December 2009 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 5.
PROFILE: BROOKS TRAP MILL OF THOMASTON
THOMASTON – Anyone who is associated firewood there.
with the lobster industry knows Brooks Trap This was also about the time that
of Thomaston. You would know that any wooden traps all but disappeared from the
thing you needed to build a trap you can get coast. Steve added, “At the end of it we were
at one of their stores or delivered via one of building wooden traps and wire traps both
their trucks. What is also interesting is how until wood faded out. Actually it went from an
they got their start. all wood trap, to wood and wire trap. You’d
Brooks Trap got its start back in 1946. have wire on the bottom and top, black-tarred
Michael Brooks was in the logging and gravel mesh on the sides, and a wooden frame. Then
business located on Camden Street in the wooden frame disappeared and it was all
Rockland. Back then all traps were built of wire.
wood so the fishermen would come to the saw Today, Brooks Trap builds traps and has
mill and Brooks would saw out what they a retail store, which also supplies their stores
needed. Steve Brooks, Michael’s grandson, in Bath and Portland. As the lobster business
added, “They had people asking about run- declined, they have looked at different mar-
ners, laths, yokes, thimbles, all the stuff for kets. Steve said, “In Maine trap building is
wooden traps. So they started getting into differently not growing. We primarily just
building traps. supplied Maine fishermen for longest time.
In 1949 they moved from Rockland to However, we could see that Maine was going
The Brooks Family: Mark, Karl and his wife, Steven and Julie (Brooks) Russo.
their present location on Beeechwood Street to basically tap itself out, so we started going
the trap is compared to the green on the sides.
in Thomaston. More and more the focus was further. We’ve gone to New Jersey and Con- herring and will last up to 10 to 14 days. We
It is actually a part of the body, it is not an
on building trap stock and traps. necticut before and we go to Rhode Island have been making it for probably a year and
added piece. There has always been added
Steve’s father, Karl, worked at the shop and Massachusetts a lot. We are also selling a half. We can definitely see it increasing and
pieces, but they are pretty expensive. The
in high school, but went on to college and more and more to Canada. Although, we next year with this herring quota cut, there will
Claw Saver only adds $2 a trap. You don’t
earned a doctorate degree in psychology. don’t take our own trucks to Canada. We’ve probably be a lot more. It seems to be working
need to save too many claws to get $2 back.
Upon graduation he accepted a position as met trucks up there, but a lot of trucks that are well, but again it is not going to work as well
The big thing it saves small lobsters hanging
psychology professor at the University of going to Canada go back empty so they’ll as herring.”
Florida. After several years of teaching he stop in here and load up.” Is there any new innovations to building
Continued on Page 20.
decided to move his family back to Maine and To make sure that they have a complete lobster traps? Steve
get involved in the family business with his understanding of what is going on in the added, “There has
Specializing in Marine Electrical Systems
brother Lawrence. They were still sawing industry, Steve said that he tries to g to every been a lot of people try
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lumber and firewood, as well as making traps meeting of the MLA, LAC and zone meetings stuff, but it seems they
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and trap stock. In about 1986 the two brothers when possible. Just after Thanksgiving he always come back to
decided to part and Lawrence took over the was going to a bait meeting in Augusta. His the basic trap. One of
lumbering and Karl the trap business. interest there is that they are the ones who the newest things that
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Karl also purchased from Lawrence the manufacture and distribute Better Bait, which has come out for us is
offering complete boat repairs
40 or so acres that the business was located is herring oil and herring fish meal. He said, the Claw Saver bottom.
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on. Lawrence then moved his operation “This is picking up, but it is not meant to You can see how much
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