The Maine lobster industry is one that has stood the test of time, from those who have worked the industry before to the present day families that make this fishery so great. Maine lobstermen have been leaders in conservation. We have been the stewards of the North Atlantic ensuring, year after year, that our sustainable fishery will remain viable for the next generation of lobstermen and lobsterladies too.

Hello. My name is Jim Merryman, captain of the F/V Hunter James and owner of Potts Harbor Lobster. At age 8 when I started with three traps I didn't understand the importance of preserving the industry, I just loved catching lobsters. That same passion keeps me on the water today.

The Potts Harbor Lobster family knows we can't get everyone's business, but we sure would appreciate yours.

I'm a third generation lobster fisherman from Harpswell, Maine. Both of my grandfathers as well as my Dad were lobster fishermen. I began fishing with them as soon as I was old enough to put on a pair of boots, around the age of 5, I guess. When I told my Grandfather Barnes I was going to haul traps for a living, he told me something I've never forgotten. He said, "There'll be times when you think you're gonna get rich and there'll be times when you think you're gonna starve, but if you work hard, you won't do either one." He was right. I've been making my living doing this for over 30 years. I'm probably never going to be rich in dollars, but every day I get to spend on the water makes me feel like a rich man. The lobster business isn't for everybody...but it's what I do and it's helped make me who I am. I'd like to think if my Dad and grandfathers were still alive, they'd be proud of the man I've become. So, enjoy your lobsters and know they come from some of the most honest and hard working men you could ever meet.

Some people do things because it's all they know. I fish because it's all I want to know.

My uncle used to babysit me when I was around 5 or 6, and would take me out on his lobster boat while he worked. Well I guess you could say I had found my passion at an early age, because I have been on a boat and fishing ever since.

It's always a shock to me when I realize that I get paid to go fishing, because it's more than a job or a way of life, it's my heart and soul.

It all started for me when I was 10 years old on my father's boat filling bait bags and banding lobsters. At age 13 I had my first boat and 75 wooden traps that I hauled by hand. I knew then I loved the adventure of being on the water every day.

As anyone who fishes can tell you, it's not about the money. It's a passion that becomes your way of life, and doing anything else is simply out of the question.