At 101, Maine's Oldest Lobster Trapper Has No Plans to Stop
2021-09-19
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Virginia Oliver has been trapping lobster in the northeastern American state of Maine for more than 90 years.
2And even at 101 years old, she says she has no plans to stop.
3Oliver recently told The Associated Press she started catching lobsters at age eight.
4At that time, the electronic traffic signal was a recent invention and few women were harvesting lobsters.
5Oliver still goes out to set traps off Rockland, Maine, with her 78-year-old son Max.
6She uses a boat that once belonged to her late husband. The boat, called "Virginia," was named after her.
7Oliver is now the oldest lobster fisher in the state and possibly in the world.
8"I've done it all my life, so I might as well keep doing it," she told the AP.
9Oliver said she worries about the health of Maine's lobster population.
10She said the lobsters have been facing heavy fishing pressure in recent years.
11The lobster industry has changed over Oliver's many years on the water.
12For example, the sea creatures have grown from a working class food to a tasty delicacy.
13When she first started trapping, lobsters sold for 28 cents a pound.
14Now, they bring in 15 times that.
15Wire traps have replaced her beloved wooden ones, which these days are mainly used as decorations in seafood restaurants.
16Other parts of the business have remained much the same over the years.
17She still loads up pogeys - a term used in the industry for menhaden fish - to put inside the traps to lure lobsters in.
18And, she still gets up before the sun rises to get an early start on the boat.
19In some ways, she was destined for this life.
20Her father was a lobster dealer who started around the 1900s.
21She joined her father on trips and that is when Oliver's love of the business began.
22Wayne Gray, a family friend who lives nearby, said Oliver had a minor health problem a few years ago when a crab bit her finger.
23The incident required her to have seven stitches.
24But even then, she did not think about retiring her lobster traps.
25Gray said, "The doctor admonished her, said 'Why are you out there lobstering?'" Oliver answered, "Because I want to."
26After all these years, Oliver still gets excited about a lobster dinner of her own and said she usually prepares one for herself about once a week.
27When asked whether she sometimes considers ending her work, Oliver said she just does not see any good reasons to do so.
28"I like doing it, I like being along the water," she said.
29"And so I'm going to keep on doing it just as long as I can."
30I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Virginia Oliver has been trapping lobster in the northeastern American state of Maine for more than 90 years. And even at 101 years old, she says she has no plans to stop. 2Oliver recently told The Associated Press she started catching lobsters at age eight. At that time, the electronic traffic signal was a recent invention and few women were harvesting lobsters. 3Oliver still goes out to set traps off Rockland, Maine, with her 78-year-old son Max. She uses a boat that once belonged to her late husband. The boat, called "Virginia," was named after her. 4Oliver is now the oldest lobster fisher in the state and possibly in the world. "I've done it all my life, so I might as well keep doing it," she told the AP. 5Oliver said she worries about the health of Maine's lobster population. She said the lobsters have been facing heavy fishing pressure in recent years. 6The lobster industry has changed over Oliver's many years on the water. For example, the sea creatures have grown from a working class food to a tasty delicacy. 7When she first started trapping, lobsters sold for 28 cents a pound. Now, they bring in 15 times that. Wire traps have replaced her beloved wooden ones, which these days are mainly used as decorations in seafood restaurants. 8Other parts of the business have remained much the same over the years. She still loads up pogeys - a term used in the industry for menhaden fish - to put inside the traps to lure lobsters in. And, she still gets up before the sun rises to get an early start on the boat. 9In some ways, she was destined for this life. Her father was a lobster dealer who started around the 1900s. She joined her father on trips and that is when Oliver's love of the business began. 10Wayne Gray, a family friend who lives nearby, said Oliver had a minor health problem a few years ago when a crab bit her finger. The incident required her to have seven stitches. But even then, she did not think about retiring her lobster traps. 11Gray said, "The doctor admonished her, said 'Why are you out there lobstering?'" Oliver answered, "Because I want to." 12After all these years, Oliver still gets excited about a lobster dinner of her own and said she usually prepares one for herself about once a week. 13When asked whether she sometimes considers ending her work, Oliver said she just does not see any good reasons to do so. 14"I like doing it, I like being along the water," she said. "And so I'm going to keep on doing it just as long as I can." 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 17We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 18_________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20delicacy - n. a special food, usually something rare or costly 21decoration - n. things put on or around something to make it look more attractive 22lure - v. to persuade someone to do something 23destined - adj. certain to achieve or experience something 24stitch - n. one of the small pieces of thread used to sew together a cut 25admonish - v. to gently tell someone that they have done something wrong