he knows the lobster market is desperate for lobsters. Yohan waited patiently for five nights finally the fifth night rolled around and he got everything ready to go to haul the next morning he laid down in bed thinking of lobsters and hoping that he does good.


Yohan woke about at about 5:30am and steamed out to his first trap, he hauled it up and he could not believe what he saw, there was no lobsters in the trap he was amazed. Yohan baited up the trap and set it back out, he steamed it to the next one he hauled it up and he ripped six huge male counters out and he said “that’s what I’m talking about” Yohan averaged six lobster per trap all day long after that.  Yohan came in with 3,294 pounds at a price of 20.00 a pound it was a very good pay day for him. Yohan never spoke a word about how he did to anyone and the fisherman of Jonesport and Beals didn’t put another trap in for the rest of the year.



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