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Notes from Mount Desert Island: Interviewing Maine Fishermen to Find Archaeological Sites

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Abstract

In an attempt to discover submerged archaeological sites, the author interviewed commercial fishermen, divers, and others with intimate knowledge of the Maine coast between Stonington and Prospect Harbor. Investigators compiled information from several small maritime communities, focusing on the portions of their populations in contact with the sea. A wealth of data regarding the location of infrastructure, wrecks, and inundated prehistoric sites was gathered between 2006 and 2011. Patterns emerge when the findings are compared to the historical record, to commercial fishing zones, or to known archaeological sites. The results of the survey will be discussed, as well as the efficacy of the project, and the sometimes surprising relationship between the data and the physical and cultural landscapes of the area.

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Acknowledgments

The research for this survey was made possible in part with funding from the Institute for Maritime History (IMH), a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Exploration Grant that funded the Blue Hill Bay Submerged Prehistoric Landscape Survey, and an LL Bean Acadia Research Fellowship. The author would like to thank IMH, NOAA, the LL Bean Acadia Research Fellowship Program, Acadia National Park, Steve Dilk, Nadine Kopp, Ed Monat, Edna Martin, and the maritime community whose cooperation and interest made the research possible, most notably Stanley Black, whose suggestion to interview another fisherman about recovered prehistoric artifacts set the project in motion. Special thanks to Jessi Halligan and Nathan Richards for their comments and suggestions.

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  1. Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, 1001 DeSoto Park Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32301, USA

    Franklin H. Price

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  1. Franklin H. Price
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Correspondence to Franklin H. Price.

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The use of the term “fishermen” rather than “fishers” or “fisherfolk” is for two reasons. First, all of the interviewees engaged in the fishing industry were male, and second, those within the subject area use this term exclusively to define their profession. This at times led to grammatically interesting sentences. When asked about one of the few female captains along the coast one informant answered, “I heard she’s a good fisherman.”

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Price, F.H. Notes from Mount Desert Island: Interviewing Maine Fishermen to Find Archaeological Sites. J Mari Arch 8, 59–76 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11457-013-9107-3

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