St Andrew’s by the Sea – Visit Campobello Island • Whale watch

Accommodation: Delta by Marriott Saint John

We were up bright and early to board our bus and after an hour, arrived at the ferry port at St Andrew’s Harbor to board our boat to Campobello Island. Grand Circle chartered this boat just for our group, so we had the boat all to ourselves. The Island is home to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s summer cottage. It is also the home of Campobello International Park which is jointly administered, staffed, and funded by the people of Canada and the United States.

As we ferried along, our local guide told us all about lobster fishing in these beautiful waters. The government enforces many rules to keep lobster fishing legal and given St Andrew’s close proximity to Maine, the US government also regulates the industry and both countries work together to make the lobster fishing profitable and environmentally sound for all. We were so close to Maine on our voyage that our phones changed the time to Maine time which is an hour before Canadian time.

Our guide told us that to obtain a lobster fishing license, the cost can be close to a million dollars, and that doesn’t count what you actually need to catch the lobsters – a boat, cages, ropes, buoys, etc. She said that there is a limit with the license as to how many traps you can set and she said it’s usually about 300+ in this area. I forget the exact number.

The very first day the lobster fishing season opens for the season, usually at 6 am, the boats are lined up and ready to motor to their favorite “sweet spots” where they know from experience, will be the most bountiful for lobsters trapping. They set their traps…all 300+ and then they go back at night and pull ALL those traps and remove their catch. They can pull in over 20,000 lbs of lobster in a day!!! Then… they go right back and set all the traps again. It’s hard work since no matter the weather, the fisherman go out each day to set traps and harvest lobsters.

The lobsters that the government allows the fisherman to keep, are measured basically from where the eyes are to where the tail begins and for New Brunswick lobsters, that area must be over 3 inches in length. They are measured with a special gauge and anything below that size must be tossed back.

In Canada, federal law prohibits the buying, selling, or possession of female lobsters with eggs attached, so those females must be put back into the sea. Before the lobster goes back, however, the fisherman will put a large V in the tail of the lobster signifying that lobster is a “breeder” and if that lobster is caught again, it should be returned to the sea, even if she is not bearing eggs at that time. The V notch is a conservation measure widely adopted by fishermen.

Our guide said all lobster fisherman hold their favorite fishing spots close to their hearts… It’s a big secret that they do not share with anyone. The license that they purchase stipulates a certain areas where they can place their traps, which is actually quite large. She was asked if parents pass their fishing license down to their children and she said for the most part, no. The license is the fisherman’s retirement plan. They might sell it to their children on a monthly payment basis or to another fisherman, but they wouldn’t give it away.

How much a lobster fisherman makes depends on the price of lobster meat, how many lobsters are caught, and the popularity of lobster at any given time. They sell to restaurants, fish mongers, and even to China.

The lobster traps are placed into the water on long ropes that are tied to a few traps at the same time. One big problem with the ropes is that marine life can get tangled in them… especially whales. When a whale gets entangled, a crew especially trained to deal with the situation is called out. They never get up close to the creature to release it from the rope, but rather have blades on long poles that can cut the rope from a distance. However, before that is even undertaken, cameras from above and below are used to determine exactly where the rope is wrapped around the whale so they don’t cut an area which could tighten around the creature rather than release it.

Sadly, a friend of the guide was killed as he released a whale from its shackle. When the whale realized it was free, it sent its tail downward and it hit the boat where the man was standing and killed him instantly.

It was a very interesting lecture and I learned a lot about lobster trapping that I never knew.

We were treated to a private tour of the Roosevelt cottage, viewing original furniture and artifacts throughout. The wallpaper on the walls was manufactured to be exact duplicates of the wallpaper that was there originally. The house was built in the late 1800’s and the 34 rooms have been remarkably preserved.

Sadly, it was at this home that Roosevelt became aware of the first symptoms of his polio. He had been in upstate New York on a jamboree, and a few days after returning to Canada, he became ill and they soon realized it was polio.

The house is beautiful and it was very interesting touring the rooms and imagining how the Roosevelts spent their summers boating, playing tennis, and enjoying this beautiful home on the sea.

We took the boat back to the harbor, and on the way we were given the opportunity to see and hold live starfish and sea urchins, and we also stroked a live sea cucumber…(who wasn’t happy about being out of his environ, and he let us know by spouting out streams of water). BTW… For those who enjoy eating uni (sashimi), did you know that the buttery delicacy you enjoy is actually the gonads of the sea urchin? I didn’t think so! I certainly didn’t.

Along the way, the captain of the boat told us that there was a whale nearby and we were treated to watching him come in and out of the water around our boat.

We enjoyed lunch at the harbor after the boat docked, and we walked around the town, and then rode our bus back to the hotel. We met friends for dinner and had a great at time!

It was a gloriously sunny day which started out very chilly, but ended up spring-like as we arrived back to our hotel. It was a wonderful day!

Walking along the boardwalk to board our boat to the island

On the boat

The Roosevelt summer cottage

The living room where they spent time playing games and watching the boats on the water.

Franklin and Eleanor’s bedroom.

The dining room

The Head Harbor lighthouse (also known as the East Quoddy Head Lighthouse). It is claimed to be the most photographed lighthouse in the world. Who knows.