Cape Breton's Magazine

When fishing. Johnny runs the boat along a line of swings. The crew alternates jobs, but in the'e pictures Peter reaches over? board and gaffs a buoy and brings it a- board. The line is passed to Sandy and put around the hydraulic hauler, the rope com? ing m and gathering at his feet on deck. As soon as the first.trap appears it is hauled onto the washboard by Merrill and Sandy. It is opened. Any crabs are removed. Occasionally there's a codfish-or sea ur- chin or sculpm m the trap. The trap is shifted forward along the washboard and Johnny and Peter take out lobsters and check the bait. The lobsters go into the measuring box. By this time the second and perhaps the third trap are on the wash? board. When all four traps are up, Johnny puts the boat m gear and swings around in a tight circle, dragging the buoy still in the water. The rest of the crew finish cleaning out7 baiting and closing the traps. Perhaps Peter will start measuring the lobsters, sorting canners from markets and putting the ones below legal size and any berried lobsters (those with eggsT overboard. Sandy may be putting the rubber bands on the claws of the market lobsters before putting them in their crate. By this time Johnny has come full circle and IS m line with the other buoys. Merrill puts the fourth trap overboard and the line plays out. Then the third, second, and first go out. And when all the line is played out, the buoy is tossed over. And about that time the next swing's first buoy is close at hand and Peter leans out ready to gaff it and bring it on board.