Musée des Acadiens des Pubnicos et Centre de recherche

“Smacks” – a single-masted boat used for transport or as a fishing boat. At the beginning of the 20th century, the gas motor replaced sails.

Showing smacks, lobster cars and buyers, lobster pots, factories, fisherman, etc. A means of shipping lobsters from years ago.

Marketing live lobsters on the Boston Market and other markets in the United States has been going on for a long time and various method of shipping have been experimented with. Transporting by train was being done over fifty years. A special boxcar was equipped with ice and other safety features. Although trains could haul large loads they were not known for speed when speed was the essential factor. Another early shipping method was a type of boat called a “Well smack.” A well smack was simply a boat with watertight compartments to keep it afloat, protect the engines, and provide for living quarters. However, water was allowed to come in and go out of the cargo hold. Lobsters were loaded in these, not in crates, but loose in the fish hold, where the movement of salt water kept them in good marketable shape as they traveled to the United States. While loading, the well smacks had to be put out to sea for a short period of time (five minutes or so) to make sure their cargo had plenty of oxygen and clean water. This had to be repeated at times.

Part of a story taken from the book Stories to Remember, Volume 1, by Laurent d’Entremont.

Reference: Photo by Bob Brooks Musée des Acadiens des Pubnicos 2003.42-P102

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