The Great Lobster War

By Ronald P. Formisano

Book Overview

This groundbreaking historical account documents the little-known but significant conflict that erupted among Maine lobstermen in the 1950s--a pivotal clash that pitted independent small-scale fishermen against powerful dealers and federal government regulators. Written by distinguished historian Ronald P. Formisano, this work reconstructs a dramatic struggle over prices and economic power within Maine's vital lobster fishery.

Capturing the reality of the Lobster War strike and its subsequent legal proceedings, Formisano's narrative explores how independent owner-operators of the Maine lobster fishery, facing economic pressures from middlemen dealers and federal intervention, banded together in a coordinated effort to secure fair prices and maintain control over their livelihoods.

Through meticulous historical research, Formisano illuminates the economic realities of commercial fishing, the dynamics between laborers and processors, and the role of government regulation in shaping resource management policies.The Great Lobster War serves as both a detailed historical study and an accessible story of working-class agency and collective action in the postwar era.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 155849071X
• ISBN13: 9781558490710
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher