The coast of Maine is very favorably situated for this fishery. In its
eastern and middle sections the shore is bold and rocky, while it is
cut up by large deep inlets and coves which are studded with numerous
islands, large and small, and by bold rocky promontories. Groups
of islands are also numerous farther off shore, like the Fox and
Matinicus Islands, Deer and Mount Desert islands. Large and small
fresh-water rivers are numerous and the granite bottoms of these
channels and inlets form admirable breeding grounds. In the western
end the shores are not so rocky, being broken frequently with sandy
reaches, while the rivers are small and comparatively shallow. West of
Casco Bay the islands are infrequent. As a result of this conformation
of coast the best fishing grounds in Maine are between Cape Elizabeth
and Quoddy Head.

As early as 1830 smacks from Boston and Connecticut visited Harpswell
for fresh lobsters, and it is very probable that even before this time
they had visited the points farther west in the State, as the history
of the fishery, so far as known, shows that it gradually worked to
the eastward. This was doubtless owing to the fact that the trend of
settlement in the early part of the century was in that direction. It
is also probable that, for some time before the people along the coast
took up the fishery, the smackmen themselves did their own fishing.
This is easily believed when the great abundance is considered. It is
known that this was done in Massachusetts.

During summer the lobsters were very common close in shore and could
easily be gaffed by boys at low water; but this could hardly be called
a regular fishery.

The regular fishery began with the use of hoop-net pots, which were