Contested catch lobster, localism and Canada's Atlantic Coast, 1870-1970 Suzanne Morton

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Morton, Suzanne, 1961- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lobster fisheries--Government policy--Atlantic Provinces--History--19th century.

Lobster fisheries.

Lobster fisheries--Government policy--Atlantic Provinces--History--20th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Toronto Buffalo London University of Toronto Press [2025]

Summary:

"Contested Catch: Lobster and Localism on Canada's Atlantic Coast, 1870-1970 explores the complex development of the lobster fishery in Canada, focusing on the interplay between the ecology of lobsters, local fishing practices, evolving technologies, changing markets, and the role of the state. Drawing on nearly thirty different archives, this book spans the century from the expansion of the transnational commercial lobster industry and the introduction of government regulations around 1870 to the establishment of the first restricted-access ocean fishery on Canada's East Coast in the late 1960s. Suzanne Morton argues that lobster regulation was always about more than just protecting the lobster population - it reflected deeper local, political, and economic forces at play. She examines how the Canadian state, keeping its enforcement budget to a minimum and wanting to avoid electoral reprisals, interacted with local communities, businesses, and political groups to regulate fisheries. While the government and other officials implemented formal regulations and turned to commissions and government science, local fishers operated with informal systems based on tradition, economic interests, and sometimes coercion. Following the Second World War, with economists playing a prominent role, policy shifted from managing lobster as a sustainable resource to increasing the standard of living for fishermen and their families through rationalized efficiency, ultimately limiting access to who could fish. Even then, the fishery was shaped by both formal government efforts and local, social dynamics."-- Provided by publisher

Contents:

Lobsters and Those Who Caught Them

Lobster Becomes a Commodity

Regulating the Lobster Fishery

The Politics of Knowledge: The Lobster Question, 1874-1939

Rejecting Regulation: Direct Action, Force, and New Strategies, 1890s to 1960s

The Politics of Lobster and Catching Votes, 1871-1939

Lobster Regulations as Social Policy, 1929-1970

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on January 02, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version Morton, Suzanne, 1961- Contested catch

ISBN:

9781487572433

1487572433

1487572239

9781487572235

OCLC:

1535644481

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license