BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) - Maine's lobstermen are struggling to make a profit this summer, because lobster prices are at near record lows. But two fishermen in Boothbay Harbor are trying to boost their income by also taking tourists out to see how lobsters are caught.
Veteran lobsterman Clive Farrin and his stern man, Cage Zipperer, started the charter business called "Go Lobstering" five years ago, as a way to make some extra money. This year, they say, some days the charters make the difference between getting paid or not getting paid.
People on this trip said they loved the chance to get a close-up look at where their lobsters come from, and learn a little about Maine's signature industry.
They also get a surprise when they hear the two fishermen talk. Farrin is a native of the Maine coast, and sounds like it. Zipperer comes from Savannah, Georgia, and has the thick southern accent of his native state. He and Farrin joke that when they started working together, "we needed a translator" to figure out what each was saying to the other. Now, they say the charters are not only a good way to make up for lost income, but are also fun. They say the charters also provide a chance to explain how maine lobstermen work to conserve the lobster resource.
Find lobster boat tours through the Maine Lobster Council