LOBSTER FISHING

Small but powerful and maneuverable fishing boats, lobster pots with their multicolored flags, the Ocean, and beneath, a multitude of pinching claws.

Lobster, the Kings of Crustaceans, live at the rocky bottom of the shallow waters of Brittany. Nature gave lobsters their particularly powerful claws, feared not only by their prey, but also by fisherman who lose their bate to them or then again the cook who plunges them mercilessly into a pot of boiling water. Its relative scarcity, the strict regulations guaranteeing the renewal of the species, and of course its unforgettable flavor all give the lobster the reputation it deserves.

If you are lucky enough get the chance to go out to sea, off the coast of Erquy, from Pornic to St Malo (though the entire Breton coast is home to Homarus gammarus) in the company of one of the quiet lobster fishermen (no easy task), you'll get a chance to see for yourself how difficult this job really is. It will be an unforgettable experience. A breath of fresh air, but also a little seasickness await you. The pots are filled with bait; fish guts, starfish, and all sorts of other stuff that may seem smelly to tourists but which lobsters just love. The lines holding about a dozen pots are left to sink to the bottom near the spots that lobsters like best.

The fishermen, who are out at sea before sunrise in order to pull in the day's catch, are like veritable acrobats. Struggling against the tide, waves and maneuvering their small but powerful boats with precision, they bring the lobster traps on deck. With a little luck - and they need it- a lot experience in finding just the right spots, a good knowledge of the Ocean and a whole lot of physical strength, the lobsters won't disappoint them. The smallest lobsters are thrown back. The unlucky larger lobsters return with the fishermen into port.

One thing is sure, it's no easy task getting the rubber band around their claws. Try it yourself. As you come back in to port, try to pick one of the angry lobsters up, hold it between your legs and put the rubber bracelet around those claws whose only desire is to pinch your fingers off! It will make you forget you're sea sick until you're on dry land.

© Pirmil 10.2000

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