Description
The Atlantic Cod: Gadus morhua
The Atlantic Cod grows to a length of 6 feet (1.8 meters) and can weigh 98 3/4lbs (44.8kg.) though their average weight is six to12 lbs (2.7 – 5.4kg). They usually live on or near the bottom of the continental shelf from a depth of 6-20 fathoms (one fathom equals 6 feet) and range from Greenland, south to Cape Hatteras; caught most abundantly in the region of Labrador to New York. They have been one of the most commercially caught food fish for centuries and are fished by the tens of thousands of tons. Now nets are coming up empty and commercial fishing bans and regulations are being put in place. The object in the left background is a net mending tool, as common to the old fisher as a watch to a banker. Now in place of the rows of fishing boats, the boats lined up are to catch:
The American Lobster: Homarus americanus
The American Lobster is our largest crustacean. They take seven or eight years to mature and have been known to measure over two feet (2/3 of a meter) and weigh as much as 44lbs. (20 kg.) Ranging from Labrador to the Carolinas, the largest commercial catches are around Nova Scotia and Long Island. At every harbor, traps are piled by the hundreds. How long before they are a thing of the past? Gone is the Lighthouse Keeper who was one of the most important people on the Atlantic Seaboard. He is now regarded as obsolete, replaced by machinery.
