Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic Lunenburg, NS July 7, 2019 Day 17

This museum was fantastic. We were met by an interpreter named, Diane. She explained how boats are constructed on shore and then launched from where they were built. The boats would be decked out with brightly colored flags for her maiden voyage. People from all around would come to watch the boats be launched. If a boat sank it wasn’t fixed. Fishermen were a superstitious bunch. If the boat sunk before it ever had done a day’s work it was doomed from then on.

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Once Diane finished her part she handed us off to another interpreter, Stefan. He told us about the lobster fishing industry. What was so fascinating is the lobster that is eaten is at least 7 years old! He showed us how a lobster is actually trapped in a lobster trap. They crawl in but are unable to crawl out. Lobsters also like stinky fish. But, so do seals and sea lions. Sea lions and seals can open a lobster trap. That’s why they have to wire them shut now. If they catch a female they automatically go back in the ocean so they don’t fish themselves out of a job! Once the eggs are showing on the outside she will carry them for 9 months there. She has already been developing them for 9 months inside her! That’s a long gestation period. Like a lot of animals in the wild, once the lobsters hatch they are on their own. They are such cute little guys, too! I also learned that lobsters come in a variety of colors. Some can be red, orange, orange and black, blue, or even a green color. All lobsters turn red when cooked.

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Like a lot of places we’ve been, there was a touch tank. Although this was a little different. We were not allowed to touch. The interpreter did all the touching and talking. I would have described her as having her panties in a bunch. She must have the worst job there. All little kids want to touch and hold the sea animals and so do most adults. She probably had to ask folks to keep their hands out of the water at least 5-6 times just in the short amount of time we were there. My panties would have been in a bind too if that was my job! Why have it out in the open like you are allowed to touch and then not let you? Oh well, not my job!

In the photos you can see: flounder, star fish, sea snails and mussels. The mussel that has the red splotch in its mouth is a female.

The last two animal photos are of a blue lobster. He was caught by a local fisherman. It’s bad luck to cook a blue lobster!

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They have a section for a local artist named Earl Bailly. He was an amazing person. He contracted polio as a young child and as a result he became a quadriplegic. This did not stop him from doing anything he wanted. His brother stayed with him throughout his life helping him out, pouring and mixing paint colors, cleaning brushes, taking him places and doing just about anything Earl needed. Earl probably had one of the first electric wheelchairs. He even had an electric tray in front of him he could raise and lower with his mouth on a control. The tray would hold his paints, brushes, and water.

They say that if Earl was out on the street painting and his brother wasn’t around to help with the paints he would just ask a passerby to help him out. One friend was taking a boat to the Caribbean. Earl had always wanted to go. He told his friend this and his friend replied with- if Earl could be back on the dock in 10 minutes ready to go he was welcome to join them -for free! His brother ran home, packed Earl’s stuff up (and his) and the friend had to keep his word. So from then on Earl and his brother made many trips to the Caribbean because they had such a fun time.

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These are just random photos from the museum.

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If you ever find yourself in Lunenburg, NS this is a stop I’d make.

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