Category Archives: Blog

To achieve great compost, a true balance is always the goal! Balancing the level of moisture in a compost pile will help it break down properly and quickly, while balancing the content will produce the richest, healthiest compost for your lawn, garden or flower beds! Achieving the proper moisture in a compost pile depends on the pile’s location—if in a very arid scape, more ‘green material’ (wet/fresh ingredients) are required, whereas in a more humid environment, more ‘brown material’ (dry ingredients) is needed. It should be dry enough that it’s not ‘soupy,’ or liable to rot, but wet enough that it produces good heat to encourage break-down of added materials. ‘Brown material’ can include pine needles, dry leaves, sawdust or wood clippings. ‘Green material’ includes (but is certainly not limited to) grass cuttings or food scraps. Constant turning/rotating of a compost pile is necessary for consistent break-down throughout the pile.

Lobster shells are considered ‘green material,’ and require some steps for quick break-down. The shells should be rinsed thoroughly, to avoid adding a high volume of salt to the composition of the compost. Additionally, they can be crushed or ground up before being added to your compost pile to speed up their break-down time. If your compost pile is in direct sunlight, then this step isn’t totally necessary. The direct sun will make shells quite brittle within a few weeks! The shells can attract some animal attention, so if this creates a problem, be sure to bury the shells under a good layer of already composting (less attractive to animals) material. If shells are going to be buried, then breaking down the shells a bit first is a good idea!

Including lobster tails and shells in your compost pile provides many benefits! The shells provide a good source of chiton, calcium, magnesium, and nitrogen. Their slow break-down promotes good drainage for the compost pile overall, but their chiton content helps retain the proper amount of moisture needed, making lobster shells an excellent addition to compost piles in both dry and humid areas! If your soil tests low for calcium, magnesium or nitrogen, lobster shells are a great, all-natural remedy!

Plants that benefit from extra calcium include: apples, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, cherries, citrus, conifers, grapes, legumes, peaches, pears, peanuts, potatoes, roses, tobacco and tomatoes. If you grow any of these items, and they look lackluster, try a soil test, and see if they might benefit from the minerals found in lobster shells! Remember, too many lobster shells won’t help the soil’s health overall, it’s all about balance! If you live far from the coast, you can order live Maine lobster from Greenhead Lobster, or even our frozen Stonington-caught Maine lobster tails, and use the shells in your compost far from the sea! Even if it takes a while for shells to break-down, it is quite the novelty to see the shell of a lobster peeking out beneath your plants, reminding you of the sweet taste of Greenhead Lobster! Cheers to healthy soil, eating lobster and working outside!

*sources: www.coastofmaine.com and www.gardeningknowhow.com

Colloquially known as ‘Ronnie,’ he is among one of the first boats to sell to Greenhead Lobster back in the mid-90s. But Ronnie’s fishing history goes back well before Greenhead Lobster was in existence! At eight years old, he’d bait bags for local lobsterman, Johnny Haskell for $1 a day, and he’d “save like hell for the Blue Hill Fair.” Ronnie’s family goes back five or more generations as Little Deer Isle residents, and Ronnie kept his first boat, a flat-bottomed, 12’ cedar skiff, built by his grandfather, Levi Sewall, there on Little Deer Isle. He’d fish a handful of traps, hauling by hand off the west side of LDI by the power of a 5hp Sears and Roebuck outboard. “I must have replaced more pull-cords on that thing than any other outboard combined” he reminisced. His next boat was a 16’ round-bottomed skiff with 3/4” cedar over oak planks, which Ronnie built from one of his grandfather’s molds. Building wooden boats was certainly a passion of his grandfather’s, who was known to say, “if God meant for fiberglass boats, he’d have made fiberglass trees.”

Over the years, Ronnie has fished for far more than just Maine lobster. As a ground fisherman, he fished for cod, hake and pollock. At that time, around 1977, hake and pollock would bring in around $.03 per pound, and cod, aka ‘money fish’ would bring in $.15-$.25 per pound. Ground fishing required at least three crew, and a LOT of work setting nets, and often long trips away from home.

In addition to lobstering and ground fishing, Ronnie also went scalloping as far away as George’s Bank, and shrimping from 1980 to 2013.

Built in 1979, F/V: Star Fire 2 has been through quite the adventures with Ronnie. The name comes from the sentiment of ‘wishing upon on a star.’ Ronnie said, “I never believed that I’d have such a boat” even though he’d wished for it as a youngster, so he figured when his wish came true, he’d name it ‘Star Fire’ in honor of that star delivering the wish!

Over all the year’s he’s fished, from shrimping to scalloping to ground fishing and lobstering, Ronnie figures he’s had anywhere from 60-70 crewmembers. Before there was F/V: Star Fire 2, there was F/V: Star Fire, which Ronnie had from just 1978 until January 1979. F/V: Star Fire was out on the mooring during a horrible storm, where the wind blew upwards of 90 mph, and parted the chain of Ronnie’s mooring. F/V: Star Fire blew ashore into the old cannery in Stonington, creating a large gash in the hull.

Bruce Jones jumped aboard F/V: Star Fire and was able to get it over to shore and tied up to Junior Bray’s dock. Enough damage had been done to the hull that it was determined that the fastest way to get Ronnie back on the water would be to start with a new hull. Everything else that hadn’t been damaged in the accident would be transferred to the new hull. Over at Billings Diesel and Marine, Ronnie got a new 44’ Stanley hull, and side-by-side with F/V: Star Fire, had everything moved over—the cabin, the electronics, the hauler, everything! The hull of F/V: Star Fire was repaired, and Ronnie believes she’s still fishing in Southwest Harbor under a different name. F/V: Star Fire 2 was rebuilt in 1993, and is the same boat that Ronnie fishes today!

After years of fishing through winter, Ronnie now takes his boat out, and uses the time to prepare for the upcoming season. He’s had Ryan Betts on the stern for three years, and this season Justin Rojas jumped onboard as third man. When asked about Ronnie as a captain, Ryan said, “he’s one of the best bosses I’ve ever had, he’s consistent and doesn’t bring negativity to the boat. It’s his ‘home away from home,’ he really loves it… he’s never too grumpy… he’s really funny, keeps it light, he’s good to work for.” Justin added, “he’s really patient, this is my first year fishing and he’s a great teacher.”

When asked what is Ronnie’s favorite part about being a lobsterman, he heartily replied, “I get to eat my own lobster!” He continued with, “If I was going to die, and I could request my last meal, it would be a 1.5lb new shell lobster from the Western Bay… you know those West Bay lobsters, with the big claws…” Ronnie’s favorite way to eat Maine lobster at home: “Lobster rolls. Steam the lobsters, pick the meat, little mayo, salt and pepper. Toast the roll with butter. That’s a lobster roll.”

Thank you, Ronnie, for selling your beautiful Western Bay lobsters to Greenhead Lobster for over twenty years and to Marjorie, Ronnie’s wife, for supporting his fishing habits! When you buy lobster online from Greenhead Lobster, not only are you choosing the most delicious Maine lobster, but your choosing to support independent fishermen like Ronnie Shepard and his family and crew! Thank you!

From a young age, David felt drawn to the sea. The majority of his childhood artwork depicted boats or the shore, and by eight years of age, he could be found out on the flats clamming or headed out scalloping with his father, Roland. By age 10, David would row out on a 14’ fiberglass boat, built by his father, to hand-haul a dozen traps throughout the summer. He felt like each trap held treasure, and he LOVED going treasure hunting.

This love of fishing continued into adulthood, and David still enjoys clamming, and holds a commercial license to dive for scallops and urchins, and of course, to go lobstering. David’s boat, F/V: Tarr Baby was built and launched back in 1991 after being christened by Joyce, David’s wife. ‘Tarr Baby,’ a nickname from David’s childhood, was really more of a joke between David and his mother-in-law, Patty. Patty wanted grandchildren, and would say, that she wanted ‘Tarr babies,’ so when David built the boat instead, to honor his mother-in-law’s wishes, he went with ‘F/V: Tarr Baby.’

Over the years, F/V: Tarr Baby has been through four different engines, a rebuilt house, a new deck, and has a good, solid layer of fiberglass reinforcement. “If we hit a ledge” David said, “we’d have to go back and check on the ledge.” Originally, a 35’ Duffy, the hull quickly changed when David cut it in two and added another 3 feet in length!

The vessel isn’t the only consistent aspect of David’s fishing career! He’s had sternman, Richard Lebel, onboard for 12 years! “We get along great” David said, “we don’t have to talk everything through, we know what to expect from each other. It’s safe, no miscommunication… we know all of each other’s stories… know when the other is embellishing.” Occasionally, Nathan Peace joins as third man as well!

In the winter, when diving for scallops and urchins, David has tender, Tabor Horton onboard. This winter marks Tabor’s sixth season going on F/V: Tarr Baby. While David is underwater diving, Tabor is onboard shelling scallops, keeping an eye out for boat traffic or any other hazards. “He’s a great guy to work for” said Tabor, “he works really hard and is a great fisherman… He loves to fish and loves his family even more…he’s someone I have learned a lot from, and will always look up to.”

One day after fishing, David was driving home with a friend, and David turned to him and said, “Man, you really stink!” to which his friend replied, “I don’t think it’s me…!” After the smell continued to worsen, they finally pulled over and popped the hood. There on the manifold, was an old fish, just smelling as ripe as ever. David felt fairly confident that he knew who was behind the prank, and considered retaliation. The assumed prankster had recently purchased a brand-new truck. So, when David noticed the truck parked at the pier one day, he bought a few loaves of bread, and covered it. In no time, seagulls were indulging, leaving quite a mess. “There must have been at least 40 gulls” David laughed. The next time David saw the truck-owner, he said “I got you back for that old fish.” To which the man replied with a smile, “I didn’t leave that fish on your engine, but I won’t get you back for the bread.” Seashore antics… David claims his pranking days are mostly over.

David and his wife, Joyce, enjoy eating lobster at home—typically new shell lobsters, steamed for about 12 minutes. Occasionally they’ll put together a traditional lobster bake on the shore. David chuckled, remembering a time when they hadn’t totally accounted for high tide! More importantly, when they cook lobsters at home, for visiting guests, “we like to cook too many.”

David loves working outside on the water. At the end of the day, whether it’s lobsters or scallops, David likes to think about his daily catch in terms of how many gourmet meals did he pull from the ocean, and where do they end up on a plate? When you purchase quality Maine lobsters from Greenhead Lobster, you know that some came from F/V: Tarr Baby.

Overall, David said that his wife, Joyce, and her hard work, has allowed David to fish as hard as possible. “She’s so well balanced, I can’t imagine life without her” said David. Joyce homeschooled their two oldest daughters, Elly and Grace, who are both in college now, and she will homeschool their recently adopted daughters, Margaret and Ruth as well. Elly has her commercial lobster license, and Grace has a student license. They fish together sometimes when home for the summer!

Thank you, David, and your family! We so appreciate all of the hard work that goes into being a commercial fisherman! Here’s to a successful season of lobstering, followed by a prosperous winter of diving!

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