You will get weekly
updates on your
"virtual lobster crate" contents.You will also learn such
things as:· The importance of conservation and how lobstermen make a difference
· The types of bait and what works best it your trap
· The fluctuating price of fuel
· The weather, currents, and how they affect your trap.
· Insight from an 8th generation fisherman about how to save the whales, and the truth about the whale rules affecting Maine lobstermen.
· The risks and rewards involved on a personal level and all from the convenience of your computer.
If you wanted to get your own lobsters:
You could buy a boat ($5,000 to $350,000), spend 2000 hours on a commercial boat to qualify to be put on a waiting list for a commercial license (limited entry fishery-license and trap tags cost 500.00 plus), purchase traps/rope/bouys/bait bags for 100.00 a piece, buy fuel for your boat @ 4.95 a gallon, paint your own bouys(and get a headache while doing it), measure your own rope, purchase bait @ 130.00-200.00 per barrel, and then,where do you set your traps? What territory is safe for you to fish in? What if the fog is so thick you can't see the bow? Then to ship your friends and associates 4 lobsters, clam chowder and dessert would cost over $100.
Or, you could . . .
Log onto your computer, watch a recorded video of your trap being hauled, dream about fresh Maine lobster from your own Rent-A-Trap being shipped wherever you wish, look at your chart of the Swans Island Conservation Area, anticipate the thrill of getting your update on lobsters caught from your trap for the week, all from the comfort of your home or office. Priceless.
What is included in our "HIghliner" Trap for $2,995
• All legal lobsters caught in lobster trap for the season (May-December) Minimum of 50, but probably more with at least one “jumbo” (1.75-4 pounds)
• Free shipping and handling of your lobsters (4 lobster minimum per shipment) anywhere in the continental U.S.
• With each shipment, your choice of our clam or fish chowders, or 1 pound each of clams and mussels (if available), plus a homemade dessert, bibs, lobster crackers, and instructions of how to cook your meal.
• A complimentary non-voting membership to the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association
• A digital video showing your trap being hauled
• A chart of the Swan's Island Conservation Area where your trap is fished.
• The buoy from your trap sent to you at the end of the season.
• Weekly updates (weather permitting) on fishing conditions as well as email updates on your "virtual lobster crate"
• The opportunity, based on availability, to board the F/V Andanamra to help haul your trap
The season tends to
run from late May-December, but due to weather and fishing conditions,
it may start later and end earlier. I am able to guarantee a minimum of
50 lobsters, but would expect more. I also guarantee at least 1 "jumbo”
lobster (between 1.75 up to a regulated 4 pounds). The majority of lobsters
are between 1.25 and 1.50 pounds.
The lobsters caught by Captain Joyce (depending on the time of the season)
may have an extremely firm shell, or may may have a very soft shell. If
your lobsters can't be shipped because they are too soft they will be
partially cooked and shipped to you with instructions on how to finish
the cooking process for the best tasting lobster from your own trap. This
will ensure that the lobsters arrive at your door in as fresh a condition
as possible.
The Joyces have prided themselves for generations in providing the highest
quality lobsters available. We practice storage techniques perfected over
the years in the handling of lobsters that minimize injury to the crustaceans.
Click
here to read the article from "Working Waterfront" about Swan's
Island lobsters.
Until now the only way to learn the ins and outs of lobstering was to
work as “crew” (sternman) on a lobster boat. You now can read
updates and see actual footage of your own trap being hauled by a lifelong,
8th generation fisherman on an island off the rocky coast of Maine. These
pristine waters off Acadia National Park are home to some of the cleanest
and most productive lobstering areas on the whole eastern seaboard.
OR
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR
"PART-TIMER'S" TRAP FOR $1,595.00
The fine print . . .
If you don't take weekly shipments and want to wait for a special occassion or holiday, they will be sold by Swan's Island Rent-A-Trap and replaced with fresh-caughts so that you receive the best product available. 3 weeks advanced notice required for holiday shipping. The lobster count and approximate weight will be kept track of in your "vitrual lobster crate" and emailed to you weekly.
Shipping is available Monday thru Thursday for Tuesday thru Friday delivery, All orders have to be in by 8 am for next day delivery. If you require special shipping, we are happy to try to accomodate you on a case-by-case basis.
Customer assumes all risk and responsibility for the handling of live lobsters upon receipt. Swans Island Rent-a-Trap and Pectic Seafood is not responsible for any injury incurred by Customer from the handling of live lobsters. Swans Island Rent-a-Trap guarantees Customer a minimum of 50 live lobsters (in shell) per trap during the traditional lobstering season (May-Dec.). If, due to Acts of God or other events beyond the control of Swans Island Rent-a-Trap, a Customer's trap does not produce a minimum of 50 live lobsters during the lobstering season, Swans Island Rent-a-Trap reserves the right to fulfill the contract by supplying the minimum number of pounds of live lobsters from traps other than Customer's.