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Casco Bay June 3


Rob Hazard

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MITA has announced their cleanup schedule for the islands of the Trail, and Saturday, June 3rd is the day they picked for Casco Bay. Therefore, I propose a trip from Cousins Island in Yarmouth(?) out to our adopted islands, Bangs and Crow, for a day of recreational yard-work.

Due to the scheduling conflict with the club CAM workshop, and the nesting Eiders on Crow Is, I have decided to cancel this trip and join the Jewell Island trip instead. Perhaps we can reschedule the cleanup for later in the season.

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I put it on my calendar as a camping trip. Hope nothing comes across this plan but if all goes well I will be departing either late Friday or Saturday Morning for Bangs - see you there!

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Sorry, I didn't check the date against the club calendar. Here's an idea: how about we move the paddle up a week to May 26-27? That weekend appears to be empty of trips, and the tides would work OK. Then we'd get our cleanup done in time for the MITA crew to pick the trash bags up the following weekend.

Does that work for everyone?

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That's ok..

...it takes Marilyn and I out of the equation (as we had no plans to attend the cam stuff)

but will probably free up the time for others to do the clean-up. As long as the Islands get cleaned up all is good.

any chance things will loosen up enough to clean any fishing buoys and what not that wash up nets,ropes etc.

I know that's kind of a general question.... but did a 5 day coastal trip last year with a friend and had a hard time convincing him that we weren't allowed to clean up "sacred fishing stuff"

Which made it difficult to explain why I wanted him to poop in a bag and paddle around with it..he would just look at all the debris and shake his head in disbelieve. (they were not Bangs and Crow but much the same general idea)

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any chance things will loosen up enough to clean any fishing buoys and what not that wash up nets,ropes etc.

Not likely. To illustrate what is involved in removing gear from islands. A year or two ago there was a major clean up of gear on one MITA island littered with traps. I believe the intent was to remove gear before the fishing season started in earnest. The process was SMSKN went out early and recorded all the trap numbers, the numbers were posted to give fisherman notice with a period of time to recover their gear, and after the time period expired the gear was removed. As I recall, fishermen helped a good deal with the removal, and I hear some have their own "clean ups" to clear gear on islands. After all they go out to visit and picnic of islands too.

That said, you are right about the amount of gear in some locations and it isn't pretty. You can always bag junk that is not fishing gear to clean places up and let MITA know there is junk bagged on an island. Many islands have local stewards who will go out and pick the bags up.

If you are curious about the traditions of "sacred fishing stuff", there is a book "Lobster Gangs of Maine" which is a good read.

Ed Lawson

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As noted in the edited post, I am canceling this trip due to scheduling conflict with the NSPN on-the-water CAM workshop and the nesting Eiders on Crow Island. Sorry to anyone who is disappointed. Perhaps we can do a cleanup later in the season.

Cheers,

Rob

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If you are curious about the traditions of "sacred fishing stuff", there is a book "Lobster Gangs of Maine" which is a good read.

Ed Lawson

Thanks for the recommendation. I just ordered a copy from the Maine Historical Society museum store. Looks quite interesting.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just finished reading most of "The Lobster Gangs of Maine." Have to say, after reading this the next time a Lobsterman behaves in a hostile manner toward us kayakers I'll know why and not be surprised. Rather an interesting anthropological study of a secretive, ornery, suspicious of outsiders, subgroup of men living and working on the fringes of civil society. Primitive and not at all a role model of the independent man. (This opinion was gleaned from my reading-not a prejudice I personally held.) The lobstering part was interesting and certainly informative-the social part was more awesome and surprising if not jaw dropping.

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